Golf versus Singing: Awareness To Improve

Posted on 09. Aug, 2009 by Per Bristow in Health, Performance, Singing

I’d like to announce that I have now formerly elevated my career to become a golf coach… and that without having played golf. Hmm…. Now, what is this all about you may wonder, and what on earth does it has to do with improving your singing? Well, take a look at this email a received:

This email is from a member of The Singing Zone who has worked on the Sing With Freedom program for a couple of months.

We live on a golf course, and I want you to know that you have talents you may not know about – I am utilizing your tongue and throat suggestions, and my game is better than it has been for the last 20 or 30 years. I had not realized the tension I was holding in this area until I have been using your practice suggestions – thank you so very much!

Now, I am of course joking about me becoming a golf coach and I certainly don’t take credit for her improved golf game. However, it is fascinating how we can improve in all aspects of life as we develop our awareness. In the last post I talked about awareness in regards to fear. I mentioned that much of my teaching is about developing awareness. Rather than claiming something is “right, I prefer guiding the person to try A versus B and experience the difference. Discoveries bode for far greater learning than just doing things because the teacher says so. (And yes, this applies to the singing home study course also).

Now here’s my question/challenge/exercise for you: Please post something that you have become aware of and how it has helped you. I, and I am sure many others, would certainly appreciate to hear if what we have done in The Singing Zone has lead to discoveries – either in your singing or outside singing.

Or maybe you haven’t done the course and can still think of ways that your life has improved in some way after you became more aware. Maybe you’ve become aware of patterns of behavior, tension your holding, thoughts that keep repeating. Maybe you’ve become aware of how you talk or behave to someone or how certain foods don’t agree with you, or something totally different.

Please share and it will be a great awakening and learning for us all.

Thanks!

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14 Responses to “Golf versus Singing: Awareness To Improve”

John

09. Aug, 2009

Per,
I have not purchase your course, but I am saving my pennies.
I could not agree more- “tell me how, but first tell me why”
I am a logging safety and efficiency instructor. I have traveled all over the country working with other logging companies helping to improve safety and profits.
An issue that many loggers do not fully appreciate is the importance of proper hydration.
Too many loggers will “tough it out” when it is hot and continue working with out tanking up on plenty of water.
When I ask them why it is so important, most can not explain it.
Here is the deal.
When we ask our body to do physical work, we create heat. This heat causes us to sweat. We loose water.
Our body knows that our blood cannot become “thick”. If it does, the capilary action will cease to happen and we will die. (and we will stay that way)
To compensate for lack of water in our blood, our body will rob fluid from wherever it can to maintain proper blood flow. It will take this fluid from any place it can with out jepordizing our life.
The most plentiful source for this “rehydration fluid” is from our muscles and joints.
It is amazing how becoming aware of this issue will impove all aspects of our health.
There is a saying some will use- (if your not peeing clear, your not thinking clear) This reflects how dehydration will effect how well our brains process information.
There are many joint and muscle ailments that can be readily elliminated by simply drinking plenty of water before you start any physical activity and have a way of staying hydrated as you work.
If you have become thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
Remember, WATER! not sugared soft drinks or coffee. Yes, even Gatorade has way to much sugar for the value of the water you take in. I suggest you google “Gatorade” and see what it was made of before Pepsi Co. purchased the name and started adding sugar in order to sell it to our kids. We have all seen the effects of high fructose corn syrup on our kids. But that is another conversation.
I prefer water with a splash of lemon juice.
Try it. Start drinking lots of water and see if you don’t wake up in the morning feeling ready to take on the day.
Now go sing a song!!
Lucky V

09. Aug, 2009

Dear P,
Thanks very much for your last letter, I hope you are well and enjoying in golf game.

