6 Breathing Exercises for Singers
It is odd, you might think, that we would need to learn how to
breathe in singing classes – isn’t it, after all, a very basic human
process? Indeed, as we go through our daily lives, much of our breathing
is involuntary, and only sufficient for helping our other organs
function and for regular talking. However, singing uses up a lot more
breath than usual, as it requires more energy for the voice to be more
projected in volume and to reach notes that are higher than our regular
speaking range. Moreover, singing requires us to hold our breath longer
for extended passages of music.
Thus, learning how our breath works and how to manage it is one of
the most vital lessons we learn in singing classes. Breathing properly
also helps with stress relief and increases our focus, as there is more
oxygen in the brain. Here are a few breathing exercises to get you
started:
- Feeling the breath
Sit on the edge of the chair. Make sure your legs are perpendicular
to the floor. Bend your upper torso so that it is parallel to your
thighs, and your face is on your knees. Hug your legs below your knees.
Now inhale – you should feel like your left and right ribcages are
expanding and pushing onto your upper thighs. If you have a partner with
you in the room, ask them to put one hand each on the left and right
area of your back’s mid-section where the ribcage is. This area should
be expanding too. When you exhale, the ribcage should feel like it’s
‘deflating’ and shrinking inwards. Try this exercise several times, each
time seeing if you can expand your ribcage even more as you inhale.
- Breath Management
Get your cell phone and set the timer to zero. Make fists with both
hands and put each hand on your side where the ribcage is. Take a deep
breath by mimicking a yawn – just make sure your shoulders do not rise
up as this means that the breath is shallow. The ribcage should be
expanding at your sides and pushing your fists as you inhale; start the
timer on your phone; on the exhale, make an elongated ‘tsssss’ sound
(which should sound like a deflating balloon) and see how long you can
sustain the sound before you run out of breath. As you are making this
sound, you should notice your ribcage slowly deflating inwards. Stop the
timer when you run out of breath.
You will notice that the louder you make the ‘tsssss’ sound, the faster
you will run out of breath! Try this exercise several times and compare
your different timings.
- Breath Management + Stress Relief
Do a slow inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds as well. Your
ribcage and stomach area should expand upon inhaling, and you should
feel no tension in your shoulder area. You can repeat this several times
by increasing the number of seconds for inhaling and exhaling.
You can also try inhaling for 5 seconds and exhaling for 6 seconds.
Increase the number of seconds for the exhale as you repeat the
exercise.
- Using the Diaphragm naturally
Make your hands into fists and put them on your sides where the
ribcage is. Pretend to suck through a straw by pursing your lips. The
inhalation should be noisy, with a whooshy sound, and the exhalation
shouldn’t be as loud. When you inhale, you should notice your sides and
your stomach expanding, and when you exhale, these parts will contract
slowly.
- Breathing low
This exercise requires some upper body strength so proceed with
caution – while standing in good posture, lift two heavy objects on each
hand – perhaps two filled suitcases or two chairs of the same design
(that are not too heavy). Inhale deeply. You will notice that the breath
will be low and there will be no chance for a shallow breath, as your
shoulders can’t rise up.
- Breathing like a singer
This exercise is the closest you’ll get to how you breathe while you
sing. Imagine that you see something unbelievable, like a unicorn. You
will be taking a “surprise” breath! A surprise breath is a quick but low
breath with a gasping sound. You should notice your ribcage and stomach
expanded. Your shoulders should not tense up. Hold the breath for a
short moment then exhale slowly. The only difference between this breath
and the singing breath is that we don’t make a gasping sound for the
latter.
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