How do you relax your jaw?

How to relax jaw and shoulder and throat too sing?

• my throat feels strained after i sing

• Answer:

  forget about the olive oil, that's urban legend talking. To relax your jaw, pretend to yawn. Aw, go ahead and really yawn! Watch what happens in the first phase where the air comes rushing in: your jaw drops, the tip of your tongue nestles in behind the lower front teeth, your soft palate ( the soft spongy part on the roof of your mouth) arches up. that's all before you get to the big stretch, and it's this first part that interests us singers. This loose dropped jaw, arched palate, and relaxed tongue are built in to our habits. It's how we work. If you can remember this position for singing, you will find it much easier. You will have to pay attention to this all the time you sing, otherwise you will slip back into the bad habit of clamping down on the muscles of your throat. You also need to pay attention to your posture so that you are not compensating by using your shoulders. shoulders really have nothing to add to singing. Think of being wide across the shoulders and the upper chest. All of these things will be of no use to you, however, if you are not breathing properly in the first place. Good breath support/control is the motor of a healthy voice, no matter what style you sing. You can look this up on any number of sites on singing. ( even they have got this one down)