You cannot possibly sing correctly if you are not breathing properly. To help in the development of a good vocal range and improves your stamina. Here are a few exercises that will help you to improve singing.
With proper breathing you can increase you endurance and improve breath control so that you have a wider vocal range. People who breathe through their chest cannot get the really high notes and their voice lacks the floating quality. When we are children, many of us tend to follow faulty breathing habits. The incorrect breathing habits inhibit our singing.
A clear sign of improper breathing is an upwards movement of the chest and shoulders when w breathe. The fear of looking fat while breathing is what keep many people from breathing correctly. Bit if you want to reach the higher notes and sing confidently it is imperative that you breathe through the diaphragm.
Another wrong notion among singers is that noisy breathing equates to deep breathing. But if you breathe noisily it is indicative of a constricted throat which in itself signals an incorrect breathing technique. The correct way of breathing is to breathe deeply yet silently.
Try breathing in sips instead of gulps which will put more pressure on the lungs. Your stomach should move effortlessly with each inhalation. Here are a few exercises which will help you to breathe correctly.
Inhalation Activity:
To begin with lie flat on your back. Next take a deep breath and feel your chest expand then your abdomen as the air travels from your mouth to the bottom of your lungs. If while breathing your shoulders move upwards you are not doing it right, your chest and abdomen should expand if you breathe correctly. Make sure that when you are breathing deeply your stomach muscles are loose so that the diaphragm and lungs can expand letting the air flow through the respiratory system.
Repeat the exercise once more start by inhaling deeply but make sure that your shoulders do not move the only movement should be the outwards expansion of the chest and the stomach. If your shoulders move when you breathe it would indicate that you are not breathing correctly. When you breathe correctly your chest, diaphragm and stomach will expand. You will also feel the muscles at the sides of the rib cage moving to accommodate the expanding lungs.
Exhalation Exercise:
In this exercise you will try to move the flame of a candle with your breath so start by placing a lighted candle 8-9 inches away from your face.
Take a deep breath, like in the previous exercise with outward movement of the stomach and chest but no movement of the shoulders.
Exhale letting out the air in the direction of the flame, bending it in the process not flickering it.
When you exhale you will have to let out the air in a steady stream otherwise the flame will flicker instead of bending. It is also important to keep a track of the number of minutes for which you can keep the flame bent.
If you want to increase your breath control and sing at a high pitch for a long time, these exercises are very beneficial. The important thing is to try and continuously increase the time of exhalation.
With proper breathing you can increase you endurance and improve breath control so that you have a wider vocal range. People who breathe through their chest cannot get the really high notes and their voice lacks the floating quality. When we are children, many of us tend to follow faulty breathing habits. The incorrect breathing habits inhibit our singing.
A clear sign of improper breathing is an upwards movement of the chest and shoulders when w breathe. The fear of looking fat while breathing is what keep many people from breathing correctly. Bit if you want to reach the higher notes and sing confidently it is imperative that you breathe through the diaphragm.
Another wrong notion among singers is that noisy breathing equates to deep breathing. But if you breathe noisily it is indicative of a constricted throat which in itself signals an incorrect breathing technique. The correct way of breathing is to breathe deeply yet silently.
Try breathing in sips instead of gulps which will put more pressure on the lungs. Your stomach should move effortlessly with each inhalation. Here are a few exercises which will help you to breathe correctly.
Inhalation Activity:
To begin with lie flat on your back. Next take a deep breath and feel your chest expand then your abdomen as the air travels from your mouth to the bottom of your lungs. If while breathing your shoulders move upwards you are not doing it right, your chest and abdomen should expand if you breathe correctly. Make sure that when you are breathing deeply your stomach muscles are loose so that the diaphragm and lungs can expand letting the air flow through the respiratory system.
Repeat the exercise once more start by inhaling deeply but make sure that your shoulders do not move the only movement should be the outwards expansion of the chest and the stomach. If your shoulders move when you breathe it would indicate that you are not breathing correctly. When you breathe correctly your chest, diaphragm and stomach will expand. You will also feel the muscles at the sides of the rib cage moving to accommodate the expanding lungs.
Exhalation Exercise:
In this exercise you will try to move the flame of a candle with your breath so start by placing a lighted candle 8-9 inches away from your face.
Take a deep breath, like in the previous exercise with outward movement of the stomach and chest but no movement of the shoulders.
Exhale letting out the air in the direction of the flame, bending it in the process not flickering it.
When you exhale you will have to let out the air in a steady stream otherwise the flame will flicker instead of bending. It is also important to keep a track of the number of minutes for which you can keep the flame bent.
If you want to increase your breath control and sing at a high pitch for a long time, these exercises are very beneficial. The important thing is to try and continuously increase the time of exhalation.