Hi–I get some funny questions from students about diaphragmatic breathing etc. Many classical singers find this is a good branch to get stuck on: “I’m not on the breath, how can I sing on the breath? How can I get a deep breath? How can I breathe with my diaphragm?”
SO remember breathing is involuntary and easy. Don’t make it a “thing” to hang our neuroses on. All we have to do is relax and get out of the way. If you’re in my studio already, you’ll know the two exercises I use to train relaxed, natural and deep breathing. It’s really about getting the brain and our anxiety out of the way to let the body do what it certainly knows how to do.
It’s not the breath that singers need to “learn”, it’s the apoggio (support) of classical singing (useful for any singing, not just classical!) where we lift the torso and ribs to best utilize the airflow.
Here’s a short video that illustrates what the diaphragm does: it’s basically the pump that inflates and deflates the lungs. So all breathing, whether shallow, deep, fast, slow involves the diaphragm. It’s not something we ever need thing about. Check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp-gCvW8PRY
For more information about breathing and singing, please consider attending one of my free master classes on a Sunday!
Kind regards, Rosanna D
