Step One: Good posture
Good posture
allows the breathing mechanism to fulfil its basic function efficiently without
any undue expenditure of energy. Part of being able to sing well includes the ability to
be aware of your body, identify and correct problems that arise due to
incorrect posture. Please note that this does not mean that you will not be a
singer if your posture is less than perfect or that if you suffer with a
disability that you cannot sing. Posture is not a substitute for vocal talent,
just a means of improving your control and providing your voice with optimum
conditions for reaching its potential.
To begin,
you'll need to create an unobstructed pathway for the inhaled air to travel to
the lungs. The head is erect without stiffness; the spine straight, not
slumped; the chest moderately elevated and the feet firmly and squarely placed
so that the entire body is buoyantly supported.
I have also
noticed that when singers assume good posture it often provides them with a
greater sense of self assurance and poise while performing. Audiences also
respond better to singers with good posture. Habitual good posture ultimately
improves the overall health of the body by enabling better blood circulation
and preventing fatigue and stress on the body.
First, stand up straight, with your
feet shoulder width apart. Roll your head around to ease any tension in your
neck, and then hold your head level, with your chin parallel to the ground, not
tipped up or down. Let your shoulder blades slide toward the centre of your
back so that they're back and down. If you do this, your chest will be open
instead of collapsed, which is just what we want.
Slumping, or even rounding your
shoulders forward slightly, partly collapses the upper rib cage and keeps the
muscles between the ribs from being able to expand to accommodate the lungs as
they fill with air. What we're looking for is the physical ease that comes from
good alignment.
Now bend your knees slightly — just
relax and unlock them — and tuck your pelvis under. This slight adjustment
helps ensure that the diaphragm can function at maximum capacity. You could
think of these movements as taking the kinks out of a garden hose so water can
flow out easily. You're creating an open pathway for the movement of air.
Sure, it's possible to keep talking
or singing if you slump, but it takes a lot more effort than you're probably
aware of. If you'd like a vivid demonstration of what happens to the voice when
the rib cage is obstructing air, try this:
Sit with your chest in proper
alignment, with back straight and shoulders down. Begin to count aloud or
softly slowly to ten, and as you count, round your shoulders and move them toward
your knees, as if you were doing a sit-up. Move slowly. You'll notice that as
you get farther and farther down, your voice will begin to close, finally
reduced to a squelched wisp of sound. Try to take a deep breath in this
position and you'll feel the air physically blocked. Slight slumping and
slouching won't constrict your voice this much — but they definitely put a
pinch on the pipes.
Paying attention to alignment will
help you eliminate much of the muscle tension that impedes good singing and
speaking. I'm impressed by the ideas developed by movement specialists like
those practicing the Alexander Technique, and I think they have definite
applications for the work we're doing here.
Paying attention to the alignment of
the head and the spine can help correct the body's overall coordination and
bring us back into balance. Once we find balance, it will be essentially
effortless, and so is the flow of air into and out of our bodies. Discovering a
way of standing that opens and lines you up may seem incidental to singing, but
it frees space and energy for producing beautiful sounds.
In summary, here are the dos and don’ts
of Posture:
Do’s:
- Be
relaxed and natural
- Keep
your movements fluid
- Keep
your chin level
- Keep
your knees loose
- Keep
your head up
- Keep
your shoulders sloping and relaxed
- Keep
your toes pointed forward with your weight on heels and soles
- Keep
the front of your neck loose - don't stretch it
- Keep
abdominal muscles relaxed
- Keep your back muscles relaxed
- Smile!
Don’ts:
- Drop or hunch your shoulders
- Move stiffly or jerkily
- Drop or tuck in your chin when
trying to sing low notes
- Stretch your head upward when
trying to sing high notes
5.
Strain
or push your abdominal muscles
Exercises
for Improving Posture
The exercises below are used by schools and
deportment teachers to help models, actors and singers achieve correct posture.
These age old practices have been used for years and are designed to help you
become more aware of how your body works, therefore enabling you to move fluidly
and correct mistakes as you feel them happening. Take them at your own pace.
Master one exercise before moving on to the next. Don't rush or try to do too
much in one day.
