“Breathe in, breathe out”

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“Breathein,breatheout”

By Daniel K. Robinson

(2010)

Perhaps the most controversial area of voice pedagogy (teaching singing) todayis Breath Management. Why is this? Well, until just recently, the last ten years infact, developed methodologies for managing the breath were based on twothings; (1) What the student thought that they were experiencing on akinaesthetic level and, (2) what the teacher thought they were observing thesinger’s body do. Interestingly the latest technologies and research methodshave shown that what we thought we were experiencing and what we thoughtwe were observing were, if you will, red herrings. We do not have time in thisarticle to completely unpack the historical journey that has led us to now;instead let’s focus on the fundamentals of breath management as we understandthem today.

Firstly, “efficient breath management is…essential in all styles of singing” (Edwin, 1998, p. 54). Breath management is essential because

breath fuels thevoice

. No air, no sound! So it stands to reason that it would be an area that allsingers need to spend time developing the necessary skills required to feed theair efficiently through the larynx. Janice Chapman in her book ‘Singing andTeaching Singing’ (2006) states,

A gradual process of assimilation, combining constant affirmation topractice good postural alignment, use of physiologically correct inhalationand exhalation, and encouragement to find and maintain the emotionallyconnected primal sound base can take between one and two years of normal weekly lessons. (p. 57)

One to two years! Why so long? You might have noticed that you breathe all dayevery day. “Passive breathing uses approximately half a litre of air per breathand is repeated around twelve times per minute” (Borch, 2005, p. 32).Unfortunately our ‘passive’ breathing is often shallow and does not fully activatethe muscles required for the intentional breath activity of singing. Therefore weneed to spend concerted amounts of time developing the breath managementsystem for singing.

Breathe In ~ Inhalation

Next, let’s talk about the muscles involved, and do away with a well wornmisconception. You do not sing from your diaphragm! “Although singers andactors frequently use the term ‘diaphragm’ synonymously with support, it isactually a combination of rib cage, thoracic, back, and abdominal musclefunction” (Sataloff, Cohn, & Hawkshaw, 2006, p. 55). Yes! The diaphragm isinvolved and has been stated to be “responsible for 60-80% of the work duringinspiration” (Kayes, 2004, p. 27), but the work of the diaphragm (duringinhalation) must be done in coordination with the release of the abdominalmuscles. Perhaps the most promising methodology to arise from the latestresearch on breath systems for singing is the Accent Breath Method. Key

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advocates of

Accent

, Janice Chapman and Ron Morris (2006) explain, “Diaphragmatic/belly-release inhalation…does not recruit any expiratory musclesduring the in-breath, but relies on a flexible abdominal wall which allows thediaphragm to descend quickly, fully, and efficiently” (p. 41).

The next question to be answered is, ‘how much air does the singer need’. Theanswer is simple, ‘as much as the phrase requires – no more, no less’. “Whenevaluating respiration, the volume of air is important, but more important is themanner in which the [singer] takes in the air (inhalation), and how the air isused to produce the voice (exhalation)” (Heuer, et al., 2006, p. 230).

Breathe Out ~ Exhalation

Finally we come to the managed expiration of breath (fuel) over the length of asung phrase. The challenge here for many contemporary singers is to ensurethat the pressure that develops directly under the vocal folds,

sub-glottal pressure

, does not cause the voice to constrict. “Active exhalation is requiredduring skilled speaking and singing, but in widely different degrees depending onthe vocal volume level needed for the expressive purposes at hand” (Thurman,Theimer, Welch, Grefsheim, & Feit, 2000, p. 349). The temptation is tosignificantly build sub-glottal pressure as the energy and intensity of the songincreases. Giving in to this temptation by not managing the exhaled flow of aircan lead to disaster, either through sustained wear and tear of the voice or thedreaded ‘break or crack’ in the middle of a phrase or climatic high note. Yes! Thesub-glottal pressure does increase with volume…but allow the voice to developthis pressure itself while you intentionally manage the even engagement of yourexhalation’s muscular support system.

Over the years there have been contemporary methodologists who havesuggested that a singer does not need to work on breath managementsuggesting that the body will

naturally

take care of the breath flow (Riggs, 1994,p. 22). This is a foolhardy stance which leaves the developing singer open tomany distinct dangers. Current researched thought concerning the developmentof breath management for contemporary singers is in sync with our classicalcolleagues who advocate that “there is always an ongoing monitoring of breathing, support, and postural alignment” (Chapman & Morris, 2006, p. 55). Asystematic approach to the development of good breath management with yoursinging teacher is

highly

advised.

The subject of breath management is vast and wide and as previously notedthere are varying, and conflicting views. It is advisable to align yourself withyour teacher’s instruction and allow your voice to determine whether theemployed method is working while you breathe in and breathe out.

References

Borch, D. Z. (2005).

Ultimate vocal voyage: The definitive method for unleashing the rock, pop or soul singer within you

. Bromma, Sweden:Notfabriken Music Publishing AB.

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