Most of us at one time or another have had the experience of watching a singer with a "shaking jaw and/or tongue". It occurs on television, stage, and sometimes on film. This condition seems not to respect the boundary between classical and pop singers. It is a common disease in both categories and can become chronic. If left without technical solutions, this condition can literally rob a person of their vocal longevity.

Recently, on this web-site, I have been e-mailed with this common question: "What causes a shake in the jaw/tongue areas and what can be done to avoid this problem?" This question has been asked mainly by classical singers who are concerned, and rightly so, about their vocal future.

End of a promising career: When I search my memory for singers who suffer this vocal problem, one large-voiced soprano comes to mind whose career was supported early on by Luciano Pavarotti. She has a beautiful instrument with fullness of color and beauty of timbre. However, this singer suffers chronically with a shaking jaw and tongue. The focus of the voice is sacrificed and over time, a large wide vibrato (wobble) developed in her voice. Tragically, this singer who once had a mainstream career hardly sings. Primary Causes of Jaw/Tongue Shake

(1) The role of breath pressure: Many singers do not know how to breathe and support properly. (see articles on this subject) Often the breath and support are not low enough. This sets up problems from the onset of sound or the "attack". (see article on the perfect attack). As too much breath pressure comes up through the larynx, tension builds in the shoulders, neck, jaw and tongue. The singer is not "holding back the breath pressure" with the lower body muscles, therefore, the root of the tongue must control that breath pressure. As vibrato occurs, the back of the tongue begins to shake uncontrollably. The result is usually a "wobble" in the tone or "wide vibrato". As the singer "pushes" harder on the breath to make the sound bigger, the voice actually gets smaller. There is no actual resonance in the voice.

2) The role of the improper attack or onset of sound: Another cause of this chronic problem is the "improper attack". If the cords do not come together properly after inhalation, the jaw and tongue try to control the sound. Because too much breath pressure has come through the cords at the attack, the tongue then attempts to "hold back the breath pressure" and "force" approximation of the cords. (see article on vocal cord closure.) Again, the voice begins to "wobble" because of a lack of healthy vocal cord adduction. The voice is then supported by the throat rather than the body.

Note Flagstad's posture - shoulders "slightly back and down", ribs wide, back open, jaw unhinged "back and down" without any forward position.

(3) The role of improper posture: I often work with a singer's "body alignment" in order to create a balance in the voice. If a singer tenses the neck and pushes the head even slightly forward, the larynx raises. The jaw then comes forward making it impossible for the vocal cords to approximate healthily. Again you have a situation which invites the "shaking jaw and tongue". If a singer cannot "line up the posture", the back muscles cannot "hold back the breath pressure".

(4) The effect of improper tongue position: Alan Lindquest used to tell me to "breathe in the ÔngÕ position and pronounce in the "ng" position". He was speaking of using the "ng" position of the tongue as much as possible. This keeps the root of the tongue out of the pharynx and allows for healthy resonance. The tongue should be arched with the sides slightly touching the inside upper teeth. The tip of the tongue should be at least behind the lower teeth if not down into the gum line. When a singer flattens his/her tongue, the result is a lack of resonance or "swallowed tone". A flat-tongued technique creates chronic vocal problems. The Stanley Method is of this school and many singers were permanently damaged by this unhealthy vocalism. The result is a loss of the high range, loss of resonance in the voice, and pressure directly on the vocal cords. Over time, this school of training will destroy a singer's voice. It can create such problems as nodules, vocal hemorrhage, or polyps. (see article on damaged voices.) I have worked directly with singers who have been permanently damaged by this terrible technique.

(5) The effect of the high larynx: When a singer phonates with a high larynx position, several negative situations occur. The vocal cords do not approximate correctly, the jaw is usually thrust forward, and the soft palate is usually down. This creates a "belting position", which is not a term exclusively used for music theater singers. We certainly have observed classical "belters", or those who sing without a protection on the throat. Unfortunately, I have had experiences where a singer has been taught a high-larynxed technique in an effort to "lighten-up on the voice". This approach only causes problems as the singer's voice matures. Every teacher needs to realize the importance of a slightly lowered larynx. This should occur at inhalation.

