Why breathing is so important to a vocalist

A professional teacher will immediately distinguish a novice from an experienced vocalist on the formulation of his breath. The main signs of respiratory failure are:

1. The inability to stretch a long note. The newcomer simply does not have enough air to hold it, so his voice begins to tremble on long notes, falsity appears, the timbre becomes dull, or the sound disappears altogether.
2. The inability to sing the phrase in one breath. Often, such a singer begins to take a breath in the middle of words, which distorts the transfer of the meaning of the song and its mood. This is especially pronounced in slow or, on the contrary, very fast compositions.
3. The voice sounds dim, not at full strength. It does not fully reveal its timbre, characteristic intonation, even in some cases it is difficult to understand who sings, soprano or mezzo, tenor or baritone. Without proper breathing, good vocals are impossible.
4. Breathing is short, short, with inspiration rises shoulders. This is because a layman breathes only the tops of the lungs, so he does not have enough breath to keep the entire phrase to the end.
5. The presence of various clips in the voice, sore throat during the song, rapid fatigue, hoarseness. To finish the phrase to the end, vocalists begin to hold her throat, putting considerable effort. It is very unhealthy, so vocalists with no breathing often develop tonsillitis, inflammatory diseases, as well as laryngitis and hoarseness. Proper breathing removes all these problems and the voice begins to sound smooth, rich and beautiful.
6. The inability to sing softly, milling sounds on long notes. Without proper breathing, the voice becomes harsh, shrill and unpleasant. He may have a characteristic shrill sound, while, when you need to sing softly, the voice disappears. As a result, the vocalist cannot control his voices, make him quieter and louder, richer and richer, and he does not have quiet notes. Proper breathing will allow you to change the volume of your voice, while it will be heard even on the quietest notes.

Breath setting does not require much time and effort from you, but then you will be able to sing beautifully and freely for a long time, without signs of fatigue and sore throat after doing vocals. Most vocalists learn it in a few weeks, and some from the first time. True, the setting of breath for choral and solo singing is slightly different.

If a vocalist who sings solo cannot take a breath on a long note, then many choral works are constructed so that it is impossible to stretch one note on the breath. Therefore, when one of the performers takes a breath, the rest hold the note, while the conductor controls the sound, making it louder, then quieter. The same thing happens in the ensemble, only the singers are controlled there by the performers themselves.

How to learn to breathe while singing - exercises

In fact, there is nothing complicated. The main secret of how to breathe properly when singing is deep and even breathing. It should not be taken by shoulders, but by the underbelly. In this case, the shoulders do not rise, they are free and relaxed. This needs to be checked in front of the mirror. Put your hands on your stomach and take a deep breath. If you do everything right, then the hand on your stomach will rise, and your shoulders will remain relaxed and motionless. Then try to take a deep breath and sing some phrase or just pull a long sound. Stretch as much as you can. It is with such a feeling that it is necessary and necessary to sing. Daily breathing exercises will help you get used to this feeling.

How to breathe properly when singing a romance or song? You need to take a note text and see where the commas are. They mark the breath between phrases or in certain places to create a special effect. Instructors advise taking breath before beginning the next phrase in the text. The end of the phrase is a little longer and quieter, so as not to create the feeling that you do not have enough air.

How much time does breathing training take? If we are talking about individual exercises, then no more than 20 minutes a day, well, in general, the process of singing itself is the best trainer for breathing, provided that you sing correctly. Here are some simple exercises:

1. Slow exhalation at the sound "sh." You need to take a watch with a second hand, take a deep breath as much as possible and exhale on the sound "sh" very slowly. Norm - 45 or 50 seconds for an adult.
2. Slow exhalation at the sound. Try to sing a slow phrase on an economical exhalation on a single sound or vocal exercise. The longer the phrase, the faster you will learn to sing long notes and phrases on the breath.
3. Now try singing a phrase with a long pronunciation of words. This is harder than the previous exercises, but the result is worth it. Successes to you and good results!