It's all in the Hips

As singers, we should know the relationship between the hips, our singing, and the whole anatomical function. Starting from the middle of the body and branching out north and south; this will be a series highlighting key muscle groups and their impact on singing. Beginning the series will be the hips and pelvic region.

HIPS - The primary function of the hips is to support the weight of the body. Whether in a static engagement (e.g. standing) or more dynamic engagement (e.g. running, jumping), the hips are involved. Other important roles of the hips are retaining balance and maintaining pelvic tilt.

-Neutral Pelvic alignment

PELVIC TILT - how the pelvis orients between the thighbones and the body. The Pelvic floor muscles can be felt when trying to stop yourself from going #1 in the bathroom. Also, the contraction you feel in your groin when you cough. The pelvis can sit in several ways and have many effects. For example, pelvic tilt issues can affect a person's height, lower back pain, weak gluteus muscles, and weak stomach muscles.. In today's society, posterior tilt and anterior tilt are two very common orientations seen.

Posterior tilt is when the front of the pelvis rises while the back of the pelvis drops. The hips look as though they are scooped under and through. Posterior tilt occurs when the gluteus maximus and the hip extensors are tightened, while the hip flexors lengthen. The abdominal muscles are also tightened in this posture. Many people will find it difficult to relax their stomach muscles.

Anterior tilt is when the back of the pelvis rises in relation to the front of the pelvis, which drops. The hips look as if they have pulled back and up resembling a "twerk". This alignment happens when the hip flexors shorten while the hip extensors are lengthened. The gluteus muscles are also known to be inactive in this posture. Contraction of the transverse abdominals is weakened here.

When the pelvis is either too far forward or back it can have hindering affects on the singers Intra-Abdominal pressure (IAP). The force generated the abdominal muscles needed for the diaphragm to release a steady and stabile breath.

Here I will provide a video the demonstrates singing while in each version of the pelvic tilt.

Results:

While singing in a Anterior tilt, my abdominal muscles are not gathered. These muscles are not coordinated and can not be depended upon. The diaphragm relies on these muscles to pull it down and fill will air. Without this compression, air leaks out into the sound and when stopping the sound. The resulting noise will be impressive but without the connection to the body, will not carry through an orchestra.

Below I've posted a video on exercises to correct Anterior pelvic tilt. These can be done without weights but you can progress into using hand weights once you feel like you are able to maintain proper form.

Within a Posterior tilt, the abdominal wall is too tight. The diaphragm will be unable to descend fully or release a steady amount of air. The air that is exhaled will be overly compressed. The resulting sound is tight and pinched. While it will have “ping”, the noise will lack any of the attractive qualities necessary for a captivating performance.

These are exercises to fix a Posterior pelvic tilt. Again they can be done without hand weights but can be added once you are feeling secure through the workout.