There are various forms of breathing exercises that can be taught to someone aspiring to sing correctly. You will find some of them so down-right silly they leave you laughing. This article will begin with the basics of breathing and work its way up to simple and moderately simple exercise concepts in vocal breathing.
Posture
You must first learn about the importance of standing or sitting up straight to sing. This allows the diaphragm to not be pinched, making singing easier. The diaphragm aids in pushing sufficient air inside and outside the body, and air is ever essential in singing.
Normal Breathing
A way to think about correct vocal breathing is to imagine that singing is like a trumpet playing. A trumpet needs air--a trumpet with no air blowing through it is a useless piece of brass with flat notes or no sound coming out. If you don't have sufficient air in your lungs, your notes will sound flat as well.
Breathing practice consists of filling your lungs with air but not inhaling to the point where your chest puffs out. Most people assume the way you inhale for a doctor's examination is the way you should breathe for singing, but it's not. You must breathe through your nose and fill up your lungs until it feels like your stomach is sticking out. Don't worry if it makes you look fat.
Have you ever noticed babies breathe? They don't puff their chests out; their stomachs rise and fall, especially when they are sleeping. This is really how breathing is supposed to be.
Facial Exercises & Scales
Stretching your face is another exercise that brings the giggles. Open your mouth wide, squint your eyes, scrunch your face and stick out your tongue. It helps your face and neck muscles loosen and get your tongue ready for vocal gymnastics. Raise your eyebrows to give yourself power and momentum to sing consistently and steadily.
Another basic tool is learning to open your mouth wide enough to fit two fingers inside. Rounding your O's--always pronouncing the long O vowel sound--also helps keep your throat pliable to project your notes to the farthest of rows where people will be straining to hear you.
Practicing vocal ranges is not just the old-fashioned scales of la, la, la, la, la, la, la. Some exercises consist of My Mommy Made Me Eat My M&Ms up and down from the lowest D to the highest E. Throw your high-pitched squealed voice like a ball to the back of the room as if launching a rocket. The high-pitched squeal sounds like something falling in a cartoon, descending and decreasing in volume as though it were falling or moving away from earshot.
These exercises will undoubtedly help you begin stretching your vocal muscle and vocal cords so you can be on your way to being a better singer.
Tags: your face, your lungs, mouth wide, vocal breathing, your mouth, your mouth wide