(6) The clavicular breath/high breath and the negative results: Another chronic problem which helps create the "shaking jaw and tongue" is a situation whereby the breath is taken too high in the body. A high breath creates too much breath pressure under the larynx, therefore setting the stage for the "shaking jaw and tongue". If breath is taken in the upper chest region, the singer will then "press down the sternum" to fuel the breath. This is an unhealthy practice which "overblows" the vocal cords. The jaw and tongue often respond to too much breath pressure and begin to shake uncontrollably.

Solutions for the Shaking Jaw/Tongue Problem

Proven solutions: The point of this article is to offer some help for singers suffering from this jaw/tongue disorder. The following exercises have proven effective in my New York Studio.

(1) Line your body up against a wall and breath with the lower back slightly "pressing into the wall". This will begin to develop the habit of the lower breath. (see articles on breath and breathe management.) At phonation, the back muscles should "stretch further toward the wall behind the singer". This teaches the singer to begin the tone on the body, not at the throat.

(2) Another way to work on the breath is to lie on the floor with the knees bent. Breath into the floor. As you sing small exercises, press the back further into the floor to resist the breath pressure with the body. Lindquest called this "holding back the breath pressure with the body".

(3) Vocalize descending five-tone scales on the "ng" in order to feel "focus in the tone". Use the image that you are making the "ng" with the "middle of the tongue, not the back of the tongue". The arch of the tongue is vitally important to a healthy "ng" sound. This keeps the tongue from "pulling back" into the pharynx.

(4) Speak "ah, ng, ah, ng, ah, ng" to feel the "ring" over the "ah" vowel. Feel that the palate is "lifting away from the tongue to open to the vowel, not the tongue crashing down into the throat." This exercise will give you a feel for upper overtones over the "ah" vowel. Establishing "ring" in the voice is a must to avoid the shaking jaw/tongue.

(5) Vocalize with the tongue between the lips on a "humming" sound. Use a five-tone descending scale. Feel the throat stretch behind this "hum". Then sing the five basic vowels "feeling the stretch behind the tongue and into the soft palate". This will begin to marry the ideas of "ring and space together"; a must in order for a singer to achieve balanced tone. The tongue can be confused as a "false sense of space in the throat". Separating the tongue from the stretch of the throat is crucial to good singing.

(6) Constantly try to "feel the sense of the 'ng' buzz in the cheek bones", especially when opening to a vowel sound from a "hum". This will begin to help you sense that the voice needs to vibrate "high in the head", not so low down into the throat area. We open the throat so the sound can "reflect off the cheek bones". This duality must be present in order for balanced singing to occur. We obviously need low space and high palate working together. The soft palate must be lifted in order to keep the "tone from being nasal". Nasality is a result of a dropped palate. Nasal resonance is a healthy aspect of singing achieved through a high soft palate.

(7) Do "gentle chewing" exercises going from a closed vowel to an open one. Example: (ee,oh,ee,oh,ee,oh) Make sure that the jaw is not forced, but is functioning much as in chewing food. This will allow you to feel what a relaxed jaw must encompass. Many singers "force their jaw down" which creates a "gag reflex" at the root of the tongue. This is an unhealthy vocal practice. It creates as much tension in the vocal production as a "tightly closed jaw".

(8) Speak the Italian word "dentale". Be sure to use "dentalized consonants" which will separate tongue and jaw function. The tongue tip must come up to the hard palate directly behind the upper teeth on the "d" and the "nt" and the "l". The jaw should stay in the same position. This forces the tongue to act separately from the jaw, therefore, breaking the "marriage of tension" between the two. I have found that singers have a difficult time separating tongue and jaw tension, however, it is necessary in order for healthy resonance to occur. Do this exercise in the middle register with the mouth only slightly open so "ring" can occur in the vocal production.

(9) Speak the text of the song or aria with a "Shakespeare throat" or the "sound of a Shakespearean Actor". I have found that in doing this, the singer can find both space and ring simultaneously. When the ring is fully present without too much breath pressure, the shaking jaw and tongue will disappear.

(10) Practice every day at achieving vocal balance; upper and lower resonances working together. If we do not "visit our sensations" every day, consistency is not possible. Remember that the "shaking jaw and tongue" are caused primarily by a lack of focus or "ng" in a singer's vocal production. We must practice daily in order to find these sensations. Remember, we sing more by "feel" than by "sound".

Questions may be directed to info@voiceteacher.com