When I ask new clients what they want help with, many will say something along the lines of ‘My breathing isn’t good’, or ‘I run out of breath when I sing, so I don’t breathe from the diaphragm enough’. This is often their top priority, even over improving their sound. They have been told in the past that they ‘don’t breathe well’. Even after working hard to “fix” their breathing, it hasn’t resulted in any improvement to their sound, singing comfort levels, or vocal stamina: and they still run out of breath!
That is because, quite often, breathing is not the cause of the problem: it is the symptom of something else entirely.
Let’s face it – we are all pretty good at breathing. We’ve been doing it non-stop since we were born. It’s instinctive. In everyday life, we breathe according to what our body demands. If we run up a flight of stairs, our body demands more oxygen, and, without any conscious input, our respiratory system responds. Our body also responds in a similar way when we sing. So, if something isn’t going right somewhere, quite often we will compensate by using too much breath.
If you run out of breath before the end of a phrase, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t breathing in a big enough breath beforehand. It could mean you are using too much air on the out breath. This can be caused by things like:
- Your vocal folds not adducting (coming together to vibrate) as efficiently as they could, so you need more air to vibrate them.
- A lack of resonance. You then use more air to compensate for this.
- A lack of core stability. Too much air ‘escapes’ too quickly as you sing
- Your rib cage muscles aren’t responding to the needs of the vocal folds.
Struggling with running out of breath? Try the FIST SHAKE!
- Sing a phrase that you’ve had some difficulty with in one breath. Give it a rating out of ten for vocal ease (how easy it is, not how good you think it sounds).
- Now sing the same phrase, shaking your fists vigorously. Give it a rating out of ten for vocal ease (ignore the inevitable wobble in your voice).
You may find that it was easier and that you didn’t run out of breath.
If you found it easier and didn’t run out of breath as much:
Shaking your fists causes us to engage our core, which can slow down the flow of air as we sing. Without getting too technical, this helps bring your vocal folds together more optimally, making them vibrate better. You create more resonance as well as reduce the need for air.
Where to from here?
Of course we can’t shake our fists every time we sing, but you can incorporate it in your vocal exercises and use it throughout your songs. Take note of how your core responds to the shaking and then engage it in the same way without shaking your fists.
If you found it even harder than before:
Your vocal folds may be so far apart that they can’t cope with the reduced flow of air.
Where to from here?
Resonance work may be super helpful for you. Contact me to find out more.
Leave a Reply