Pressure in my head

[Strat-O-Matic]

I've been trying to sing for a few months now I've not had any formal training but I can say just practicing alot has atleast made me improve a little. But when I try to sing things that are high or try to hold notes out for a while I feel alot of pressure in my head and get a little bit light headed feeling. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong? I try to take deep breathes before sing something high or holding out notes which helps alot for hiting the notes and holding them out but I still feel all that pressure. So I just wanted to check and make sure I wasnt doing anything potentially damaging....

[cherri]

You're hyperventilating. You need to alter your breathing technique. You're taking in large amounts of oxygen, throwing the balance of O and CO2 off. Happens when you keep grabbing big breaths without having a chance to completely exhale.

When you have a break in the music, exhale completely and take a normal sized breath before you have to sing the next phrase.

[Jersey Jack]

It is important to moderate your breathing. I had a tendency to take in too much air and then blow it out in a misguided attempt to stabilize my pitch. I would take huge, gulping breaths, as if I were going underwater for a while! :eek: And I would get dizzy.

Proper breathing is easy and moderate; it's not about huge air intake but about holding back the air you have. Singing should feel like speaking in pitch, with the air BELOW the voice supporting it, not blowing through the voice.

A little bit of work on your breathing should yield big benefits! :cool:

[Al Koehn]

Also, it's important to understand that a tight or tense jaw can contribute greatly to this problem. Get in the habit of wiggling your jaw or moving your head slightly as you sing to release this tension. The main source of muscular tension for the singer is the place where the jaw hinges to the rest of the head. (Right under and behind the ears.) Be aware of keeping that loose and relaxed.

Especially remember this in the recording booth where you aren't moving around as on stage, and are stationary at the mic. Wiggle your jaw every chance you get. It feels stupid, but helps a lot.

Al

[grace_slick]

I used to experience that feeling of fullness in the face when I was 16 and trying to sing Mariah Carey's incredibly high notes. Ugh, 16 year olds (often) have NO taste in music.

Anyway, I could sing these notes with no trouble until I was 16. Then I found whenever I'd try and do it, I'd take huge breaths to try and push the difficult high notes out, and when I held them too long, this immense pressure would build in my face, as if from my sinus cavity. Not sure what that means...I quit doing those notes after that. Not worth it. lol

[QuinnsTunes]

Take lessons. Go to a local college and pay a professor $25 a half hour to teach you the basics. Do that for about 2 years, and then figure out how to use all that information!