Please Note: Whilst the following exercises are easy and safe to do people with disabilities, back pain or any physical disorders should consult a physician before attempting any form of exercise.
For these exercises you will
need:
- A
long mirror (preferably full length)
- A
largish book of medium weight
- Wear
comfy loose clothing
- Wear
flat shoes, trainers or bare feet.
- A
flat long surface i.e., hallway or enough room to walk several paces.
- A
friend who can observe and make constructive comments notes.
- Patience
& a good sense of humour!
All movements should be
fluid and breathing natural. Place the mirror in a position at the end of the
hallway or room where you can see the whole of (or at the least the top half)
of your body. Stand facing the mirror. Study how you stand and compare with the
Do's and Don’ts above and make adjustments to your posture if necessary.
When
walking, your weight should be mainly on the balls of your feet, so your heels
just lightly touch the floor, with the majority of movement from the hips and
legs. The upper body should remain straight, relaxed and not 'swing' from side
to side.
Even if it seems that you are standing and moving with the correct posture it is difficult without an impartial, experienced observer who will notice bad habits that may appear normal to you.
The following exercises will not work if your posture is incorrect!! 5 to 10 minutes practice a day will help you to achieve better posture, the ideal is to reach a point whereby your posture and movements become automatic and unconscious.
Exercise 1
Place the book centrally on the top of your head.
Turn your head slowly to the left, return to center then repeat the exercises turning your head to the right. The head movements should be smooth with eyes ahead, chin level, head, neck and shoulders relaxed. If the exercise is done correctly the book will remain in place. Tense up, drop the jaw or move jerkily & the book will fall! Repeat this exercise until you can do it several times without the book falling off.
Exercise 2
Stand at the end of the walk space and place the book centrally on the top of your head.
Walk normally towards the mirror, observing your posture as you walk. If your posture is correct and your movements are smooth then the book will remain in place - if not it will fall! Repeat this exercise until you can walk the length of the space without the book falling.
Exercise 3
Stand at the end of the walk space and place the book centrally on the top of your head.
Walk normally towards the end of the walk-space, turn and walk back towards the starting point. If your posture is correct and your movements are smooth then the book will remain in place - if not it will fall! Repeat this exercise until you can do the exercise without the book falling.
Stand at the end of the walk space and place the book centrally on the top of your head.
Walk normally towards the mirror, observing your posture as you walk. If your posture is correct and your movements are smooth then the book will remain in place - if not it will fall! Repeat this exercise until you can walk the length of the space without the book falling.
Exercise 3
Stand at the end of the walk space and place the book centrally on the top of your head.
Walk normally towards the end of the walk-space, turn and walk back towards the starting point. If your posture is correct and your movements are smooth then the book will remain in place - if not it will fall! Repeat this exercise until you can do the exercise without the book falling.
With the chest already elevated,
there is comparatively little or no movement in the upper chest and shoulders.
Expansive rib action surrounds the entire chest, especially toward the lower
and middle back rib, while the diaphragm and abdominal walls remain flexible
and vital.
·
Inhale
Now I'd like you to put your hand on
your stomach, with your middle finger on your belly button. All the action that
follows should take place in the space between the base of your ribs and just
below your belly button. Keeping your shoulders in that beautiful, open
position, back and down, imagine that your stomach is a balloon, and as you inhale,
let it fill with air. Concentrate on filling this "balloon" only. And
when it's full, blow the air gently out through your mouth.
Try this for a few minutes,
remembering that you just want to blow up the balloon without lifting your
shoulders or puffing up your chest. Raising your chest and shoulders as you inhale
is called accessory breathing, and
it's the surest way to get the least amount of air into the body with the least
amount of control. Directing all the air to the upper part of the body results
in very shallow breathing. Both of these styles of breathing, of course, can be
so habitual that they feel completely natural.
If you're in the habit of
dramatically involving your chest and shoulders in your breathing, you're only
partially filling your lungs, and if you pull in your stomach as you do that,
your diaphragm has no chance to drop. The quieter, much more subtle way of breathing
we're using here may make you feel like nothing's happening, but rest assured —
subtle is fine.
