Vocal Production Lesson 2
Breath: The Fuel For Singing

(This series was previously published in The Pitch Pipe during the mid-90s. The series was so popular during its first run we have decided to update it and bring it back for an encore.)

By Betty Clipman, past international president, international board of directors, master director, Houston Horizon Chorus, Region 10

We began this series of do-it-yourself vocal production lessons in the July issue of The Pitch Pipe by discussing posture, the basis of all good singing, and we continue today by taking up breathing and breath support. It is important to realize that all of the subjects we will discuss in this series are interrelated: Proper posture is critical to proper breathing, and just as posture is the basis of all good singing, breath is the fuel for singing.

The tone we produce when we sing rests on a cushion of air; thus, the breath is the fuel for the sounds we produce. We see, then, how important it is to supply the fuel properly.
The muscles involved in breathing are the intercostal muscles, including the epigastrium and the abdominal muscles, including the diaphragm. (If you are not familiar with the epigastrium, place your right hand just below your breastbone, where you can feel the inverted V of your rib cage. Make a fist with your left hand, put it to your mouth and blow gently onto the fist without allowing any air out. Your right hand will feel the epigastrium pop firmly outward.)

The lungs are where the fuel is stored, but the lungs are organs, not muscles; they are elastic, but not capable of independent movement unless the movement is initiated elsewhere. The lungs are attached to the rib cage and to the diaphragm. When the rib cage is expanded, it pulls the lungs upward and outward; when the diaphragm is lowered, it pulls the lungs downward. When the lungs are stretched in this manner, through expansion of the rib cage and lowering of the diaphragm, a partial vacuum is created and air rushes into the lungs. If the muscles are working properly, the singer does not have to help the air into the lungs, but simply ensure that the passageway is open. It is the movement of the intercostals muscles and diaphragm that causes inhalation to occur.

What makes breathing for singing different from normal or other specialized breathing is the action of the rib cage. In normal breathing, the rib cage expands to bring in oxygen, then collapses or lowers as the breath is used. In singing, we want to create a feeling of firm support for the lungs in the intercostals and epigastrial muscles, so that as we use the air the rib cage does not collapse. It is a feeling of nonviolent resistance — keeping the rib cage high and wide and not allowing the ribs to drop into the waistline. (We talked about this in the posture article in the July issue; you may want to go back and review that article.)

Practicing intercostal and epigastrial breathing helps the singer because successful resistance to collapse of the rib cage gives us control of the breath, allowing us to feed the cushion of air into the tone in a steady stream (like the control provided by the adjustable nozzle of a garden hose). Breath control provides constant support and a sense of projection of the tone being produced. We achieve that by successfully resisting collapse of the rib cage as we sing the phrase.

At the same time as we are using the intercostals to keep the rib cage high and wide, we use the abdominal muscles for support. The abdominals need to be relaxed during inhalation, so the diaphragm can be lowered completely, without resistance from below. As we sing, the diaphragm gradually lifts, pushing air up and out of the lungs as the tone is produced. Because the rib cage is kept high and wide, the diaphragm will lift gradually and we have better control of the breath.

The nonviolent resistance that keeps the rib cage from collapsing also keeps the breath from rushing out too fast. It can be compared to isometric exercises, in that we have external and internal intercostal muscles, creating a push-pull situation. We strive for balance, so we don’t collapse and push air out too fast or tense up and produce a strangled tone. With support from the abdominal muscles and resistance to collapse from the intercostals, we achieve relaxed control.

An excellent description of this feeling can be found in a book entitled Foundations of Singing by Van A. Christy: “Costal singing control characteristics are a lifting and widening of the lower ribs and back, an expansive feeling just above the waistline, and a continuation of the sensation in this region to the very end of the phrase.” The author later adds, “Actually, if the chest is first raised before inhalation, remains high and quiet, and the costal muscles ‘hold’ and function expansively, we can stop worrying about specific action of muscles involved in control of singing.”

It is important to note that the resistance muscles we use in singing (the intercostals, epigastrium, etc.) are not utilized for the same functions in normal breathing situations, so they are weak. As Christy says, “Breathing for living and breathing for singing are quite different processes. The singer must learn to inhale quicker and exhale (phonate) slower than in a reflex, life-breathing situation.” Thus, singers need to strengthen and develop these muscles to make them more capable of functioning for singing. The exercises included with this article will help you do that and improve your tone quality in the process!

To recap, then, breath is the fuel for singing. When we “tank up” to sing a phrase, the abdominal muscles should relax and the intercostals should expand, so that we can take in a full breath. Then, as we exhale, our intercostal muscles should be used to resist collapse of the rib cage, without tenseness, while our abdominals support the diaphragm as it gradually rises to create a steady, controlled stream of air upon which our beautiful tone floats.

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Exercises to Develop Strength in the Breathing Muscles

As you do these exercises, remember that the feeling for which we strive is nonviolent support. Keep the chest (rib cage) high and wide, with no tension.

Exercise #1
This is an exercise for intercostal strength and endurance that was also described in the July issue: Holding the chest high and wide, inhale through the nose as you expand the rib cage and lungs to capacity, but without creating any tension in the chest or shoulder area. Now exhale, using a hissing sound like air escaping from a tire, as you count slowly from one to eight. Resist the inclination to allow the rib cage to collapse while exhaling; use the intercostal muscles to keep the rib cage high and wide.

Perform this exercise daily, gradually increasing your exhalation time to 16 counts. Note that the danger in this exercise is tension and overexertion. It is easy to become tense about not allowing the rib cage to collapse. Remain conscious of keeping free of tension, constriction and tightness in the shoulders and chest.

Exercise #2
Holding the chest high and wide, inhale through the nose as you expand the rib cage and lungs to capacity. Hold the breath for 10 to 15 seconds, keeping the shoulders and neck area relaxed. Remember that it is nonviolent resistance that holds the chest high. Repeat a few times each day, gradually increasing the amount of time you hold the breath until you can hold it for a full minute without tension. You can do this exercise while driving, working, etc.

Exercise #3
Holding the chest high and wide, inhale through the nose as you expand the rib cage and lungs to capacity. To let the breath out, count aloud extremely slowly from one to six, with much openness and resonance in the voice, constantly feeding the tone a great deal of warm air. To keep the chest high and wide, think of expanding the rib cage again as you begin to speak each number. Your full breath should be used up when you finish speaking the number six. Now take another full breath and begin again.

Exercise #4
This is an exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Holding the chest high and wide, inhale through the nose as you expand the rib cage and lungs to capacity. Now sing the following exercise, thinking about the support and control provided by the diaphragm as it slowly rises, while the chest stays high, wide and quiet. Begin on a comfortable note in your range and sing up and then down the scale, making each note staccato and using the following sounds and notes (1=do, 2=re, 3=mi, etc.):

hip hip hip hip
1 2 3 4

hah hah hah hah
5 5 5 5

hah hah hah hah hah
5 4 3 2 1

Exercise #5
To remind yourself of the proper muscular feeling when keeping the rib cage high and wide (nonviolent support), first place your right hand just below your breastbone, so you feel the inverted V of your rib cage. Make a fist with your left hand, place it against your mouth and blow gently on the fist, not allowing any air to escape. Feel the epigastrial muscles pop outward with your right hand. Keep that feeling of firmness in the epigastrium as you sing the following, making all of the notes staccato:

hi hi hi hi hi
5 4 3 2 1

Now move up the scale one-half step from your starting note and repeat the exercise. Remember to keep the epigastrium firm and the chest high and wide. You should be able to feel the area below the epigastrium moving in and out.

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