Have you ever seen the movie Gladiator? I saw it years ago, and one scene that has always stayed with me is the one in which the young emperor (who is more than a little nuts) played by Joaquin Phoenix says, “that vexes me, I’m terribly vexed.”
I’m not an emperor and I’m pretty sure I’m not crazy, but I am terribly vexed!
Travel with me back in time…. (cue the TV “travel back in time bubbles”)
It’s circa 1984 and I’m 15 years old.
I’m standing in front of my new voice teacher.
It’s my first lesson and I’m very excited!
She’s a nice woman and I trust her.
She tells me that I’m breathing “incorrectly” and that I need to “breathe into my diaphragm” (at which point she pats her tummy). Further, she tells me that I must “sing from my diaphragm”, again, patting her tummy.
I’m 15, I have no idea what or where my diaphragm is and I’m too embarrassed to tell her that. I surmise, from the way she’s patting her tummy, that my diaphragm must be in my tummy and therefore breathing and singing correctly has a lot to do with my tummy! This assumption is given additional “merit” when she shows me an exercise that involves lying on my back with a book on my tummy. The idea is that I should lift the book up with each inhale.
Now, she was a very nice woman and I’m sure she meant well, but as a result of this instruction, I spent several years trying to control my breath with my tummy. Years of great frustration, I might add, wondering why the heck I couldn’t do it. Then I spent several more years untangling the mess of confusion, not to mention the vocal difficulties that this approach created for me (strain, pain, register break……). But I slogged through it. I got myself sorted out and have now spent the better part of the last 20 years helping other singers to sort it out too, educating them and helping them to develop their voices in a healthy, natural way.
So it freaking drives me crazy (!) when singers come to me, having been given, very recently I might add, some of the same misinformation that I heard back in 1984. Now, before I continue, I want to say that there are a growing number of voice teachers and coaches who are very, very well informed and do a fantastic job with their students! To them I say BRAVO! HOWEVER, there are still too many instructors out there who perpetuate these old ways of thinking which don’t hold up when you look at simple anatomy and most importantly, don’t really help singers. Bleh! I’m glad to get that out.
Okay, so would you like to learn some truths about breathing?
Let’s start with a few basic facts:
1) Your diaphragm is a thin sheet of muscle that is attached to the inside of your ribs, all the way around your body. In the front of your body it is located just behind the sternum. It sits at an angle so that in the back of your body it’s approximately 2 inches lower than it is in the front of your body. It IS NOT in your tummy!
2) When you inhale, the air goes into your LUNGS. Your lungs are located inside your ribs, on top of your diaphragm. They are NOT in your tummy!
3) Your lungs are longer in the back than they are in the front, so therefore, more air will go into your back than into your chest (which is why you don’t want to lift your chest when inhaling).
4) When you inhale, there’s a coordinated movement of the ribs and the diaphragm, which opens up your lungs and pulls in the air. For the exhale the ribs and diaphragm again move in a coordinated way to compress the lungs and push the air out.
5) While it’s true that your tummy moves forward a little bit when you inhale, this is NOT caused by air going into your tummy (remember, the air goes into your lungs) but rather by the fact that when you inhale, the organs in your abdominal cavity get pushed around a little bit by the moving diaphragm.
6) If you tense your abdominal muscles while breathing or singing, it makes it very difficult for your body to work freely and naturally and can result in vocal tension and strain.
TRY THIS to feel how your body naturally works when you breathe:
1) Place your hands on the sides of your back, a couple of inches below your under arm area (like you’re pretending to be a chicken)
2) Now exhale…..keep exhaling…..exhale some more…..when you feel like you’re completely empty, exhale some more…..
3) When you absolutely cannot exhale anymore, take a breath. Did you notice how the sides of your ribs opened up as you inhaled? While you may have noticed your tummy moving forward a bit and felt some air going into your chest as well, the most noticeable area of movement is actually at the sides of your back. Remember, when you breathe most of the air goes into your back, it has nothing to do with manipulating your tummy!
Proper breath support is about learning how to regulate your air so as to have the correct amount, generated up from your lungs to your vocal instrument. This begins with a solid understanding of vocal anatomy as well as simple, yet powerful exercises. Best of all, it doesn’t take years to master! Give me a shout if you’d like to learn more.
Happy Singing!