A birth in the hand is worth two in the bush.

for more details see..http://www.vocalist.org.uk/voicetraining.html

Best,
Lucky V
Beni v W

09. Aug, 2009

Hello Per,
good for you to visit Stockholm and see your ancestors home. About experiencing something special in another field of activity taking your advice about relaxing certain parts when you sing, I have discovered another bonus here. I have bought the “Sing With Freedom” and listened throuh two of the disks so far. Experimenting with relaxing and feeling what happens in my throat when singing has certainly helped me a little on my way as qoirsinger. Now I also draw and paint just for fun. One day I noteced that I keep working with my throat as well as with pen or pencil or brush! Amasing. Never noticed that before. And what happened when I began to realise this and started to do these funny exercises babbling and sounding and flopping my tongue this way and that was that my lines began to flow as well. Smother lines. Livlier strokes and as a matter of fact more accurate true to what I try to picture! See that is something. Also my shoulders and neck have started to relax. Seems there is more to it than just getting a better voice or more singing confidentiality.
So people believ it or not but Per has something there!
Greetings from a hot Finland
laurie

09. Aug, 2009

Well…I haven’t checked my golf game yet…however,I took your advice for the past 2 months and stopped recording (and then critiquing) every single practice session I sang…and I also sang while doing other things, whether I was sitting down or on the exercise bike or doing dishes etc….and I discovered 2 things – one, I have plenty of breath for the songs and plenty of volume if I need it without forcing the “proper” breath posture — two, I finally recorded myself ONE time and I was perfectly on pitch and performance ready — how did THAT happen?????? You ROCK Per!!!
Collin

10. Aug, 2009

Absolutely! Relaxation/body awareness is key in practically every skill area. One of my interests is electronic/rave dance, which for good performance relies heavily on the muscular control of the dancer. The only way to attain this control to a level at which the dance can actually look impressive and feel good is through relaxation.

They say dance is all about ‘letting go’ and that’s true, but paradoxically “pop and lock” moves and bizarre, stylishly jerky movements cannot be performed whatsoever by someone with high body tension. The same concepts that apply to dance apply to singing, drawing (as other commenters mentioned) and practically any other skill with a physical component (which, really, is any skill).

Much of learning to “learn” (learning HOW to get better at things quickly), which I feel is one of the most important skills we can build in life, can be distilled to Per’s concepts regarding relaxation in his coaching. It’s really been wonderful to see the things I believe about skill-building laid out clearly and reinforced.

Here are a couple examples from my life of how I apply this concept:

Singing: Muscular relaxation and sliding do it well for me.

Drawing: Freehand scribbles, fast, relaxed circles, figure eights, anything as long as the movement is powerful and feels energetically “in tune” with your hand.

Piano: Using gravity drops is a good way to practice complete relaxation but maintenance of the necessary control. So much of piano pedagogy is completely wrong. One would learn better from Per’s singing lessons philosophically (which have little directly to do with piano) than say the “Alfred Series” which I went through and I’m sure has turned an entire generation of kids off the instrument. You can practice piano on a desk or in the air and build an incredibly fluid technique if you know which muscles to utilize and how the motions should “feel” (really good!).

Guitar: Same as with piano, it’s all about wrist and hand relaxation, and by extension full-body relaxation, as we know.

Dancing: I do rotations and similar exercises. The wave in various permutations is one of my best moves. It’s about allowing your body to move itself with every tiny little muscle that burns to be utilized but is often constricted.

I’m positive that these concepts can be applied to intellectual pursuits effectively as well, I’ve just not quite figured out how best to do so. I do know that interest and creativity keep the mind limber, and that the discomforts of a tense body can act as a barrier.

Also, I don’t mean to imply that I’m any sort of guru at relaxation. It has been a journey of discovery for me as I’m sure it is for most.
Collin

10. Aug, 2009

Also I’m 18 if anyone finds that information pertinent. I just personally like to have an accurate picture of the person whose comment I’m reading and I don’t want to throw anyone off so they think I’m more an expert than I am, haha.
Sherry

10. Aug, 2009

Per,

Aside from helping me make huge leaps this semester in voice class (did I say HUGE leaps!), I have also found your techniques help me sound more professional when I give presentations or, more recently, when I call potential employers to set up an job interview. They really do make all the difference!

