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Your focal point in breath support


jonpall

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Hi,

When you're practising singing at home and are trying to improve or maintain your breath support, what is the focal point of your support?

Is it your abs? Your solar plexus? Your lower back? Something else?

Are you always thinking "regular downwards energy ... regular downwards energy ...", or perhaps "must keep solar plexus out ... must keep solar plexus out ...", or maybe "must keep ribs expanded ... must keep ribs expanded ...". Or it could be something different.

I've been having success with "solar plexus going gradually out and abs going gradually in ... solar plexus going gradually out and abs going gradually in ..".

What about you guys?

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I just recently started to work on support some more and one of my former coaches has taught me to do the "chicken wings" where I would keep the backside of my left hand on my left side (ribs) and my right hand on my right side. But I mostly feel it at the solar plexus and I try thinking about using less air, controlling the breath.

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great question. when i'm singing on stage, i don't think about it too much, the mind kind of takes over for me.

but when i practice i breath in and shoot for a feeling of a complete expansion the upper part of the belly comes out, the lower part kind of retracts a little and the back and ribs push out. then i feel if my throat or neck has any tension in it. it's "almost" as if you had a six pack set of abs and were trying to gently flex them.

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My favorite image as of late has been the 'diamond of support' from SATA. The diamond's points are the top of your pelvis and bottom of sternum, and two sides of your waste, and you focus on contracting them all together smoothly as you exhale like you're gently pressing a balloon from all sides evenly.

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Hey CunoDante,

Your description of the support, especialy the #2 reminded of something I saw a tenor called Franco Tenelli explain in this vid:

(starting from 10:20)

Is that what you are talking about?

Cheers,

Vlad

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Mainly, just being aware that my shoulders don't rise and fall to take a breath. Let the stomach relax to inhale. Too much worrying about the abdomen can introduce tension that you end up trying to control with the throat and that's the last place you want strain.

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My favorite image as of late has been the 'diamond of support' from SATA. The diamond's points are the top of your pelvis and bottom of sternum, and two sides of your waste, and you focus on contracting them all together smoothly as you exhale like you're gently pressing a balloon from all sides evenly.

this is one that I've recently been introduced to (thanks Tony!) but I don't feel the outside popping as I should. I do feel below my belly button, but it also feels like tension there.

What's SATA?

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