Suffer from a tight jaw, tightness in the neck and surrounding muscles, distorted or airy tone, closed throat or cracks and wobbles in the voice? If you experience any of this, it could be tongue root tension. But don’t worry, most singers suffer from a bit of tongue tension at some point.
What is tongue tension?
It really is what it says on the tin. A tightening at the root of the tongue.
Where is tongue tension?
Tongue tension stems from the root of the tongue, labeled in the picture below. The tongue root is connected to the hyoid bone, which is a free-floating bone that supports your larynx. We only actually see a small portion of tongue in our mouth and it forms much of the front wall of the vocal tract. People often think the muscles under your chin are the tongue root. However, these are actually the mylohyoid and digastric muscles and although these do also attach to the hyoid bone, their function is really to form a supportive structure for the tongue and the hyoid bone and don’t tend to affect the voice too much.
Why is tongue tension a problem?
As I mentioned earlier, the tongue root forms the front wall of some of the vocal tract and the back of the mouth. Tongue tension can significantly reduce the resonating space, which in turn can result in a loss of tone, clarity and power, a general feeling of constriction and often contributes to a nasal tone. As it is also attached to the hyoid bone, it can push and pull the larynx around, affecting its mobility, reducing the ability to hit high notes and adversely affecting pitch. I’ve found with my students that tongue tension really impinges on the mix and head voice and a reduction in tongue tension can significantly improve range, control, and freedom in these areas.
Why do we get tongue tension?
There are so many reasons you could get tongue tension and I see it in most of my students at some point, whether they are professional or beginners. It could be the result of a lot of technical issues such as accent, breath support problems, muscle weaknesses, and vowel shapes. I have found in my students the no.1 reason for tongue tension is due to nerves or insecurity about a part of their voice. The tongue root is exceptionally responsive to emotions and often the most severe cases have come about when a student is anxious.
How do we fix tongue tension?
Tongue Stretchers - Watch one of my favourite tongue stretchers in the clip to the left, this one was introduced to me by London vocal coach Joshua Alamu. If you struggle with this, grab a kitchen towel and literally hold the tongue out. I love to start my daily practice routine with this.
Tongue Releasers - It's effective and fun to keep the tongue stretched out on a scale, maintaining a feeling of openness and space at the back of the mouth. You can use the straw or the kitchen towel or just stick it out. Doing the scales helps build an awareness of where in your range the tongue tension starts to kick in as the tongue will tug backward (or drop the straw). I’ve seen people find a dramatic change in tone and freedom with this exercise. As you can’t sing with the tongue out, repeat the scale with the tongue resting on the top lip, then resting in the mouth just behind the teeth. The aim is to sing through your entire range and get to a place where the tongue does not react to the pitch and movement of the larynx.
Tongue Movers - These exercises get the tongue moving and are great for tongue mobility. I like to use Tik-Ka Tik-ka Tik-ka, glay-gla glay-gla glay-gla and lee-yah lee-yah lee-yah (thank you to the Naked Vocalists for this one). These combinations of consonants and vowels really get the tongue moving and promotes flexibility. Spend a few minutes on these exercises at the bottom of your range, making sure you have enough space between your top and bottom teeth, you can literally use your thumb as a stopper, and focus on relaxation and clarity of sound. Your tongue may get a bit tired and slow during the exercise, if so just stop for 15 seconds and resume. If you feel nice and relaxed, then head up through the passagio (break) to a couple of notes above it.
Moving forward
These exercises can really help release the tongue, find freedom and most importantly build an awareness of what the tongue is doing. Tongue tension can return so you may need to maintain these exercises as part of your daily practice to keep it in check. If you are really struggling with it, it may be caused by an issue somewhere else and you might need help from a voice professional or vocal coach.
