Inspire: Breathing and Breath for Singing and the Voice
Module no. 2 - What is Technique?
Module no. 2 - What is Technique? (the breakdown)
Specifically, coordinating your body as it relates to your breath.
You voice is of your body.
Your breath is of your body.
There is a functionality to your body and your breath.
When you are more coordinated, you will feel more efficient in your breathing. When you are less coordinated, you will feel more awkward and labored as your breath.
How you’re breathing right now is your “functional norm.”
Through mindful awareness we can discover more functional efficiency by noticing your norm and inviting more coordination.
Mindfulness and noticing can be difficult at first, but it is essential to your breathing journey.
Before we dig into that, let’s talk anatomy.
The breath enters the body through the nose or the mouth, although a nasal inhalation is preferred when possible.
The vocal cords (folds) opens and allow the air to flow through a “tube” into the lungs. The vocal folds act as a valve, regardless of whether you’re breathing through your nose or mouth. The rib expands and as the lungs expand.
The diaphragm, a dome shaped muscle underneath the ribcage contracts as you inhale and tugs on the lungs to help bring air in and expand further. The diaphragm’s descent pushes out of the way the organs that sit below it. This can feel like an expansion in the belly as you breath in.
Fun fact about the diaphragm: You don’t directly control it. It moves in reaction to your breathing, this is why saying something like “Sing from your diaphragm” is a misnomer.
As you exhale, there is a contraction throughout the whole torso as the lungs deflate and the diaphragm descends.
Your posture matters when considering how this all works.
Your posture is specific to your body, so modify as necessary.
To find your posture, reach your hands above your head to the sky and stretch from side to side to open up the rib cage.
Take one final stretch to the sky and the slowly drop the hands down to the side, while keeping the chest up nearly as high as it was when you had your hands above your head.
Relax the neck by moving the head from side to side.
EXPAND is an important word to keep in mind.
You should work to keep your upper torso expanded at all times as you breath for singing.
There is an emotional element to expanding the chest. This is a vulnerable, heart-opening posture, which is why it makes so much sense that it is necessary for singing. Heart-opened, chest tall, expanded!
Go ahead and find the posture again, and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Remember, keep your chest expanded and allow the lower abdomen to relax when you inhale so that the diaphragm can easily descend. Don’t push the belly out when you breath in, but rather, allow your belly to relax when you breath in and it will naturally expand.
One more time:
Upright, chest tall, heart open
Breath in through your nose, let the lower abdomen relax when you breath in
Keep chest tall
Breath out through your mouth, watch the lower abdomen slowly contract, with your belly button moving toward the spine.