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[lpstudio999]

I had two questions, but I forgot the less stupid of the two, so I'll ask the dumber one.

I would say one of my biggest weaknesses right now is my inability to perform some phrases correctly due to lack of air. Is there a way to increase the amount of air you can hold in your lungs, or does the ability to maintain a long phrase come from airflow

Comments

[pinkstiletto510]

can I ask how you think of taking breaths?

I've always been taught to take low, deep breaths that fill from the bottom up (now you cant actually fill air in your toes but think of it that way) also, the breath will keep expanding. Think of blowing out a candle- you fill and then when you blow out, the breath 'kicks' out a bit.

I find that I start collapsing my body when I start running out of air, so instead of that I think of keeping good posture and the the air expanding

hope that helps

[lpstudio999]

I've been taught the same thing, but it still seems that I'm running short, and I'm not quite sure why.

[sexysongbird04]

I would suggest maybe taking a pilates class. It builds your core muscles and helps with breath support in your singing. I did that and my teacher noticed the improvement almost instantly

[lpstudio999]

Hm...I didn't think of that. I'll look into options at school once the spring semester starts. Thank you!

[lpstudio999]

Thanks for the suggestions. I used to do the Farinelli exercise, but it kind of fell out of my list of exercises to do as my rep expanded. I might do some research on the Appoggio, but I'll save that for grad school, I think. I'm not that ambitious. ;-)

[cleareyedwolf]

It helps to hyperventilate before an especially long passage. Also, the technique of cricoid displacement greatly increases the amount of air that you can actually USE (instead of lose/leak). If you're not familiar with this technique, you should ask your teacher. It does wonders for your tone as well. :D

[lpstudio999]

thanks!