Running Out Of Breath Singing?.

Are you running out of breath when you sing or speak? Do you get to the ends of your phrases and have to barely squeeze them out? Is your inhale inadequate to allow control of tone and pitch all the way to the last word? It's highly unlikely that your lungs aren't big or healthy enough. More likely it's one of the following:

You either don't take a breath (or inadequately top off your tank when gasping a small high inhale) 

Use too much breath to accomplish your phrase or need to find or create a breath mark in the phrase.

What to do about it?
Remember you have to inhale, So give yourself permission and create the habit of inhaling adequately for what you will be singing or saying. Learn to take this breath low, fill the bottom of the glass of air first.

Learn to focus tone like a rich, controlled laser beam instead of a leaky, breathy uncontrolled flashlight beam. It doesn't take much air to vibrate your vocal folds if you focus tone properly.

As I mentioned above it matters more WHERE you take your breath-LOW- than how much air you get in. Use imagery such as "don't leave a breath mark on an imaginary glass plane in front of your mouth".

Learn the art of "pulling" instead of "pushing" breath.
Plan your breaths for particularly long or wordy phrases. Make it make sense with the thought and breathe.

Know that you must master all three cornerstones (breath, open throat and communication) for your best voice. Inhale and control that breath properly and you will also help open your throat and avoid being distracted when you try to communicate.
What is your experience with running out of breath?

Songwriter Voice vs Performance Voice... Do You Know The Difference?

I love helping songwriters to deliver their songs through their voices authentically. To do that, you have to know the difference between your songwriter and your performer voices- which are NOT the same thing. Here's the short answer;

Songwriter voice is internal. Performance voice is external. 

What do I mean by that? The longer answer.

Songwriter voice is a communion internally with yourself. You do it while in the act of writing or rehearsing the song. Performing that communion is an action for the benefit of someone else! There is a great deal of difference between the two as far as your vocal technique goes...in the use of your body- in your "body language", which changes your breath and your throat configurations.

If the lyrics you're singing are most authentic when directed to yourself... you have to be a bit schizophrenic. Try the following exercise:

Stand or sit in one chair and have another chair across from you. Imagine you are in that opposing chair. Sing to the person sitting in that other chair, and make that person feel the appropriate emotion.

I could tell where your breath was coming from, where your hands are in space, if your eyes and face were engaged and how open your throat is. Your audience can, too... even though they won't make those specific assessments, they can tell if you're really "with them" or just keeping it to yourself.

Songwriter voice to get it "out there" even if just on a worktape you have to turn it into performance voice! Have you experienced these voices? Your comments always welcome.

Singers: Soft First Verses Need To Deliver Impact.

I just worked with a singer who has been asked by her producer to sing the first verse of a song softly but not breathy. I think that's good direction, and a way to build a song. But she was having trouble knowing how to do it effectively.

Here's what worked for her and can work for you when you want to sing with a smaller dynamic, first verse or breakdown 1/2 chorus are common places:

Sing everything with all of you! From your heels to your face your whole being has to be involved.

You need to support and communicate the lightest places in your song as passionately and purposefully as the highest, longest, loudest notes. This works for all genres of music.

Think about it, do you want the audience to be lightly involved with the first verse? Or do you want to engage them from the start making them understand something from your very first lyric? Here's a fact if you don't engage them at the beginning, you'll likely loose them for the rest of the song, too!

Like a great athlete or violin player, even the smallest moves are deliberate and purposeful. If you just sing from your shoulders because the passage is not hard or you're trying for a quieter dynamic, you will not communicate. Don't tense your body, but do involve it. And pronounce your smallest lyrics as clearly as your loudest.

10 Signs Of Bad Vocal Technique:

Whether or not you are studying voice, you are still using certain "vocal techniques" which you've learned either consciously or unconsciously from family, friends or music teachers.
Here are some signs that your vocal technique is in need of an overhaul. Your technique is bad if:

Your throat hurts to talk after you perform.
You worry about losing your voice from talking or singing performance.
Your voice feels strained after using it
You don't command much attention when you speak or sing.
You never seem to have enough breath.
You can't hit your pitch accurately even though you can hear that it's "off".
Your vocal tone is thin, uninteresting or hollow and hooty.
You can't do certain vocal licks you're trying to imitate.
You can't sing very low or high, your vocal range is limited so your song choices are, too.
Your manager, agent, label rep or significant other who you trust tells you confidentially they are hearing  a problem with your voice.

Well Behaved High Notes Are More Lovable.

No matter what style of music you sing, from quiet alternative to heavy metal, there is a basic "etiquette" that your high notes should follow to be accepted and loved. It's like the stuff we learned in kindergarten. You, as the owner and operator of your high notes, are responsible to ensure they behave:
No pushing: If you are a reader of this blog, you probably know how much I advise against this. Too much air pressure will sabotage the character of your high notes they'll be pitchy and icky sounding and may cause harm.

Share the load: High notes need to be supported with adequate breath so they will not leave the brunt of the phrase to the other notes. Chickening out is no way to develop the beauty or control of your highs.

Play nicely with others notes: that is if your high notes poke out of the rest of the phrase, all of a sudden loud and shrill due to incorrect set up and follow through, the jarring sound will be heard and felt with disdain (unfortunately too common in soprano sections of choirs and choruses.)

Know when to use your inside or outside voice: If there is a crescendo or decrescendo appropriate to the music or directed by your leader, learn to control your high notes enough so they appropriately obey.

Play a lot: You can't expect your high notes to behave if they never get to play. Do vocal range and control exercises to make them feel confident.