| Fact number one: | | | | on the back. It is good if the back of the diaphragm |
| You are facing a temporary obstacle. Obstacles must | | | | also expands for the high notes. |
| be regarded as a blessing in disguise. Why? Because | | | | Exercises for understanding the breath: |
| the vocal nodule will eventually teach you how to sing | | | | 1. Tell someone to be quiet using the sound : SCH. Get |
| well as you will not be able to sing comfortably on | | | | all the air out. Now see what muscles were used |
| your throat. Therefore you will search until you find the | | | | when you did that because you will have to recreate |
| answer. That is exciting! Setbacks and reversals can | | | | the same action when you sing but instead of saying |
| not affect morale if viewed in this way. There is a | | | | SCH you will be singing using that air.The abdominal |
| saying: what does not kill you makes you stronger. | | | | muscles will also go in but you will put your attention at |
| Keeping up your positive attitude in the face of | | | | the level of the diaphragm. |
| obstacles is part of a successful solution to all of life's | | | | 2. Next exercise is the same except short. Again use |
| problems. | | | | the sound SCH. Do it five times staccato (very short) |
| Fact number two: | | | | and notice that the diaphragm goes in on the exhale |
| It is impossible to learn how to sing from exercises on | | | | and then relaxes back out. Do not think of taking in the |
| a piece of paper or on a CD or DVD. Why? You | | | | air as it will happen by itself. Try to understand this |
| need a teacher with the right knowledge giving you | | | | function by doing this exercise as you will have to |
| specific advise on your specific problem in the | | | | recreate it on speech. Put your hand horizontally on |
| moment. That being said, I will still give a few exercises | | | | the front of the diaphragm ( below the last rib to the |
| that may help and explain them so that you may | | | | waist) and do both exercises again watching what |
| understand something. | | | | happens. |
| Fact number three: | | | | 3. Now do the same as the above on the sound SS. |
| There are very few good voice teachers around. | | | | You can do these exercises all day long. |
| Those who are famous are not necessarily good. You, | | | | Combining the breath with sound: |
| however, will not know who is good or not due to lack | | | | 1. After understanding how the diaphragm works as a |
| of experience. I suggest going to a speech pathologist | | | | muscle that generates the air flow it is necessary to |
| to retrain the speaking voice.There are more good | | | | be able to speak using the nasal resonator and have |
| speech pathologists than good singing teachers.The | | | | that speech be exhaled in the same way as the SCH |
| speaking voice is the hand and the singing voice is the | | | | sound was exhaled. You will have to help the |
| arm. If you speak forward in the resonators using the | | | | diaphragm to go in on the word, and then let it relax |
| breath, singing will follow as the next easy step for | | | | again by itself. When you try to speak helping the |
| you. | | | | diaphragm to go in on the speech you will find that it is |
| How the Diaphragm works | | | | more difficult and not as automatic as when you used |
| Rock, blues, country, pop, singers use the Natural | | | | the sound:Sch. Then allow the diaphragm to relax by |
| speech function of the diaphragm where the | | | | itself. In so doing the air comes in by itself. |
| diaphragm contracts on the exhale and expands on | | | | 2. Now to find the nasal resonator: make the sound |
| the inhale. Locate the front of the diaphragm by putting | | | | Mm hm as if you were agreeing with someone and |
| your hand horizontally right below the last rib to the | | | | you didn't speak but made this sound. Now put your |
| waist . The hand will feel an area of three to four | | | | two forefingers half an inch to the right and left of your |
| inches that goes to the waist. The sides of the | | | | nostrils. See if you can feel the sound there when you |
| diaphragm are at the right and left side of your waist | | | | say: MmHm. Now say Mm hm and the word one. Say |
| line.These two areas will have to become bouncy with | | | | the word one at the same pitch level as the Mm hm. |
| the movement in and out of the breath described | | | | You may need to say the word one as a question as |
| below. Don't over do the ab exercises because if your | | | | it is normal to drop the pitch. You do not wish to drop |
