Sorry I've been gone for so long. I'm having physical health complications. if you would like to inquire, PM me. Otherwise, accept my apologies. I'll be giving you an article a day starting today until I am where I feel I should be. Please understand that moderation policy for posts may make them take longer than a day to show and be approved.. Thank you.
Singing has three main pieces: Air Flow, Phonation, and Resonance. Poor Air Flow, or Air Production, or Breathing, or Support, or WHATEVER WORD YOU WANT TO USE, WILL toss Phonation and Resonance out of balance. Just because you "don't believe in it" or "don't suggest/teach it" doesn't mean you AREN'T DOING IT SUBCONCIOUSLY. To me, GREAT Air Flow HAS to be subconcious or it's not good and "natural."
Speaking of "natural," what IS "natural"? Oh, quite simply it's just what you are accustomed to. To a REALLY "good" singer, it's "natural" to sing correctly. To someone who is just starting as a "horrid singer," however, "natural" IS what they are doing, poor functionality and performance on a vocal level.
What exactly IS "vocal level"? It's how the instrument is functioning. "Vocal Level" is misleading, because the ENTIRE body is actually your instrument. Most people ignore that and run into "Vocal Folds/Cords" are the key. Then they leave off everything that matters, except the Phonation. No air, no phonation, too much air, no phonation. It will cause constriction if the Air Flow isn't balanced.
Now, balanced Air Flow HAS to be met with a BALANCED Phonation pattern, meaning the larynx and everything connected to it (again, leads to practically the whole body) must be used efficiently. Take "efficiently" how you will, as you're going to be doing that anyway.
That just creates the frequency. The Resonance, quite frankly, SHAPES the sound into what comes out. If that's a very shrill, "ugly" sound colour, that's how your Resonance has shaped your sound. If it's an overly dull sound, again, it's how you shaped the sound with your Resonance. Resonance doesn't have to make a huge Opera sound. Actually, you'd be quite surprised how much Opera has in common with Rock, but I won't go into that.
So, yes, Breathing IS important, but on it's own, it does nothing. If you want to "train" it, I have a suggestion. Get a balloon that is approximately nine inches (9in, or 23cm) in diameter when inflated. The goal here is to SLOWLY blow the balloon up in as few breathes as possible. Don't tie it, don't let it go. Next, do this part over a period of time to avoid lightheadedness. Slowly INHALE the air out of the balloon so it is completely deflated again. AGAIN, inflate the balloon by exhaling into it, and DEflate the balloon by INHALING it's contents. Do so slowly, and don't inhale it in one breath to avoid lightheadedness/nauseousness.
As a side note, if a singer is missing good breathing, but has a great control over phonation and resonance, they can "cover up" their shortcomings, if they know how to use their available sounds properly and effectively. It's all in how you know to use your voice, and song choice.
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