Vocal Support: Breathing and Control

Bob Rose

Vocal Support, although a commonly used term in the singing community, is not so commonly understood. Perhaps this could be because there is some confusion with many singers and vocal coaches alike as to how it works.

Actually, support is quite simple when understood from the standpoint of the anatomy. The voice is a biological instrument. Therefore, you just need to know a little biology. Although not as involved as a medical class but enough to understand what the respiratory system basically looks like and how it operates in breathing and singing.

"Air is the most critical component for your instrument." Without it, everything else means nothing. Breathing and the control of breath is the essence of not only singing, but the connection to life itself. Without air you can only last in this atmosphere for a matter of minutes before your body will cease to function. Think about it - it’s just a wonderful thing to breathe! Though many people take it for granted and use their respiratory system just enough to stay alive.

Vocal Support is knowing how to maintain the proper amount of air in your lungs and the control of that air when you’re ready to sing or speak. Once this is understood and applied, it will not only clear up misunderstandings, but also enable you to obtain a good vocal posture, diaphragmatic breathing, and the control of your breath. This gives you more confidence and ability in making the performance of your instrument much easier and more dynamic without air stream interruptions that cause breaks in your notes.

Chest/Lung Expansion

Chest expansion keeps the upper portions of the lungs open via the intercostal (i.e., rib) muscles. This enlists the aid of the atmospheric pressure of 15 lbs. per square inch, helping to open up the lungs, creating the basis of a good vocal posture and encouraging the diaphragm and lower lungs to do their job in deep breathing.

This is what the expansion of the chest is setting them up to do, unlike the state of a normal respiratory system, which is basically in a semi-collapsed state most of the time.

Application:

Standing sideways to a mirror:

• Take a deep breath, expanding the intercostal (rib) muscles, while creating a good internal posture. (Do not use your spine or back muscles to do this.)
• Hold the chest in place via the intercostal (rib) muscles.
• Breathe in and out through the stomach while watching in the mirror to see that only the stomach is moving in and out while the chest remains stable in its expanded position encouraging deep (or stomach) breathing.

Expanding the chest cavity establishes a good posture from the inside out, opening up and staying open – instead of tightening up the back muscles, which creates tension and strain. When the chest is expanded, it keeps the lungs open. This is what I refer to as a good vocal posture for maximum efficiency and performance.

Diaphragmatic Breathing and Control

Your instrument is like an automobile. Air is your fuel, the diaphragm is like the accelerator, and you must have a full tank to perform and sustain a note at its maximum capacity. If not, you’re only running on fumes (i.e., not enough air).

When breathing in from the diaphragm, which is the large muscle at the bottom of the lungs, it expands (moving it downward), pushing the stomach out. When you exhale, it contracts (moving it upward), causing your stomach to move in. This is called diaphragmatic or stomach breathing.

Application:

Practice Diaphragmatic (or stomach) breathing by keeping the expanded chest posture to initiate the lower-lung breathing.

A. Inhale: the stomach expands, moving out

B. Exhale: The stomach contracts, moving in. (The chest remains in its expanded position.)

Additional Applications:

• Monitor the motion by putting your hand on your stomach to feel the motion of deep breathing while keeping your chest in its expanded position.

• Watch this in a mirror until you are experiencing it happening automatically. (i.e., a sense-feel to a sense-memory).

The Abdominal Muscles

When exhaling, with the abdominal (stomach) muscles firmed, the diaphragm will become firm as well; therefore, it will control the speed of the air for singing and speaking just as a car accelerator controls the flow of gas (and so the speed of the car.)

After your chest is expanded and you’re breathing from the diaphragm, air will expand and contract your lower lungs creating an even air stream. Watch yourself in a mirror to observe your stomach. To control the interaction of the diaphragm, firm your abdominal muscles as you exhale.

The Pant

The Pant will help you experience the interaction between the diaphragm and the abdominal (stomach) muscles.

By panting like a dog, the stomach will move quickly, going in as you exhale and falling out a little faster as you inhale. Right now, your chest is expanded and you’ve just set yourself up to breathe naturally through the lower lungs (stomach).

Panting is the beginning of becoming aware of and building up the interaction between your stomach and your diaphragm muscles. This leads to greater breath control and easier, more powerful breathing. I call this a vocal sit-up.

Application

Now pant like a dog. Notice that after you exhale with the chest in place, the air rushes back into the lower lungs automatically, practically inhaling for you, because you are set up for this to happen by the chest staying expanded.

Additional Applications

• Add a partial yawn (Like a Yogi Bear Voice) to experience more air flowing through the throat with a little deeper tone because it lowers the larynx, creating a little larger cavity in the throat as well as keeping the larynx from jumping up and blocking the air stream.
• Remember to monitor your stomach by putting your hands on it. This makes you aware of and experience the pulse and motion. (Stand sideways to a mirror to observe this experience.)

Sustained Exhale

This is like the controlling or holding back of the air escaping from your lungs by firming the stomach. This can be practiced by using a sustained ‘Hey’.

‘Hey’ Sustained

‘Hey’ sustained is holding the note out as you would in singing, keeping the stomach firm for a longer period of time to sustain the sound comfortably to a close (i.e. stop). This is accomplished by sustaining the interaction between the abdominal and diaphragm muscles, creating a controlled resistance that regulates the air stream to be used. This keeps the diaphragm firmed to control it’s rate of speed and, therefore, the air stream (as the accelerator).

This is how the breath is controlled for singing. Feel the sustained firmness in your stomach as you are exhaling, experiencing the air moving out at a constant rate rather than randomly.

Now breathe through the mouth while releasing the muscles instantaneously, so that you take in air quickly. When inhaling, feel the expansion of your diaphragm and stomach.

Application

For the first three notes, sing ‘hey’ in staccato (using the pant), then on the fourth note, firm the stomach while singing a sustained ‘hey’, exhaling to release the air evenly, steadily, and slowly with a controlled air stream for singing.

This is the key to good entrances, exits, phrasing, and pitch. This also enables the holding and closing of notes and words without breaks.

Additional Applications

• Monitor your support as before, viewing the exercise in a mirror at first.
• Begin with the ‘hey’ sustained, forgoing the first three ‘hey’ staccatos.
• Add a partial yawn for openness of the throat (as before).

Conclusion

Using these techniques will provide you with the ease and control of airflow as well as the confidence in feeling that you have more than enough air to get the job done. One of a singer’s worst problems is feeling insufficient air to complete the words of a phrase and forcing to finish the note, causing the singer to not use the proper techniques, creating an uneven and sometimes broken air stream. After all, the study of technique is about learning to do something to the point of not having to think about it while you do it, because that’s what makes a good performance.

Bob Rose is a prominent vocal coach based in San Francisco, CA. He has worked with members of the Beach Boys, actress Mary Stuart Masterson, and member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, among others. For more info please visit his website: www.bobrosevocal.com.