Whenever I have to sing by myself, my range shrinks way way down because I get so nervous. Like if I'm singing by myself in the shower, I can sing F5 (if middle C=C4), but when I have to sing in front of people (or even just 1 person that I don't know well) by myself, I have trouble even singing A4 and I'm only comfortable singing notes below that (down to F3). How can I improve this? You lose your range when you're nervous because your body is tensing up. It's perfectly normal to be nervous for a performance (I've been performing for over 10 years, and I still get nervous and anxious), but you have to train your body to not show those signs of nervousness. Try to be conscious of when your neck is getting tense and stop yourself from doing it. Don't clench your jaw. Relax your body.
A lot of people I know do some light body stretching and facial movements to get the tension out (stretching your arms over your head, stretching your neck from side to side, etc.). I sometimes have to do some jumping jacks to get some of my energy refocused. you want to work on your breath support.
Most of us feel the butterflies in the stomach right about at the solar plexus, which is a great big cloverleaf of muscles. We get so tight there that we can't support properly, and so we lose notes, stamina, intonation, etc.
If you learn to breath well for singing, you'll find yourself breathing through that knot, and dispelling it. This will allow you to relax, find your center of balance,and be able to get a handle on your nerves as well. It takes concentration and discipline to remember to breathe well in such a stiuation but it pays to do so.
I t also works in everday situations, like sitting in the dentist's chair and hearing the buzz of the drill start up. remembreing to breathe ( and the angle of the chair actually helps) will make things easier. Or getting blood taken. I still don't look, but I find if I breathe as if I'm going to sing, it just doesn't bother me as much. |
