Learn to Sing Article 02: Breathing for Singers and Vocalists

Now that we have covered correct posture for singing, I hope you have already noticed that singing is not just about making a harmony with your voice. Honestly, anyone can sing, even tone deaf people can sing. The problem is that these people cannot sing well and the reason is because they have not been properly instructed how to sing right.

As I mentioned in the last article, singing starts with correct singing posture and good singing posture goes hand in hand with correct breathing. You see breathing for singers is not conducted in the same way as the rest of society. Now that's not to say that most people don't know how to breathe, it simply means that the correct breathing for singers is practiced in a different way to achieve better singing ability.

How is this for a kicker? Studies have shown that all new born infants instintively know how to breathe the same way a professional singer breathes. It is quite amazing how as we grow, we tend to become lazy and develop bad habits that take us further away from being great at many things. The lazy way of breathing involves taking shorter breathes and filling only the top part of our lungs with each breathe. A singer does not stop short on his breathes, instead a great singer understands how to properly fill up your entire lungs by taking a fuller breathe, much like that of a newborn baby.

Let me explain the two common practices of breathing. The first one is practiced by the masses and most untrained singers. It involves breathing through your chest. This type of breathing fills up your upper lungs and causes your chest, shoulders and rib cage to expand. Most of the time you end up tensing up as well. This is definitely not a good form of breathing for singers because it will hold back your vocal range.

The second practice of breathing is the correct breathing technique for singers that I advocate. It is called relaxed breathing and is commonly practiced by professional singers and most martial artist and meditation practitioners. The key to relaxed breathing is to breathe through your belly. Instead of letting the air fill up your chest area, try to focus on staying relaxed and allow your belly and naval area to fill up instead.

Practice this breathing technique calmly and focus on staying relaxed. Try to get into the habit of breathing like this for a few minutes right before engaging in your singing sessions. After a few days of practicing, you will feel more comfortable and will soon make a habit out of it.

Now, once you have fully developed this breathing technique, you need to learn how to breathe through the chest WITHOUT raising your shoulders and while remaining completely relaxed just like when breathing through the belly. Again, take a slow deep breathe and feel it fill up your chest but make a calm effort to maintain your shoulders loose and relaxed and do not allow your ribcage to push back on the air. The air will genlty pass through your chest cavity when practiced this way.

Once you have truly mastered the skill of breathing for singers you will be able to get the most out of your singing voice and improve your singing range. Always remember, proper singing starts with proper breathing techniques. Relaxation is the key.