Your diaphragm is a THIN SHEET OF MUSCLES? I don’t know what I thought it was, but the tip to put your hands on your ribs was awesome, and I’ll be doing it with my 10 yo next time he uses his inhaler! Thank you! And now I’m off to check out your allergy tips!
Yup! I’ve found that many singers (even some very experienced singers) have a lot of misunderstandings about what and where the diaphragm is and how it functions when we breathe. I’m so glad you found this info helpful!
I want to learn more! If I learn to do this, I am guessing I won’t get a headache when I sing. This is great information and you explain it so well! You had me cracking up about the Tummy references. How do we practice learning to do this all the time?
Hi Patrice, absolutely! There are some great exercises that I can show you that will help you put this into practice. It’s incredibly helpful not only for singing, but for any type of public speaking. Give me a shout and we can chat more.
Wow Jennifer what an interesting blog. I never knew where the diaphragm really was. I’m not a singer but I would imagine knowing this information could benefit even public speakers. Thanks.
Hi Wanda, yes! This is so valuable not only for singers but for any vocal professional (actors, public speakers, etc). It truly is the foundation for all voice work.
My one dream, the one in my heart since I was a little girl, was to be a singer. I used to sing at the top of my lungs in the basement with music and microphone blaring. Sadly, I only sound like TS and Beyonce in my head, or perhaps the shower. I did take singing lessons once which really helped. Helped to take the piercing from listener’s ears that is! I even sang at my wedding, and wish you would have been there to help me 🙂
Seriously though, as an athlete, I get the breathing thing and realize now how I can transfer the benefit of proper breathing to many other areas of life. Any maybe, even have the courage to try singing again.
Hi Aly, I love that you sang at your wedding, how fun! Do you have video? 🙂 To me, singing is joy. Whether it’s for your profession or simply for your own enjoyment.
Thank you, Jennifer. This is a very timely post for me! I love my coaching practice, but I would not want to live without the opportunities that I occasionally have to sing before an audience. I have one coming up and will be practicing using your breathing tips.
Yay! That’s fantastic! I’d love to hear you sing sometime 🙂
*digs around office for microphone* Ah, there we go. *tap tap tap* This thing on?
What a piece of work is man, huh? The way things work and happen day in, day out and we never really give them much thought. I always knew what a diaphragm was (years of scientific illustration and anatomy classes will do that) and that while singing breath came from deep inside, not the throat…but no one ever explained it quite as nicely as you did, Jennifer.
I’m liking this blog, even if I am a hobbyist chanteuse. Singing has always been a lifelong love, and one of the perks of working at home. Nothing like turning up the stereo and SINGING!
Next Elevate get-together we’re going to have to swipe Alli’s sound system and set it up in the bar. But only after I’ve had time to practice this breathing you’ve talked about here.
Why am I suddenly hearing “Whaaaa! Ricky! I wanna be in the show!” in my head?
Deb, you crack me up! I love it! Yes, it’s amazing how the human body works. I’ve found that when a singer really understands how the body works to create sound, he/she is so much better equipped to work in harmony with that natural functionality. The changes can be truly remarkable!
Breathe support opened up a whole new world for me in terms of relaxation and hitting higher notes. When I first started singing, there was not much emphasis put on breathe support. It really hit me thought that if you want to be an amazing singer, you need to address breathe support especially in the high chest and head registers.
Yes, absolutely! Proper breath support IS the foundation for expanded vocal range. Singing across your range with freedom, flexibility and a full rich sound is such a joy! It really does begin with a full understanding of how the body works to make vocal sound and the effective/efficient use of the breath so as to support and enhance this natural functionality.
In high school band I was always fascinated by the wind and horn players who could do that breathing-in-while- holding-a-note thing. Knowing how to breath is key to both singing and navigating life. Thanks for the fun story and anatomy lesson!
Jennifer this is great! I still have students coming to me as well with this misinformation! It’s annoying at best! I had a teacher at Julliard who used to press on students stomachs when they would get near their breaking points in their range. I never understood that but it’s heavily taught in old school Bel Canto technique. I like the image that you used it make it very clear
I know! So much has been passed down generation to generation and much has been confused/altered along the way (like some funky game of telephone). For me it always comes back to basic anatomy and physiology. Singer’s need to be able assess if what they’re being told to do is in line with how the body truly works.