Breathing Basics

Here are a few things to work on this week:

• Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart; stand straight - not stiff.
• Shoulders, neck and jaw should be relaxed; breath support muscles (lower abs, diaphragm) should be engaged but not tense.
• Inhalation should be a feeling of relaxed openness, not a sharp intake. Try for a nice full breath, but don't "top off your tank" or you'll end with a messy start on your first note(s)!
• Engage your voice smoothly but with firm support from below. Imagine you're calling out a "Hey!" to a friend on the other side of the street and you want to be sure they hear you.

That feeling in your gut is a combination of your abdominal muscles, diaphragm and lungs doing the job that singers count on all the time. It's the development of the breath support apparatus that we singers are always working on, along with exercises that develop other techniques important to singing. Speaking of which, next week we'll look at vocal exercises that will sharpen your melismatic skills. Melis - wha? I'll explain next week.