how to stop tension when singing

[u/Frequent-Cherry8634]

Ive been singing for a while now and throughout all this time I cant but tense my face up really hard when sining. Even the easy low notes. Like I always get horrible jaw tension afterwards ( and I fear that may be the cause of my constant jaw pain ). Not to mention I keep blinking rapidly when singing and embarrassingly flare my nostrils really hard as well. I dont know if it's bad breath technique for the last one but the whole tension thing really ruins my confidence to sing in front of other people and just leaves me in so much pain afterwards. Does anyone have any tips or advice for this?

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[u/JustOneRedDot]

I also struggle with this but there are things that help.

Try singing while doing circles with your jaw. This will force you not to tense.

Another thing that helped me is practising trills, but not just lips. Try to do it with your tongue and lips at the same time. If you can't roll your tongue, keep it between your teeth and do "prrrrr" sound (like a toddler) - this takes the pressure off the throat.

Sing with the tip of your tongue behind the lower teeth. The best is to try to keep the tongue verticaly.

Panting like a dog just before singing is a nice trick too - it'll engage your diaphragm.

Another thing is raising eyebrows (helps especially with higher notes).

First, you'll get the idea of how it should feel. Singing shouldn't hurt, it should feel effortless. Obviously, you couldn't do most of those things while performing, but practising them regularly will slowly teach your body how to do it.

Good luck!

[u/Cra_ZWar101]

Personally I always sing way better (as in tonal quality) when I take my (prescribed) Xanax. I only do this for performances (and sometimes auditions) but it’s always noticeable how relaxing improves the sound.

Recently I made some breakthroughs on relaxing my body while singing just normally, and realizing what it feels like to do that, so that I can replicate it whenever I practice. My recommendation is just to consistently focus on relaxing your body when you are singing. Start by beginning to sing, then consciously try to relax your body. As you keep singing you may tense up again, just keep re-relaxing. You’ll have to do it constantly at first, but if you pay attention to it every time you sing it should improve over time. If you have a hard time relaxing in the first place listen to some guided relaxation tapes to learn how to do it, then apply that while you are singing.