Good Singing Breath
Always start with breath.
It is easy to forget that the voice is a wind instrument, especially when it comes to singing. Singers are often caught up in the words of a song or carried away by what they would like to convey in their performance. Breath goes completely out the window. Also, proper breathing technique is one of the most important things you can develop in order to have a healthier voice.
I notice immediate improvement in pitch, tone, volume, and control when my students apply mindful, deep breaths to the repertoire they sing, so it’s definitely worth the effort to make your breath the best it can be.
In this post, I offer a step by step process on how to create to a good singing breath. This is both a starting place for the beginner and a check-in for the more advanced singer. Give it a try and see if it improves your already beautiful and unique instrument!
- Lay down on your back and try to relax your whole body. Let your shoulders, torso, head and neck get very heavy and sink into the ground.
- Your diaphragm is located right where your ribs meet in the front of your body. Lay your hands in the space below your rib cage and find your Diaphragm.
- When you take a good singing breath your belly should rise and fall. Your shoulders and neck should not move at all. You are laying on your back instead of standing to become more mindful of the movement of your shoulders. If you feel your shoulders sliding against the ground while you breathe, you are taking a more shallow breath or what I like to call a “stress breath”.
- Release your shoulders and neck and focus on what kind of movement needs to happen below your rib cage. Pretend that you just ate a big meal and your belly is very full of food. Stick your belly out and notice how it lifts up the space below your rib cage. Once you have done this, take in air with your mouth and try to fill that lifted space with air. Once you have done that, release all that air through your mouth.
- Note: your belly should rise up when you take air in with your mouth and then fall when it is released. You might have been doing the opposite for a while, so give your body some time and practice to figure this out!
- It is important to remember that voice teachers teach this breath to optimize the amount of air you can use for singing, but also, this is the type of breath you take right before you fall asleep or when you are super relaxed and content. If you are struggling with this breath, try to imagine a happy memory or scene and immerse yourself in it. Being hard on yourself will not help! Try to remain positive and proactive.
- If you feel like your belly is comfortably rising and falling while you lay down, try to bring this breath to the standing position. If you find you cannot take a belly breath while standing up, go back to the ground, close your eyes and visualize that you are standing while you take your belly breaths and then slowly bring yourself back to standing. It is ok if you need to do this a couple of times before you can comfortably stand and breathe like this.
- If you are standing and breathing from below your ribcage, start to stretch and breath this way while you do it. Take a moment to roll your shoulders back, rub your temples. Do any kind of stretch that makes you feel good and be sure that you are not locking your knees once you stand up straight.
- If you feel a bit light headed, that is completely normal and eventually your body will acclimate to all of the oxygen it is getting!
- Sing any simple song, trying to take a good diaphragm breath each time you stop to breathe. Be careful and mindful as you do this so your body doesn’t fall back into old habits. Consistency is key.
- Give yourself time to practice this method until you feel comfortable. Allow your body to be relaxed and flexible through the diaphragm, and you will experience a much more productive and useful singing breath! My next post will be about posture and how to stand while you sing. Stay tuned!