Diaphragmatic breathing is supposed
to be completely relaxing to the body. But on occasion, in the early stages of
learning, people can create all kinds of pressure and muscle tension. A few
students, for example, say they feel a bit of tension in their stomach or lower
back as they inhale. Some have even mentioned that the pain made diaphragmatic
breathing an unpleasant experience. This kind of discomfort is not too common,
but when it occurs, it's usually because the student is using the muscles of
the stomach improperly.
As you expand the
"balloon," you're not helping if you apply huge amounts of physical and
mental force to push your stomach muscles out and distend your belly. All that pushing
can cause you to tighten up, and with enough pushing, you'll feel like a bomb ready
to explode. It may be that you're trying to fill your lungs too much, thinking
that you have to fill every available space with air. It's a bit like trying to
top off the tank at the gas station. It doesn't make sense, as the lungs will
naturally let you know when they're filled to capacity. Going for unnatural
expansion can put huge amounts of pressure on your back and even show up as
pain there or in other parts of the body.
Don't feel alarmed if you see only a
small movement of your stomach when you quit pushing breath in and just let it
flow. Many people experience only a small expansion in the front of their bodies
as they inhale this way but they feel their lower back area expand far more,
because the diaphragm extends from the front of the body to the back, and its
full motion affects the whole core of the body. You can detect the movement at
the back of your body by putting your hands just above your waist on your back
as you inhale.
In a very short time, your inhales
should be free of chest and shoulder action, and you ought to be able to inhale
without stomach tension.
·
Focus on the
Exhale
This is supposed to be the easy part,
the release. As we exhale, the body is designed to allow the stomach to fall
easily back to its normal position. It doesn't take muscle to exhale, just
relaxation. When we exhale, many of us use force. We tighten and make it a
hundred times harder than it's supposed to be, thinking, mistakenly, that to get
the volume we want, and to hit the high notes, the best thing to do is to fire
our voices out-a-cannon. We all know how forcefully we can make air leave our
bodies because we've all coughed or sneezed.
When our body tries to clear its air
passages of obstructions, we automatically tighten the group of muscles located
at the top part of the stomach area in the centre of the chest where the ribs
come together. Tension on this spot can create pressure strong enough to expel
a foreign object from the body with more than ten times the force of a normal
exhalation. That pressure build up is actually the same thing you feel when you
strain to force a bowel movement. It wreaks havoc on the body. Tension on these
muscles blocks your access to the full use of your voice.
Feel it yourself by placing your
index and middle finger on the belly button of your stomach. You will
definitely feel the muscles under your fingers tighten and lock up when you shoot
out that syllable. What you're doing, as you tighten, is cutting off the flow
of air from your lungs. Why do we do it? Many, many untrained singers tighten
up the higher they try to go in the range because they equate high pitches with
difficulty. As the singer moves up the scale, the brain and body go into what I
call weight lifter mode.
·
Making the
Exhale Easy
A little awareness will go a long way
to achieve a less-rigid exhalation. As you exhale, keep your hand resting on
your stomach, and be conscious of when your muscles tighten. You can massage
your muscles softly as you exhale to remind them to relax. And if need be, as
you're learning, you can also help your stomach in by pushing gently with your
hand, which creates less pressure than using your abdominal muscles. Remember,
the goal is not to pull anything in. Just let your stomach fall to its neutral
position.
There's no need to try to push every
last bit of air out. There is always air in your lungs (unless one of them is
punctured); when all the breathing muscles are relaxed between breaths, the
lungs still contain about 40% of the volume of air they did when they were
completely full. If you forcefully exhale as much as possible, you'll still
have 20% of the air left. Take a breath and then blow out all the air in your
lungs until you feel they're empty. When the stream of air stops, blow again.
You'll notice that you still have more air.
·
Deep Doesn't
Mean Slow
My students used to think that
diaphragmatic breathing takes longer than "regular” breathing, actually,
it doesn't. Sometimes they think that in order to get air deep into their
lungs, they need to take long, drawn-out breaths. After all, they figure the
air has farther to go but that idea is not true. Once you stop raising your
chest and shoulders, air will rush into the lungs in record time. Remember that
when the diaphragm is free to move, its movement changes the air pressure in
the lungs, and that shift sucks air into your body.