| abs are too hard you have no flexibility with the | | | | the pitch. You are no doubt speaking in the lower part |
| diaphragm! Many singers think that the diaphragm is | | | | of your throat without correct use of the breath which |
| the abdominal muscles or stomach muscles. It is | | | | has caused the problem in the first place. This is an |
| not.The stomach is not the diaphragm. We use the | | | | exercise that the famous doctor, Morton Cooper uses |
| diaphragm for singing. The stomach is for digesting | | | | to cure Asphonic Disphonia (the strangled voice) which |
| food. It is true that in certain breathing schools like | | | | the medical profession has called incurable. Remember |
| yoga, the abdominal muscles relax out on the inhale. | | | | that this exercise must go hand in hand with the breath |
| Much less so , however,for singing. In fact, it is fine if | | | | as described above. When you can say Mm Hm one, |
| the stomach muscles remain toned, not pulled in, but | | | | using the diaphragmatic movement going in on the |
| toned. Sometimes it is permissible to allow the | | | | exhale and then relaxing again to allow the air back in. |
| abdominals to relax out on the inhale , but mainly for | | | | Remember that the muscle relaxes after you speak, |
| very high notes. For the rest of the range, the | | | | not during, just as in the SCH exercise.You relax the |
| diaphragm is the right muscle to develop and expand | | | | muscle after you say SCH, not during. Feel that the |
| with the air. | | | | sound resonates in the face at the level of the sides |
| Support for classical singers is different than for | | | | of the nose and cheek bones and you will have it right. |
| singers of any other genre. Classical singers use | | | | You can increase the number of words that you say |
| compressed air so the function is, actually opposite. | | | | like Mm Hm one, two only when you have mastered |
| Support for the classical singer is with the diaphragm | | | | both the breath, exhaling from the diaphragm, together |
| muscle going out on the exhale which is opposite to | | | | with speech, at the level of the nasal resonator. It must |
| the natural function. However,some classical singers | | | | become a habit for your normal everyday speaking. |
| support with the diaphragm going in on the exhale with | | | | Then can you begin to try to do the same with the |
| good results. I will speak about the natural function of | | | | singing voice using simple exercises with the |
| thr breath which is used mainly by non-classical singers. | | | | diaphragmatic exhale and the nasal resonators. You |
| Before starting the exercises do twenty minutes of a | | | | can start with one note using the same function as the |
| fast power walk without stopping ( or as many | | | | Sch exercise but using the consonant H preceding the |
| minutes as you can). As you walk exhale using the | | | | vowel. The vowel e will become He. A will become Ha, |
| sound SSSS or SCH sound. Four counts out (exhale) | | | | etc. This is to assure the airflow which the H will |
| and allow four counts for the inhale. This will get the | | | | assure. Start with the staccato exercise on one note |
| breathing mechanism (diaphragm) going correctly. If it is | | | | that is at an easy pitch level for you and then go to |
| raining do the same walking on a treadmill or in place. | | | | holding the not for two, three , and more beats, etc. |
| Then as you walk and synchronize your breathing | | | | while keeping the air flowing from the diaphragm into |
| observe the muscles of the diaphragm and how they | | | | the resonator. |
| work. You will need to recreate this. Notice that you | | | | You can do the breathing exercises for hours, but |
| are not breathing high in the chest and that your | | | | when you add the voice you need to start very slowly |
| shoulders are not going up and down. You will also | | | | with five to ten minutes , no longer, but several times a |
| notice that the abdominal muscles extend out on the | | | | day. You can do them four or five times a day but |
| inhale with this kind of aerobic exercise. for singing try | | | | only for this short period of time. Later you can up the |
| to concentrate on the diaphragm, both front and sides. | | | | practice time a bit more. Do not sing your songs until |
| The back of the diaphragm can be located by putting | | | | you have completely changed the use of your voice. |
| your thumbs on the sides of the waist and the fingers | | | | Good luck! |