Mindful Breathing

Many times I have stated that singing is really 99.9% thinking. Matter of fact, my very first teacher said this to me as well!

Being mindful in our sound is important. Relying on good luck, positive thinking, or a divine muse does not nurture confidence. We want to be deliberate.

I have said that the only wrong sound is the one we wish to make and can’t make! In my opinion, all singing, all sound is legit. Is it the one I intended to make? There is my notion of problematic.

Next few Thursday’s I would like to address several element of singing.

Mindful Solutions to Problematic Singing: Breathing

Ask yourself:

• Is my intake of air one of these–shallow, deep, frantic, forced, easy or relaxed? What does the song or phrase require?

• Is my exhale of air one of these–incomplete, held, forced, strained, easy or relaxed?

Breath Mechanism and its management is an interesting topic. Why? Because, we all know how to breath without thinking. Or do we? How is out breathing now? Is it shallow, deep, held, strained, tight, incomplete, easy, or relaxed? I do believe we sing how we live.

Here are some tips to learning to sing your song with easy:

  1. Relax.
  2. Speak your lines with same relaxed manner.
  3. Intone these same lines, which means to sing on one comfortable pitch these same phrase.
  4. Intone now incorporating the rhythm.
  5. Now, sing them in the same relaxed manner. Noticing where you feel you are too lazy or pushy with the airflow.
  6. Address those spots!

Some other tricks:

  1. Valsalva maneuver. Am I tightening my stomach or location where the said diaphragm is located? While singing, gently bend forward during those problematic areas where I am attempting to force the exhale? See if this helps!
  1. Stand taller. Head lifted like a ball. Posture should align.

Here are just a few ideas.

Now, try these while you practice!

 

Go, practice!

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