If you try to take in air very
slowly, you're actually restricting the flow in and most likely inhaling through your mouth. You'll notice that
your lips are partially closed and pursed, or your teeth are close together of
which you might even hear air get caught teeth meet, creating the hiss of air
being sucked through a tight opening. This is not diaphragmatic breathing. When
you're doing it correctly, the air flows silently in through the nose and races
into your lungs.
Step Three: Relaxation
Relaxation is defined as freedom for
action, a state of balance, equilibrium, or readiness to perform. It is neither
limpness nor inertia. It must be understood that the skills necessary for good
singing call for the most delicate balance and interplay of muscular
adjustments in and around the larynx, neck, tongue, and mouth; adjustments
which often change with great rapidity in the act of singing.
Breathing Exercises
Use all your
lung-space when you exercise. Keep your shoulders relaxed and let your arms
hang loosely. Look at the mirror, and make sure that your posture is good:
erect, but not militarily stiff. When you breathe in, make sure that you fill
the lower part of your chest, where the ribs fill the lower part of your chest,
where the ribs have most movement. This area is the real powerhouse of your
vocal technique. Allow your stomach muscles to relax as you breathe in, and gently
squeeze the air out with these same muscles. Babies provide a good example of
where vocal power comes from. Watch a baby yelling and you will see how wide
its little throat is, and how much effort comes from its middle! Once you learn
to breathe as calmly and steadily as a child does, you are on your way to
fabulous vocal reaches.
Your breath
is a fuel - it keeps the vocal engine running. When you sing, you do not always
need a huge breathe; the amount you take in will depend on the length of the
phrase you are going to sing. But it is nice to have the capacity then when you
will need it.
When you are
doing breathing exercises, breathe in through the nose and sometimes, just
clear the nose and the head resonators (sinuses), but when you are about to sing,
breathe through the mouth. Think of a yawn or ‘Aah’ shape and you will be able
to breathe in deeply and silently. Breathe in and out rhythmically. Do not hold
your breath at all – Sing!
Make the
following deep-breathing exercises part of your daily routine:
1. Stand with
your feet a little apart and bend forward as far as you can comfortably can
lose, head relaxed. In this position, breathe in slowly through your nose,
allowing your body to rise a little with the intake of breathe to fill up your
lungs as completely as you can; and then breathe out slowly through the mouth.
Do this again. Stay relaxed: keep the tension out of your neck by rolling your
head around, and slumping or even rounding your shoulders forward slightly so
as to partly collapse the upper rib cage and keep the muscles between the ribs
from being able to expand to accommodate the lungs as they fill with air. Next,
as you breathe in, straighten up slowly to a standing position, and stretch
your arms above your head. Stretch really tall and then release the breath
quickly and relax back into your starting position. Repeat this exercise two or
three times. If you can, study your breathing exercise in front of a mirror.
2. Stand
straight and comfortably, head and shoulders relaxed. Breathe slowly in through
the nose as you raise your arms sideways just to shoulder level, then stretch
forwards, still breathing in. let your arms drop as you let the breathe go.
3. Sit or stand
comfortably. Take a fair-sized breath that pushes out the lower ribs a little –
pant! Start slowly, like an old engine starting up, and then get faster and
faster. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed and loose; they never need to
rise. If this exercise is new to you, you may find it quite tiring at first;
that is a sign that you need to do it regularly. Get used to the controlled
strength of the diaphragm muscle punching out the breath; that is where the
power and vitality of your voice ultimately reside.
Start every
practice session with your breathing exercises, without fail. Vary them, and
introduce others to counteract boredom, but do them! The details of what you
saw and felt are important. Focus on
what you're doing!
If you do not
have time for special routine, then do your breathing where and when you can.
Walking – breathe in four paces, out for four; waiting for the bus, or queuing
in the bank – wherever you go, you have to breathe, so, unless the air is
really polluted, breathe deeply. It would be good for you, even if you were not
a singer. Stand comfortably in front of a mirror and take a deep breath,
inhaling through your nose.
Note that you
allow breathing to happen, and not to force it!
Presented by Godwin E. Omoba (Music Consultant, Vocal Coach, MD/CEO GEOCREATIONS)
