The Importance of Breathing

As a singer it is important to ensure one is breathing correctly. For example, noisy inhalation indicates tension somewhere which will lead to vocal tension and problems will occur. There are many exercises to enhance your breath control both silently and while vocalising. A good way of ensuring there is no tension is to try this simple exercise; breathe out fully, getting rid of any excess air and then let the air in naturally – don’t think of it as taking in air, if you have got rid of the excess air then your ribs will automatically spring out and the lungs will expand allowing the air in, if there is noise in the throat then this indicates you are using this to control things (as in a gasp for air), the throat should be open and relaxed.

Ensure that your posture is also correct while doing this exercise, a hunched back and concaved chest won’t do, keep shoulders relaxed and back with an open chest and think of the spine reaching all the way up to the ceiling. Try bringing your shoulders up towards your ears and then letting them drop, this dropped position is where they should be - relaxed.

When breathing, a shallow breath is not recommended. Shallow breaths often result in an unnecessary rising of the upper body which can lead to shoulder tension and a rising of the chest. When doing breathing exercises notice where your shoulders are, use a mirror and observe what is happening as you do these exercises (mirror work is very important to a singer and is too often disregarded as some people find it difficult to watch themselves in the mirror!). So, when allowing the breath in, think about the breath going deeper into your body, think about your ribs expanding around your back and your abdomen expanding rather than your chest rising upwards. Try putting one hand on your abdomen and the other on the lower part of your ribs at the back to observe the expansion here when you breath deeper into the body.

Remember, your body is your instrument and takes time for it to get used to new ideas like increasing breath control, so exercises must be repeated each day and over a period of time the singer will see, hear and feel a change!