So I was scrolling through Twitter several weeks ago and I came across a video posted by a fellow vocalist on straw therapy. Throughout the years, I’ve come across this topic several times although my vocal instructors haven’t elaborated on it further in my lessons. So, after rediscovering this topic, I decided to take it upon myself to research and try this vocal exercise myself.
What is it?
Straw therapy–or, what many people call “straw phonation”– is a type of semi-occluded vocal tract exercise that specifically focuses on allowing the singer to create sound (phonate) without putting extra glottic tension on the vocal chords.
This, along with other exercises, such as humming and doing lip trills (lip buzz), are used not only by vocalists, but speech therapists. Straw therapy or phonation is typically practiced using a straw–you can sing a line of a song using the straw and vocal exercises such as scales. I’ve also seen some vocalists use the straw while blowing into a bottle with a small amount of water in it. Below is a video of Ingo Titze, a vocal scientist who helped pioneer the use of straw phonation in speech therapy, elaborating further on the topic and how to use it:
Benefits
Many vocalists and vocal instructors use semi-occluded vocal exercises (I like to call them work-outs because they really help the overall timbre and performance of your voice) like straw phonation to:
1. Helps vocalists to produce resonance or buzzing sensation in the face (many vocalists call this the “mask” because the area where resonance and sound occurs is felt in the mouth, sinus area and nose).
2. This, in turn, helps to lift the soft palate, and ultimately, the voice, reducing throaty singing and giving the vocalist’s overall timbre a lighter, brighter, fuller sound.
3. Help vocalists smooth out transitions between low (chest) to high (head) registers.
4. Help vocalists to create a more efficient sound that’s balanced with the air support required for singing.
I’m still experimenting with this vocal exercise, but from what I’ve learned and experienced so far, this technique is extremely helpful. Don’t underestimate it either folks: try to sing the melody line of a song you’ve been working on using a straw; it’s quite difficult (different straw diameters have different levels of interance so keep this in mind). I, myself, have been using this technique to sing through melodies with big intervals to help smooth out any breaks that I find between registers.
Have any of you tried this vocal exercise? Do you find it helpful or not? Let us know in the comments below!