ugh breathing - 2006/12/09 19:11well i have been singing for a long time, but i just foulnd about breathing correctly last year, when my school music teacher decided to give "voice labs" or groups of voice lessons in school. he said that the main problem was that i wasn't supporting the note enough and we practiced breathing correctly a lot. he also said that when you are laying on your back you breathe like that naturally.
so, every night before i go to bed, i brush my teeth, wash my face, and . . . breathe. yep, i have practiced breathing every night for about 5 minutes for almost year. EVERY NIGHT!!! yet, is there change?
nope.
i dont think it is supposed to take this long is it? i am a very dedicated breather! haha should i increase it to 10 minutes a night? im just so frusterated that its been so long and i STILL cant get this breathing technique!
whew. that was good to let it all out.
well does anybody have any advice? trust me it is MUCH appreciated!
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Annelle
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/09 20:47I'm not an expert or anything and I'm sure that there are a few people around hear that can help you more but...
When you are breathing, try to imagine that your rib cage is expanding. Don't imagine it expanding out in frount like puffing out your chest but rather try to expand it out sideways. When you stand up straight, put your hands on your ribs so that your thumbs are touching on your back. Now breathe in, imagining that your ribs are moving out away from your body. If done correctly, your thumbs should move away from each other when you draw in your breath. You may need to try this a few times to get the right breath support for YOU.
Another thing you can try is some breathing exercises. Take in breath for 1 beat and let it out in 2 beats. Then do in 2 beats out in 4. And again in 4 out 8. Finally take in 8, suspend for 6 and let out in 10. You can increase or decrease the times depending on what level you feel most comfortable with. Do try to push yourself though because that's how we get better. Not too much though, you don't want to pass out!
I hope this helps a little, I know it's hard to think about breathing, and the notes, and the words, and diction, and tone, and volume all at once. Plus adding a few dance steps. Good luck!
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 04:38I'm not really a very good "breather", either, however my voice teacher told me something that really helped. When you breathe, think of it as you're skipping the whole upper part, like your chest and the tops of your lungs. Think of it as skipping those parts and just starting in the bottoms of your lungs. That was a really bad explanation, but it really works for me.Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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mrmistofolees19
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 04:44omigosh, i think i have the same problem. but my teacher says its because i'm pretty petite, maybe that's your problem too. if not, when you breathe, make the air go below your belly button, or where you usually wear a belt. breathe as deep as you can between breaks, and use muscles below belly button to support those notes. also use abs and back muscles.*´¨) ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•´ Annie
currently: The Pajama Game (Employee Ensemble)
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triplethreat
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 05:12Size has nothing to do with it. I'm 5'2" and VERY loud - if you've ever heard a baby screaming, you'll know size has zero impact on breath support.
I've written a great deal on this subject - start here:
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mrmistofolees19
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 05:33i'm sorry, i meant that i'm very small around the middle, not very short! i've heard it's harder to support breath if you're lean. i know people who are shorter than me (but older) and can sing very well.*´¨) ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•´ Annie
currently: The Pajama Game (Employee Ensemble)
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Seriously, being skinny has nothing to do with it._____________ Kris MTA Admin
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jmslp
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 14:15i'm 4'10" and rather petite (though i've always felt that i've had a big rib cage.... ) and have been told my entire life, "how does such a big sound come out of such a little person?"
i think the problem is breathing technique in general. sometimes we don't even breathe correctly when we speak let alone sing. many times we use clavicular breathing-- only using the top part of our lungs. some people even "breathe" more shallow than that. we end up not using our lungs to their fullest capacity. we do need to use diaphragmatic breathing (though, as kris has said, the idea and term has been misused). also, exercising and staying in shape, and proper posture will help engage the muscles in the right way to produce your best voice and good breathing. if we try to practice good breathing technique when we talk and exercise, it will come more naturally when we sing. i think a big mistake people make, again in both singing and talking, is when we get louder, we get tighter. we end up forcing sound and air out which in turn will make the sound harsh, hurt the vocal mechanism, and make the sound last a short time....
i really could go on a lot about this... here a few things that might help:
look up the bernoulli effect
think of yourself as a BIG opera star-- you know, the stereotypical ones with the horns. create a "box" around you. think of breathing in all that air around and then filling the box back up with the air you breathed in (okay... little confusing... easier if we're in front of each other!)
when you breathe in, seriously think of breathing "from your toes". you want to feel your chest and stomach expand, but keep good posture. also, feel your throat and even the roof of your mouth "open". you might want to time yourself-- breathe in slowly (i think a previous post gave a counting exercise), and then breathe out in the same way. don't rush the breath.put your hands just above your waist to feel if you are doing this. if you have a partner, that helps, too
like i said, i could go on forever.... remember, breathing involves A LOT of muscles. keeping yourself in shape is key to good breath support. now, i don't mean go out and over-exercise, but if you are serious about performing, you might want to add some kind of exercise in your routine. if you are a dancer, maybe add a different type of activity. does that make sense? feel free to disagree, too!!! They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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mrmistofolees19
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/10 20:40i'm sorry everyone, i'm not calling anyone fat! it's just what i've heard!!*´¨) ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•´ Annie
currently: The Pajama Game (Employee Ensemble)
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spanishrose
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/11 03:21thanks so much everybody! i cant wait to try out these new techniques. i know it still might take a while, but hopefully i will be able to get the hang of it soon!
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broadwaybaby
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Re:ugh breathing - 2006/12/12 18:26spanishrose wrote: so, every night before i go to bed, i brush my teeth, wash my face, and . . . breathe. yep, i have practiced breathing every night for about 5 minutes for almost year. EVERY NIGHT!!! yet, is there change?
nope.
i dont think it is supposed to take this long is it? i am a very dedicated breather! haha should i increase it to 10 minutes a night? im just so frusterated that its been so long and i STILL cant get this breathing technique!
I think Annelle best described what you need to do. I really couldn't have explained that any better than she did! I will say that one particular thing my voice teacher had me do really helped. She told me that whenever I was breathing in, I should feel as though my back was smiling, (sounds weird, I know), since it was expanding outward. It took a bit of getting used to but now I do it without thinking.
I believe that the best way to implement the correct way to breathe while singing is to practice it while singing, not neccesarily a song but during your vocal warm ups. I know that definitely helped me when I was first told I wasn't breathing properly, and if/when my voice teacher noticed I had falled back into bad breathing, we'd start again. Another trick that I really found helpful was (temporarily) abandoning all songs I sang when I was breathing incorrectly and learning new songs with my new correct breathing techniques.
It's very easy to fall back into your old bad breathing habits when singing something you sang before you learned the correct way to breathe. I have since added many of those old "bad breathing" songs back into my repertoire and am able to sing them with correct breathing methods. So once you feel that you are more comfortable with your breathing, ask your voice teacher to start working on a new song, so you can start fresh with your new correct technique. ----------Emily----------
Currently: taking a much needed break Favorite Roles: Joanie Lish - The Full Monty, Carmen - Sweet Charity, Crystal - Little Shop of Horrors, Sarah's Friend - Ragtime, Little Red Riding Hood - Into the Woods, Evillene - The Wiz, Joy - Cinderella, Tiger Lily - Peter Pan
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) and have been told my entire life, "how does such a big sound come out of such a little person?"
