Singing - Breathing for Singing
Posted: Friday, February 08, 2008
by Sheena Mackie
Sheena B. Mackie
The foundation of good singing lies in breathing. Without adequate breath support, the voice cannot function effectively. It is after all, the power of the breath which sets the vocal cords into motion. It is the vibration coming from the vocal cords, which makes 'sound'. Sound is vibration...
The natural resonance chambers (resonators) of the body, give tonal quality and volume to the sound. It can be adjusted by such things as tension of the muscles, pressure and flow of the breath, movement of the diaphragm, lifting and lowering of the soft palate.
How to breathe for singing...
There are many types of Breathing Methods for singing. However the most effective is to simply take a breath as deep down into your body as possible. When you inhale, your abdomen should expand as the lungs and diaphragm descend. There should be no pressure in your throat. If you feel pressure in your throat, then you either have too much air or have taken a shallow breath.
Shallow breathing...
A shallow breath occurs when your stomach muscles are tight and the body cannot expand naturally to allow the air in. The shoulders lift and the upper rib cage is forced to expand (which is hard work) more than usual, an attempt to gain an adequate breath. This type of breathing, is called stress breathing. Fight or flight... it tells your body that you are in a panic and need to be ready to escape from some dire situation. When breathing like this you may feel nervous, short of breath, unsettled, tense in the throat and ultimately may begin to hyperventilate. The voice is likely to sound shrill, thin, tense and ungrounded.
How to fix it...
To fix the problem, you need to relax your stomach muscles when you inhale, to allow the breath to drop down deeper in your body. This can only occur with correct posture though. If you have your weight balanced on the balls of your feet (to the front), then you will feel somewhat tense in the stomach and unable to relax enough to draw in a deep breath. You can correct this problem by swaying your weight into the centre of gravity. Find your centre and then drop your weight and relax your muscles so that the focal point of your body weight is in the lower half of your body and towards the floor. Think of a tree with roots going doing into the soil and branches being more flexible above. This image often helps in gaining the right posture with ease. If all else fails, lie flat on the floor and get back to basics. Put your hands on your lower tummy and without 'trying' simply observe the rise and fall, as you breathe in a relaxed way.
How to use your breath properly:
When you have an adequate breath supply and are using natural abdominal breathing with a sense of ease, then it boils down to what you do with your air.
Too much tension as you begin to sing - pushing too hard with your tummy muscles or closing up your throat in an attempt to control the sound - will make it harder to produce a pleasant sound. Rather than pushing, allow the sound resonate and come forth naturally 'on' the stream of air. As if it is floating or being balanced like a ball on an upward jet-stream. Keep the throat as relaxed as possible, and release your air in a steady flow.
Too much tension as you begin to sing - pushing too hard with your tummy muscles or closing up your throat in an attempt to control the sound - will make it harder to produce a pleasant sound. Rather than pushing, allow the sound resonate and come forth naturally 'on' the stream of air. As if it is floating or being balanced like a ball on an upward jet-stream. Keep the throat as relaxed as possible, and release your air in a steady flow.
You may feel that as you go higher, the air stream becomes more focused or 'narrows'. Think of this as tapering. As you go higher, the vocal cords become thinner. If you try to push too much air through them, then they will simply lock up and you'll find that your range comes to an end. So, pushing more air as you go higher or trying to use more muscle power, will not get you the results you are seeking. A little less air and a lot less tension, will take you there.
Visualizations:
Visualizations are particularly useful in achieving results with the voice. The reason for this is that the voice cannot be seen, only felt and heard. Therefore certain thoughts will assist in achieving the correct muscular action for good breathing and singing.
Try these...
- Imagine that your breath is coming from deep in the ground, right up through your feet and legs. Visualize an expansion of your body all the way around, like a barrel, as you breathe in.
- Visualize a downward movement of the breath, as if it is going down through a straw to fill up a big empty space at the bottom - or a to inflate a balloon.
- Breathe in a direction towards the front and back of your abdominal area - try back first then front.
- Take a breath as though you are about to break into a big yawn.
- Think of the breath as a big bowling bowl, that drops right down into the depths of your tummy as you inhale.
- Imagine that your body is expanding sideways as you breathe in.
- Breathe in a direction towards the front and back of your abdominal area - try back first then front.
Physical Exercise...
Another thing that can help you with your breathing, is slow and balanced exercise.
Yoga, tai chi, and even swimming are effective. But exercises where you need to maintain your center of gravity, are particularly good for singers. Martial Arts, if not too intensive, can be an ideal way to improve your balance and get into touch with your centre of gravity.
Another thing that can help you with your breathing, is slow and balanced exercise.
Yoga, tai chi, and even swimming are effective. But exercises where you need to maintain your center of gravity, are particularly good for singers. Martial Arts, if not too intensive, can be an ideal way to improve your balance and get into touch with your centre of gravity.
Muscle awareness...
Learning to isolate your muscles; relaxing one muscle at a time, simply by focusing on it... is a particularly important skill for singers. You can do this when you are lying in bed at night. Before you go to sleep, notice where you have tension in your body, and consciously release it... just melt it away. Then next time you are singing and feel tension in your body - whether your neck, stomach, face or hip area - use this technique to relax the muscles.
There is so much to learn in regards to breathing technique. One of the best ways to get a head start, is simply through the powers of observation. Notice what happens when you tense up certain muscles... where does the tension travel to? And what does it do to the sound of the voice? Paying attention to how your body is behaving when you are singing, will help you to make amends and improve your breathing.
For outward breath control - exhalingFurther development of sound...
Using the exercise of 'sirening', as it is a great way to fix up problems with the outflow of air throughout your range.
For inward breath control - inhaling
Singing scales focuses your mind upon the intake of air and whether or not it is adequate to support the sounds that you are attempting to make with your voice.
For overall improvement in breath control:
The exercise of hissing (sss) for as long as you can, using a constant and consistent sound (not wobbly or changing from loud to soft)... is a great way to build up strength and control in the breathing muscles.
Article sourced from "Vocal Lifestyle (VLS) - Exclusive Newsletter for Rock, Pop & Contemporary Singers", Joint Issue 23 – 25 Good luck with your singing and throughout your career, always make breathing technique exercises a basic requirement of your practise routine.
This updated version: Copyright © 2009, Sheena B. Mackie, All Rights Reserved.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Sheena, This is a terrific article with much practical advice. As an amateur singer, who sometimes is involved in a local group, I find your advice to be extremely helpful. I'm also learning the blues harp and breathing and the neck muscles are vital. It's been a big learning curve re neck muscles. The men in the class seem to get it much quicker than I have!Hi Hannah, Thanks for your comment :) All the best with your blues harp playing. I love the sound of the blues harp. Breathing is the core of any wind instrument - including singing... and even more than that, it is important to any good performance. The more we learn to master the breath, the more we can master our craft. Keep up the singing ! Sheena
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