Breathing is the cornerstone of singing. Of course you already know how to breathe—you’ve been doing it since the moment you were born. However, singing technique for singing is to everyday breathing as track-and-field is to walking. It is athletic and in ways counterintuitive, but with practice it can become almost second-nature. It’s also one part of singing that can be practiced without any risk of annoying the people you live with. Master these steps in order, and you will be well on your way to setting your voice free!
- Maintain Good Posture: Stand tall and straight, and keep your shoulders down and back; think about keeping your shoulders away from your ears. Keep your chest comfortably lifted and your pelvis slightly tucked (don’t let your butt stick out). Your overall muscle engagement should be gently firm, not tense or stiff.
- Breathe with your Belly: Nearly every beginner tries to “take a deep breath” by lifting the shoulders, but this is counterproductive. Instead, keep your good posture with shoulders down (step 1) and allow your diaphragm (the semi-involuntary muscle that runs across the bottom of your ribcage) to descend as it sucks air into your lungs; as it does, your abdomen should expand to make room for it. Only allow your chest to fill once your abdomen is fully expanded (if you have good posture, your chest should already be lifted and shouldn’t visibly move while inhaling, or exhaling for that matter).
- Inhale on a round vowel: When you breathe in, make a silent “O” vowel. Your throat will mirror the vowel and create lots of beautiful space for your breath and for the note you’re about to sing. This is an unscientific explanation, but trust me—it works. If you don’t believe me, try inhaling while imagining an “ee” vowel instead; feel the difference?
- Breathe into your Back: This is the next step after you have gotten used to “belly breathing” and begun to build that muscle memory (step 2). Imagine you are breathing with your back muscles, or directing air into your back. It may help to picture an air tank on your back or an inner tube around your waist that you are trying to fill.
- Keep the expansion: When exhaling (vocalizing), keep all of those muscles engaged and expanded. This breath support is the only kind of muscular “tension” that should ever be encouraged in singing. To do this, take a deep breath (step 4) and imagine that you are holding your breath or even inhaling while exhaling. It may sound impossible, but the results will speak for themselves. Practice this several times a day and exhale on “ssss” until you start to feel that you can’t maintain the expansion anymore (then pause, inhale, and repeat).
Note: I have heard some teachers say to contract the abdominal muscles, as if you are about to be punched in the belly. That approach is absolutely wrong.