Breathe, Baby, Breathe
Has anyone ever told you that you need to learn how to breathe to be a better singer? If so, this next section is for you. If not, feel free to skip ahead.
BREATHING for SINGERS
Step 1 - Inhale
Breathe in through your nose or open mouth, whichever is most comfortable for you.
Step 2 - Exhale
Allow the breath to flow out of you, either through your nose or open mouth whichever is most comfortable for you.
Step 3 - Repeat
Repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as necessary to ensure continuity of your current lifestyle.
*Caution - Failure to perform the above steps may prove fatal.
If you give this a little thought, you may notice you've already been doing this - automatically - for your entire life! I'll bet you're doing it right now . . . go ahead and check . . . I'll wait . . .
Did you just learn that "Breathing for Singers" is identical to "Breathing for Non-Singers"? Why is that?
Could it be that the first sentence and direction are a bit vague? Maybe we should change it a bit. How about "Breathe from your diaphragm"? That should clear up any confusion, right? Er . . . probably not.
Let's look at this from a different perspective, but first . . .
Exercise 1
Place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your belly, just above your belly button. Now slowly and deeply inhale through your nose or open mouth, whichever you're most comfortable with. Hold for a few moments and then exhale.
Which hand moved first or most? Not sure? Try it again. I'll wait . . .
Ok, so now, which hand moved first?
If you noticed your right hand had more movement, you're a chest breather! If it was your left hand, you're an abdominal breather!
But What About Diaphragmatic Breathing (or, breathing from the diaphragm)?
I'm glad you asked!
ALL breathing stems from the diaphragm. That is to say, the diaphragm is the primary muscle involved in breathing. Whether you noticed your chest moving or your abdomen moving, the diaphragm is what made that breath happen. That being true, you do not breathe from your diaphragm.
Singers are continually told to use their diaphragm or breath to support their sound. The phrases breathe from your belly or breathe into/from your diaphragm are kicked around by many music professionals, including voice instructors, to describe exactly that. But what do these directions actually mean?
To understand the mechanics of breath support, we should first look at the mechanics of breathing, itself.
For our purposes - and in the most basic of descriptions - the breathing structure can be broken up into 5 distinct sections which are all part of the Respiratory System:
1. Ribcage
2. Diaphragm
3. Lungs
4. Trachea
5. Mouth/Nose
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
- RIBCAGE -
The ribcage is a mass of bone in your thoracic (chest) cavity made up of 12 pairs of ribs - 7 "true" ribs, 3 "false" ribs, and 2 "floating" ribs -, the sternum (breastbone), and the thoracic vertebrae (spine). It protects your vital organs (heart, lungs, stomach, spleen, kidneys) from injuries and shocks that might damage them. It also provides support for the weight of the upper body.
There are a pair of muscles between the ribs called intercostals. The external intercostals (nearest the skin) help to raise the ribs during an inhale while the internal intercostals (nearest the organs) assist in lowering them for an exhale.
- DIAPHRAGM -
At the bottom of the respiratory system is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a thin sheet of muscle approximately 0.22cm - 0.28cm thick, shaped like a dome. It is attached to the underside of the lungs and the inside of the ribcage
During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and flattens, moving down towards the abdominal (belly) wall. For an exhale, the diaphragm raises back up into its domed position.
The diaphragm is not a "container" for your air. You cannot breathe into or from it. Rather, what it does is raise or lower to help move air throughout the lungs.
- LUNGS -
The lungs are a pair of spongy, elastic "sacs" within your chest cavity that house the air inside your body. Their design allows them to filter oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. They are connected to the inside of the ribcage and on top of the diaphragm by a thin layer of tissue called the pleura.
- TRACHEA / LARYNX -
As air enters or exits the body, it does so via the trachea, also known as the windpipe. This sits just behind the esophagus (the muscular tube that food and liquids pass through). At the top of the trachea is the larynx (pronounced "Lair-inks"), typically referred to as the voice box. The vocal folds are comfortably nestled inside here.
Hey! You forgot to mention the Adam's Apple and why men have them but women don't!"
Good catch! So, let's dispel the myth right now. EVERYBODY (men AND women) has an Adam's Apple. That bump or protrusion we often see in the front of the throat is part of the Thyroid cartilage that protects the front part of the larynx. In general, hormones. mainly testosterone, determine the size of the Adam's Apple. While it is typically larger and more obvious in people assigned male at birth, both genetics and the angle at which the two plates of the thyroid cartilage grow together can also influence its size. It's also important to note that although a larger Adam's Apple might indicate a deeper voice, it's not a guarantee.
- VOCAL FOLDS -
The terms "vocal folds" and vocal cords" are often used interchangeably and to a large extent, they mean the same thing. For medical, technical and visual accuracy, we will use the more correct term of "vocal folds."
The vocal folds are thin "folds" of mucous membranes, smooth muscle, and connective tissue stretched horizontally across the top of the larynx. When breathing, the folds are open and relaxed allowing air to pass easily between them. When making sound, the folds close together, and the edges are vibrated by the airstream from the lungs. The length of the folds varies depending on the pitch you're creating. In women, the vocal folds are roughly the size of a dime while in men, it's the size of a nickel.
- MOUTH/NOSE -
As breathing occurs, air moves through the nose and/or mouth to enter or exit the body. It's always ideal to inhale through the nose because the nasal passage has tiny, hair-like structures called cilia (silly-ah) that filter air particles, keeping dust and debris from entering the throat. Also, the nose warms the temperature of the incoming air to make it more user-friendly for your body.
Try taking a deep breath, and inhaling through the nose. Notice the sensation in the throat while doing so. Next, inhale again, but this time through the mouth. Notice the sensation in the throat while doing so. Was the throat feel the same or different? You may have noticed inhaling through your mouth is colder than through your nose. The warmer temperature is healthier for your throat so it's beneficial to inhale through your nose as often as possible.
BREATHING CYCLE
Now that we've identified the basic parts of the respiratory system, let's review the breathing cycle. Both inhaling and exhaling are totally automatic functions. There's nothing you physically need to do for them to occur. The impulse for each starts in the brain and then the following happens:
INHALE - Breathe In
The muscles of the ribs contract causing the ribs to raise and expand the chest cavity.
The sides of the diaphragm are pulled taut causing it to push down against your stomach and other organs just below it (this is why your belly moves forward when you inhale).
The connective pleura surrounding the lungs is pulled outwards by the ribs and downwards by the diaphragm. This opens and lengthens the lungs creating a vacuum effect inside them.
Air is pulled in through either your mouth or nose, down through the larynx, and open vocal folds, into your lungs.
EXHALE - Breathe Out
The muscles of the ribs relax, allowing the ribs to be lowered back into place.
The pulling sensation from the ribs has stopped and the diaphragm becomes more relaxed. The stomach (and other displaced organs) push against the bottom of the diaphragm to raise it back into position (this is why your belly moves back inwards when you exhale).
The falling ribcage and raising diaphragm push against the bottom and sides of the lungs, causing air to be pushed out (like squeezing a plastic bottle full of water - it rushes out uncontrolled).
Air rushes past the open vocal folds and is expelled through either the mouth or nose.
