Singing and Breathing
Correct breathing is fundamental to good singing. This post addresses the most basic aspect of breathing, taking the breath.
In my experience I have found that breathing for singers is similar to breathing for athletes and wind instrumentalists. The breath should be taken low. Imagine that your lungs are not in your chest but are in your belly. If you are one of those fortunate people who does not have a belly, then imagine that you have a belly and that your lungs are in your imaginary belly. When you take a breath, imagine that the air is filling your belly. When you sing, release the air in your “belly” by using your stomach muscles to control the airflow. You don’t want all of the air to rush out at once. You want the air to flow out in a controlled manner. Your belly should be hard.
I have studied martial arts and I play trumpet, and when doing martial arts or playing the trumpet one must breathe correctly to be effective. Breathing correctly first involves getting a good breath. If you imagine that your lungs are in your belly and breathe deeply, then you will get a good breath.
In the martial arts you often breath out explosively, but in singing or playing a wind instrument you want the breath to flow out so that you can complete a phrase. Use your “belly muscles” to control the airflow so that you do not run out of air before you complete the phrase.
Posture also affects breathing. We often sit during choir rehearsals, and many choir members take the opportunity to slump in their seats. Don’t slump. Sit up straight on the edge of your seat. Such posture will make it easier for you to breathe correctly.
- Yossele Rosenblatt: The Cantor With The Heavenly VoiceHe was said to have sung while still in the crib, and toured Eastern European synagogues before he was 10. And that was just the beginning. By the 1920s, Rosenblatt had transcended the boundaries of Jewish sacred music to become an international sensation. […]
- First Listen: Steve Reich, 'Double Sextet, 2x5'The composer's innovations have been distilled and polished to a new, compelling sheen in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet and the new, rock-inflected 2x5. Hear both works here until they're released on Sept. 14. […]
- Opera Noir: Alban Berg's 'Wozzeck'As he struggles with jealousy and poverty in this powerful tragedy, the psychologically disturbed title character endures ridicule from his superiors and undergoes bizarre medical experiments. […]
- Annihilating The Ivories: A Solo Piano Workout MixEven if the simple mechanics of "Chopsticks" elude you, you can still experience the rush of playing a piano concerto -- by exercising. The pieces in this mix are not recommended for the faint of heart. […]
- When Jazz And Not-Jazz ConvergeThe Dirty Projectors is a weird rock band. Guillermo Klein is an idiosyncratic Latin jazz composer. But their bodies of work converge in several surprising ways. Where do you see alignments, intentional or not, between jazz and its fellow genres? […]
- Lee Ritenour: A Half-Century Of Jazz GuitarWhen Ritenour visited the KPLU/Jazz24 studios on an unseasonably cool August afternoon, he arrived with a rhythm section hot enough to raise Seattle's temperature a few degrees: drummer Will Kennedy and bassist Melvin Davis. Together, they laid down three delightful tracks. […]
- First Listen Bonanza: Superchunk, Robert Plant, MoreThis week on NPR Music, we've got a whole bunch of full CDs to hear as part of our Exclusive First Listen Series. The albums, including new music from The Walkmen, Blonde Redhead and Mavis Staples, won't be out for another week, but you can hear the full recordings streaming online. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we've got select hig […]