BREATHING EXERCISES FOR SINGING

5 BREATHING EXERCISES THAT WORK

how 2 improve singing

KATARINA HORNAKOVA
 Welcome!

Are you looking for ways to improve your

breathing technique while singing?
Maybe you run out of breath when singing, maybe
you gasp at the end of a sung phrase, maybe you
have a weak voice due to insufficient breath
support.  

In any case, the following five breathing exercises

will help you start developing better breathing
skills to give your voice power, flexibility and ease. 

The following exercises have several steps. If you

are not familiar with some of these steps, don't
worry. Do the steps that you know. Slowly add one
new step at a time.

Happy breathing!

how 2 improve singing

WWW.TIPS.HOW2IMPROVESINGING.COM
EXERCISE 1 BREATH
ACTIVATION
Step 1: Lift your soft palate.

Step 2: Open your throat.

Step 3: Inhale slowly for the count of 4 while keeping your

throat open and soft palate lifted. Inhale silently. Use a
deep and low inhale (which means that your abdomen
and pelvic floor release and your torso is expanding
sideways).

Step 4: Start exhaling. Focus on keeping your throat open

and soft palate lifted. Engage the pelvic floor and
abdominal muscles to help with the exhale. End the
exhale before you run out of breath so that you don’t push
and strain at the end of the breathing cycle.

Repeat a few times.

Note: Throughout the exercise, maintain optimal body

alignment.
EXERCISE 2 COUNTING
Step 1: Establish optimal body and chest posture. Take a
breath without tanking up.
 
Step 2: Start counting (out loud) from 1 to 30 in a legato
style. Do not rush through the numbers, say them slowly.

Step 3: Do not collapse your chest and do not push belly

in towards the end of the counting phrase. Make sure you
don’t run out of air at the end of the cycle. Use only as
much air as necessary. Engage your whole body to control
the exiting air.

Step 4: To make this exercise harder, slow down your

counting or count to a higher number. You can also sing
the numbers on one pitch or a simple scale.
  
Repeat a few times.
EXERCISE 3 HISSING
THE RIGHT WAY
Step 1: Lift your soft palate.

Step 2: Open your throat.

Step 3: Inhale for the count of 4. Inhale silently while

keeping your throat open. Do not overfill your lungs.

Step 4: Start hissing for the count of 10. Focus on keeping

your throat open and your torso expanded. Engage the
muscles of your torso and create balance between the
muscles of inhalation and exhalation. Put your hands on
the lower ribs and don’t let them collapse immediately.
Keep them expanded for as long as you can during
hissing.

Note: Make the hiss even and consistent. If your hissing is

inconsistent, stop and try again. 

Bonus tip: Focus on the feelings associated with this

exercise instead of counting seconds. Notice your
abdominals, rib muscles, pelvic floor muscles and your
back and their engagement during this exercise. This is
what breath support feels like. 

LINK TO A VIDEO: BREATH SUPPORT EXERCISES

EXERCISE 4 MATCHING THE
BREATH
Step 1: Establish optimal body and chest alignment. Take
a breath without tanking up.
 
Step 2: Sing four short (quarter) notes on the syllable
“mee”. Take in short breaths before each note
while keeping the correct body posture. Notice that only
little air is needed for singing such short notes.

Step 3: Then sing a longer phrase on the syllable "mee" (5-

note scale). Again notice the amount of air needed to sing
these scales.

Step 4: Now, sing an ascending and descending

octave on one breath using the syllable “mee” and notice
the amount of air used for singing this long phrase.

Step 5: Lastly, sing several phrases of varying length (one

note, short scale, or octave), and notice the amount of air
required for each of these phrases.

Your breath should feel smooth and under

control. There should be no tension anywhere
in the body.
  
Repeat a few times.
EXERCISE 5 EXTENDING THE
BREATH
Step 1: Establish optimal body and chest alignment. Take
a breath without tanking up. Use your favourite vowel,
Syllable or a lip roll for this exercise.
 
Step 2: Inhale silently. Then sing a simple 3-note
scale, for example C-D-E-D-C.

Step 3: Then, inhale again and sing the same scale twice
on one breath. Then, inhale again and sing the scale three
times on one breath.

Step 4: Slowly increase the number of repetitions of the

short scale (to 5, 6 or even 7 times) on one breath.

Make sure you do not push the air out or create tension
towards the end. Keep voice quality consistent
throughout the repetitions. The sound should feel light
and steady. If you feel any variations in volume or tone
quality, or even tension, try again with more conscious
effort to manage the airflow.
  
Repeat a few times.
If you are on Facebook, join a FREE Facebook group called
Breathing Room for Singers.
It's a great community of singers ready to share their
experiences. We talk about the art of breathing, singing,
vocal health for singers, and all things singing.
  

CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

Happy Singing!

Katarina
Creator of THE POWER OF BREATHING

www.tips.how2improvesinging.com