Any singers out there?

[Tiny Sue]

Hi girls -

It's a weird one to ask maybe - but I'm in the process of having my voice trained.

Trouble is, I'm finding it very hard to do the looped breathing at the mo - keep running out at the end of long phrases. My teacher (an 80 year old German man) is not very sympathetic and says he has trained women well into their 8th month! I've just panted my way through another lesson and I'm wondering when I should quit? I'd love to keep going as long as I can of course but is this breathlessness good for baby?

Anyone else sing professionally/ being trained? I would appreciate someone to advise me who wasn't 80 and a man!

Sue

 

[babyblonde]

Hello I'm a singer - well I did up to grade 5 anyway...also a Speech Therapist.

Have never heard of 'looped breathing' myself - I just got taught about diaphragmatic breathing. It is really hard to get your head round the diaphragmatic breathing (it's actually very similar to the breathing they tell you to do during labour I believe!). You probably need to build up to it gradually - he might be expecting a bit much for you to have mastered it AND be holding long notes straight away.

Some things you could try -

1) Lie down on your back and put a book on your stomach - when you breathe in and out the book should move up and down - it won't if you're breathing incorrectly.

2) Try starting out doing 'sssssssssssssss' or for as long as you can and work up to 'ahhhhhhh'. Do it 15 times every day and I guarantee you will begin to be able to hold notes for longer.

Once you're breathing from the right place and able to let the breath out slowly - it is easier to snatch good quality deep breaths while singing.

Dont know if that helps or is just a total ramble

 

[Tiny Sue]

Hi babyblonde - the sssssssssssssss and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I've been trying to do on and off all the time, but keep hitting the same barrier. We don't do grades, it's a sort of informal arrangement, I'm not going to sing professionally, just for pleasure.

As for the looped breathing - I don't know what the correct term is, his English is scrappy at best - but the best way I can describe it is - if you are singing a long note and you want to hold on a bit longer, you create more of an "open space" or "vacuum" down around the diaphragm so that your airway lets air in even while you're singing? It does work...but not for long! He calls it a "bow" - l think of it more as a continuous breathing loop...

Now THAT's a ramble!

Thanks, I'll try the exercise with the book and see how we go!

Sue

 

[angelcake89]

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[Tiny Sue]

yeah that's the one

Sue

 

[SarahH]

Hey hun... sorry gate crashing your tri!

I think it is circular breathing you mean. I am not a singer, but a trained flautist and we have to do circular breathing on that. It is a very hard thing to master at the best of times let alone when pregnant.

Each persons breathing is affected differently when pregnant. I had to go and get inhalers from the doctor when I was pregnant as Arianna was pushing up my rib cage.