Thank you SO much!
Sherry
zhee

11. Aug, 2009

hello Per!!
though I haven’t purchased any of of your practice dvd, somehow, i learned and discovered a lot of things and techniques through your e-mails and from your blogs…. I have truly discover my potentials with regards to some of my undertakings, not only in singing but to some other sides of me being an artist(skill)… Talent vs skill…Thank you very much Per!!!
Praveen

12. Aug, 2009

Being aware of what my body is doing or trying to do has helped me in different areas. Ofcourse it has helped in singing and continues to help! I realise how much different parts of my throat tense up when I sing, or even breathe in anticipation of singing. It is incredible! The hard part is relaxing these areas but knowing that they get tense is the first step to doing this.

Another area in which it has helped me is with my tabla. Tabla is an indian percussion instrument. Before Per, I used to try too hard to get the proper sound and this resulted in my fingers, wrist, arm, shoulders to tensing up. And when this happens, you limit yourself from doing many things that are possible. Being aware of this tensing up has allowed me to start relaxing these areas and has opened me up to not only more speed, but a freer sense of playing. Improvisation is ~95% of indian music (and frankly a big part of any music from around the world). Being able to be free has allowed me to do things on the spot while performing infront of others! I now have a closer realization of what it means to have the music flow through oneself.
Robin

12. Aug, 2009

You’re course is great Per.
I have become aware of so many things during the last 10 months thanks to it that I am not sure what the most important one is.

Your last post about Fear and challenging oneself is really great though.

I realized there were loads of things I was not doing because I was slightly frightened.

I mean very simple things like asking people for help and advice, writing to people to promote my band…

I have now made it a habit to challenge myself daily and I am getting amazing results.
Everyone seems to be answering my emails and phone calls. Venues are offering us gigs. We got offered a music licensing deal by someone we had just added on twitter…

Hopefully things will keep on moving in this way as long as I keep on challenging myself. I intend to do so, that is for sure.

Your course has been very helpful for my singing and life.

Thank you
Richard

13. Aug, 2009

I’ve never been able to throw a ball. At school, when we played cricket, I always had to be a close in fielder because I couldn’t throw the ball more than 20 metres.

I’ve now realised that the reason for this was that I had no follow through. I was swinging my arm fast from behind, then slowing to a stop just at the point I let go of the ball (the point where the arm should be moving the fastest – logically).

This has come a little to late for me to help the England cricket team in its current predicament, but is nevertheless a great piece of insight which (as the post suggests) translates across multiple areas.
Martin

13. Aug, 2009

Howdy Per!

Do you think it’s strange for a man to sing female songs like Alone-Celine Dion, Already Gone/I do not hook up/Because Of You-Kelly Clarkson, Valentine-Martina McBride, Please don’t leave me-Pink, Battlefield/Tattoo-Jordin Sparks and etc. I of course sings male song as well from Phil Collins, Josh Groban, Westlife, Rascal Flatts, Bon Jovi, Jose Mari Chan and etc. If given an opportunity to sing in public I may not want to sing the female song indeed though I felt I could do it at home. Please comment for me. Thks a million. By the way I am on my 2nd month of your lesson. I never felt this good before Per. Regards from Martin Lee.
Nelson

30. Jan, 2010

I am a professional golfer and also musician, playing, singing and writing in rock bands for the last 16 yrs. I am aware of the boundries created between sport and art, as if they were two unrelated activities, however, I tell my pupils that both require a peaceful and confident mindset as well as a relaxed and balanced posture. When a good golfer addresses the ball,he is holding the club as light as a feather, and there is no tension anywhere in his body, the same as when a singer steps up to the microphone. Thankyou for stressing process rather than result. As the great Chinese proverb says "the path is the goal" To the bloggers who are frustrated they have no time to practise. … Incorporate it in your daily lives. When I was preparing for the tour I would check my body alignment against a crack in the pavement at every pedestrian crossing, and as a coach I break down a swing change into a series of small movements that anyone can practice at the office. Examples of how process must always preceed result.
Wonderful Holistic teaching Per, Already an inspiration to me.