You know how their faces contort when hitting certain notes or rhythms? Why is that triggered in the face? Is it an emotional response? Communication by facial expression? Vestigial from some other process?
You know how their faces contort when hitting certain notes or rhythms? Why is that triggered in the face? Is it an emotional response? Communication by facial expression? Vestigial from some other process?
Concentration and focus, sometimes expression or simply indulgence. It can happen in other situations too. Sports for instance. Music is just one of those abstract things where you need to keep focus for a longer duration.
Try tapping your finger in a steady rhythm counting 1,2,3,4 repeatedly. After a while you’ll want to close your eyes. Eventually you’ll make a tap that is ever so slightly early or late and you’ll probably start smirking or tighten other facial muscles. If that doesn’t happen to you, perhaps try holding a dumbbell in a straight arm for as long as you can. Most people will start doing weird faces before they inevitable have to give up, even if the funny faces does nothing to keep the dumbbell up.
That makes sense. It seems the expressions are often tied to the music —raised eyebrows when playing a high note, something like surprise when hitting cymbals, scrunching when it’s nasty. So maybe involuntary but relative expressions from concentration and focus?
My choirmaster years ago taught us that raising your eyebrows actually does help you reach the top of your vocal range, so that might actually be technique? Though I’m not a professional singer by any stretch, so who am I to say.
Keeps you from going flat too. Was in a large choir. Works really well.