Facial Anchoring

What you will feel for the following exercises is the lifting of the soft palate, the strengthening of the hard palate and the creation of a lot of space in the head and back of your mouth. You may also feel the cheekbones lift. By anchoring the face, you create a larger space to resonate the sound in and make it easier for you to get the words out. The muscles of the lower-face are lightened by not having heavy cheeks weighing them down. As with the yawn, but without the associated Stiffening in the base of the tongue, feel the above listed shifts inside your head when:

• Snarling like a tiger
• Sucking on a thick-shake straw
• Biting into a toffee apple and baring down with the top teeth
• Silently and violently meowing
• Flaring nostrils
• Shivering
• Feeling cold air suddenly inhaled to the back of the mouth
• Smiling (on the inside – not just with the mouth!)

Describe the changes to the tone and colour of the sound when you apply these different facial postures/movements to the sound. Each one gies the voice a different flavour.. what is it? Increase facial anchoring the higher you sing and see how much is too much…