Applying Breath Control To Singing

[Guest]

Hey all, breath control is awesome, it's the foundation of every phonation. How do I actively apply breath control to my singing, with skill and finesse. For those of you who feel you have some fragment of breath control, what helps you control the breath before/during/after phonation?

Often times I find myself, letting the throat take over instead of letting the cords ride the breath, this produces unncessary tension. Ofcourse the h onset is very useful for this I was wondering if anyone has any other tips they feel should be noted.

In the excerpts of an old school soprano singer (deceased) I noticed something very applicable to my situation.

"You will notice when you begin to sing, if you watch yourself very carefully, that, first, you will try to inhale too much air; secondly, you will either force it all out at once, making a breathy note, or in trying to control the flow of air by the diaphragm you will suddenly cease to send it forth at all and will be making the sound by pressure from the throat. There must never be any pressure from the throat. The sound must be made

from the continued flow of air." - A quote from Luisa Tetrazzini

Funny how people from so long ago can pinpoint exactly what I am doing wrong.

- JayMC

[VideoHere]

don't confuse air pressure with air flow. you need air pressure (sometimes a lot of it) to sing......but you need to control the flow of the air during expiration.

[Guest]

What she is saying is you should never hold back the air with your throat, I often catch myself doing this! When doing the quack and release (btw I LOVE this exercise), I literally feel no pressure in the throat, yet the sound is resonating so powerfully in my sinuses!

When I am feeling fairly relaxed and warmed-up I apply the quack & release onset, with videohere's oo and ee descending slide. Guess what? No pressure, seamless tone! Go figure

It's as if... I'm just... breathing :|

[MDEW]

Isn't that also part of support? Don't you get the compressed air flow from Expanding ribs plus squeeze of abs and holding breath like after Taking a toke from a doobie and trying not to let too much smoke out while you are talking to friends? Please if I am wrong straighten me out because this simple thing gets more confusing every time someone tries to set me straight.

[Guest]

Please if I am wrong straighten me out because this simple thing gets more confusing every time someone tries to set me straight.

I wonder why.....hmmmm.

Expanding ribs plus squeeze of abs and holding breath like after Taking a toke from a doobie and trying not to let too much smoke out while you are talking to friends?

:D

[MDEW]

I wonder why.....hmmmm.

I agree but that wasn't my words. It was from a well known Voice teacher who I will not name on here. And I am sure you know exactly who he is.

And no I did not take a toke so I could check out his theory. :lol:

[Guest]

What MDEW is trying to say is you employ what is ABSOLUTELY necessary, that's what you are doing when your holding in smoke and trying to speak to your friends. You keep the smoke down low and let the air SEEP out. I'm pretty sure thats how Bruno mars and The Weeknd learned breath compression.. they both smoke regularly LOL! :D

[Guest]

hey...a good analogy is a good analogy.....right? ;)

[MDEW]

Analogy aside is that or is that not holding back air with an action of the throat?

[Guest]

MDEW I don't believe that is holding back with the throat. It's holding the air down in the diaphragm, letting so little out that the vocal cords can barely vibrate thus creating a "squeezy" kind of sound. It feels like the air is trapped in the diaphragm and your LETTING just enough leak out, the throat is simply the valve which the smoke escapes from. The sound may sound "chokey" (at first) but the feeling is not chokey at all, it still feels like you are holding the smoke in.

[VideoHere]

this holding back of air uses the lower core muscles, not the throat.

folks, this is an advanced technique. i wouldn't worry too much about now till you build up some strength in the lower core muscles.

hissing exercises

shuching exercises

all of that comes first.

[ronws]

I don't control breath before or after phonation. Only during phonation. Breath is something in motion and so is singing.

Ron, the redneck guru of mystical and cryptic statements.

(Hey, it's a gig ...)

[Guest]

I don't control breath before or after phonation. Only during phonation. Breath is something in motion and so is singing.

Maybe you do and don't realize it (?) There is an inhale and there is an exhale. That would lead me to believe there must be a turnaround. You know, almost like a bench press. If you lower the weight (eccentric phase) under control and stop it at your chest, then you have a definite start point (an onset) for the concentric phase (pressing). If you don't stop but just drop the weight and "touch" the chest and press up (or even if you don't touch) the you are using momentum for the turnaround. That powers the weight up. Stopping makes it harder.

Maybe it isn't too much different with the inhale/exhale as it applies to singing and how it effects our onset. if you don't control the turnaround maybe there is a slight "huff" of air at the onset? You would have to control the small space/spot between inhale and exhale. The turnaround. Maybe you do it naturally and/or don't realize it.

Or maybe there is no such thing :cool:

Just thinkin' :D

[ronws]

I don't think about it. I kinda followed the Ron Keel method on that. Got myself in the habit of belly breathing as a general habit.

Then, later, accepting that breath support will be mobile and changing to suit the needs of the song. It was a mental thing for me. That is, rather than changing what I am doing in the throat, change what I am doing down below.

[Guest]

I don't think about it. I kinda followed the Ron Keel method on that. Got myself in the habit of belly breathing as a general habit.

I don't doubt that you don't think about it. I am only saying that maybe it is happening whether you are thinking about it or not. Maybe it is something the untrained might need to learn while others do it naturally. And then others , you perhaps, as well as other people who have been singing for awhile and have some knowledge and/or training, just do it without thought. Some after having learned it at some point and some just because it happened without them even knowing....just by experience.

So what I was saying is that maybe you do it but don't know it. Surely you aren't thinking about it but that doesn't mean it isn't happening, naturally.

Like I said...I'm just pondering :D

[Validar]

I really should wear my glasses more often when I come here.

I thought the thread title was "Applying Birth Control To Singing" at first glance. :/

[ronws]

I don't doubt that you don't think about it. I am only saying that maybe it is happening whether you are thinking about it or not. Maybe it is something the untrained might need to learn while others do it naturally. And then others , you perhaps, as well as other people who have been singing for awhile and have some knowledge and/or training, just do it without thought. Some after having learned it at some point and some just because it happened without them even knowing....just by experience.

So what I was saying is that maybe you do it but don't know it. Surely you aren't thinking about it but that doesn't mean it isn't happening, naturally.

Like I said...I'm just pondering

Actually, Tommy, you are probably right. I've been doing what I do for a long time and mostly, don't think about.

Validar, that's funny. I thought of a few jokes but I should just let those go.

This is me, being uncharacteristically silent.