Quote Of The Day:
He lives most life whoever breathes most air. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I so enjoy working with singers who are about to go into the studio and record their vocals. Recently I started coaching an artist who is a skilled songwriter and who has potential to be a really great singer as he has great tone and presence among other attributes. His complaint to me was that he couldn’t call upon any power when he needed to. After having him sing a song and watching his body language, we determined that he was breathing “backwards”.
What exactly does that mean? Well, if you have been following my blogs from the beginning (and even if you haven’t) you may be aware that my breathing mantra is “air in/tummy out”. Backwards breathing occurs when the tummy does not fill up like a balloon when you take in a breath. Instead, the tummy sucks in towards the backbone and goes flat while the shoulders go up as the breath comes in. In this scenario, the amount of air you take in is minimal, which would only work for the shortest of phrases. Backwards breathing makes it impossible to sustain power or pitch correctly as it inhibits the amount of air you take in, and air is the secret tool to successful effortless singing. The bottom line is to be aware of the movement of your singer’s breath. Always remember – “air in/tummy out” and you will avoid all sorts of problems.
To do a self check to be sure that you are not “backwards breathing”, stand in front of a mirror and put your palm on your tummy just above your bellybutton. Take in a breath through your mouth and be aware of your tummy coming out towards your palm, meaning you are filling up your “tank” or mid-section which is what you want to do as a singer. If you notice that your shoulders are going up and your tummy is moving away from your palm and towards your backbone when you take in a breath, there is a very good chance you are a “backwards breather”.
The reason you want to fill up your tank with air is so that you have the proper support for your notes to float out on when you engage varying degrees of diaphragm support and that you have air (fuel) in your tank so that you can “heimlich maneuver” the note out with power when you need to. If you have taken your breath in and sucked in your tummy, there is no air in your tank to use as support as you have only breathed from the chest up and you want to get used to breathing from the bellybutton up just like a yoga breath. For a great exercise to help you get the right movement of a singer’s breath (“air in/tummy out”), go back and re-visit my blog called “Breathing Exercises For Spectacular Success”. This will help you get the correct motion and depth of breath so that you can sing like a diva or rock star!
Until next time… Breathe and Happy Singing!
Angela
ps – just put my 5 Point Singing System digital manual on special for $39.95. It is one of the best resources for singers and teachers and it’s now being offered for more than $50.00 off the regular price because I want you to have it… click the link below and go get it!!!!! I am here for you and any questions you may have.
www.5pointsingingsystem.com/live/manual
www.angelakelman.com
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