Breathe Easy: Techniques for Successful Singing

To sing well, you need to breathe well. What does that even mean? Read on to find out more!

The human voice is an amazing instrument that we carry with us everywhere we go. Part of what creates the unique sound of your own voice is air flow through the vocal chords as you exhale while singing or speaking. Therefore, controlling your breathing can help you control your voice!

You may find yourself thinking, “But I’m a pro at breathing! I’ve been doing it since I was born!” However, like most things there’s always more to learn, and the kind of breathing you do while singing is a little different. Here’s a few things you can try!

1.) Let your stomach expand when you breathe. Many people instinctively suck their gut in because we live in a world where it’s apparently unacceptable to have a stomach. This action forces them to breathe from their upper chest only. In turn, this restricts them from singing comfortably, as they’ll often feel like they just don’t have enough air. If you place your hand on your stomach, you should be able to feel it gently rise when you inhale, and fall when you exhale.

2.) Shoulders back and relaxed! Having your shoulders hunched or tense will also prevent your diaphragm from expanding fully. Let your arms hang by your sides, relax your shoulders and stand or sit up straight with your ribcage tilted just slightly upward rather than down. You shoulders should not move much at all when you inhale and exhale; that creates tension and doesn’t help with proper diaphragmatic breathing.

3.) Plan ahead. This one might sound odd, but it helps to anticipate how much breath you’re going to need in the next phrase in the song. Of course, knowing the song (by listening and singing along and memorising the lyrics) will help you tremendously. You will attain the best sound when you inhale neither too much, nor too little air for the next part of the song. Although singers need to take deeper, faster breaths, you don’t want to overfill your lungs. That creates unnecessary tension in your body, and loss of vocal control as you try to push out all that excess air!

4.) Find a vocal teacher to teach you good breath management skills. Is this cliche coming from a vocal teacher? Yes, but it’s nevertheless true. It can be hard to know if you’re getting a technique right when you’re at home watching a Youtube tutorial. Getting in-person lessons can seem scary, but having someone else to guide you can really maximise your chances of success and your enjoyment of singing!