I'm preparing to return to my series on practical anatomy. The next installment will discuss the anatomy involved in breath management and airflow, and I invite those of you who are highly motivated to do some homework before I get into this: Pick up a copy of Blandine Calais-Germaín's book Anatomy of Breathing. It's a very accessible read, with copious illustrations and practical exercises for getting in touch with the movements and body parts involved in respiration.
I hear misconceptions expressed about the process of breathing so frequently, from voice teachers and singers alike. The most common have to do with using the breath to overcome areas of resistance and entanglement in the voice rather than ameliorating these problems. It's such a tempting quick fix, to just push a little harder when something isn't working - but this has limited or destroyed many a stunning instrument.
Free air flow and skillful breath management promotes beautiful, effortless singing. I'm looking forward to getting into the details of how it all works, and I encourage you to have a look at this book so we begin with some common vocabulary.
Great timing - improving my breathing is my first goal for the New Year! Looking forward to following this series.
Posted by: Tim_iles | 01/18/2011 at 03:38 AM