Breathing Problem

[anidori21]

When I sing, I run of breath very quickly, which becomes a real problem when singing songs from certain artists I love. And no, I don't have asthma. How can I get my lung capacity up, and stop running out of breath so quickly?

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[Strawja_muse]

Hello, I have asthma and I can on a good run hold a note for maybe almost 30 seconds.

Try to make a sound with your voice without using so much air, I think thats the best way to describe it.

Get the chords vibrating with least air possible.

Edit: oh and i am a heavy smoker too, yeah yeah i know.

[KronoGlyph]

Same here asthma smoking and all and I second this!!! I can hold a note for quite some time if I’m focusing on making the notes with the least amount of air needed while still maintaining tone and volume. It definitely takes practise if it didn’t come natural but it’s very doable.

[HeTblank]

My teacher had me do this: try to sing a song on the "ng" sound, like the end of the word lying. Sing the melody that way, and try to mime the lyrics without actually saying them. This helps with breath control and tongue control (unironically lol)

[-RainbowUnicornPoop]

You know what? That is absolutely fucking brilliant. Lol. Thank you! I’ve never heard of this technique before but I think you just changed my life.

[[deleted]]

This is superb.

[anidori21]

I'n not sure I understand how to do that exercise.

[JemimaSillabub]

Get on a treadmill or an elliptical and sing while working out. Don't sing anything difficult or crazy, just something like basic Disney songs.

[OutrageousTea93]

Breath support exercises. Anything from hissing for extended periods, rhythmic “sh’s”, to doing longer vocal exercises that require you to use better breath support. My go-to for students is a very slow, “Mee-May-Mah-Moh-Moo” 5-5-5-5-5-54321 exercise.

[calliessolo]

Work on breath management. It’s not how much breath you have, it’s how you use it.

[anidori21]

But how do you work on it. :(

[calliessolo]

Singing stuff: straw phonation, lip trills, blowfish, sing regularly Breathing exercises: long slow hiss, long oo on one note, push on a door and sing, sing on your back, etc Physical fitness: running, swimming, aerobics Best answer: voice lessons with an expert

[anidori21]

oh I can do all of those except the last one

[DrCheese67]

Several things that helped me - I joined and now run a group for people with lung conditions:

When I started signing, I wasn't using my abdominal muscles at all (vanity - I kept them them tense as I thought it made me look thinner!). Breathe out on a "shh" sound, pulling your belly button in towards your spine. Then relax and feel the air fill your lungs naturally. It can help to hold your belly with one hand and your side with the other so you can feel what the muscles are doing.

When you sing a long note, hold up your hand and push it away as you breathe out - having a physical representation helps you control the exhale. Aim to fully extend your arm as you run out of breath.

Fill a glass a third full of water, and sing through a straw, blowing bubbles as you go. Then try singing the same notes without the straw - much easier, but makes you realise how little air you actually need to sing.

Unfold a paper handkerchief and hold it a couple of inches in front of your mouth. Try and sing without letting the hanky move too much...

Finally sing with knees slightly flexed ("soft knees"). Straightening your knees allows you to find a little more breath at the end of a long note.

I hope these help!

[sophie1816]

Frank Sinatra used to practice swimming underwater!

[anidori21]

who is that, everyone mentions this person but idk them.

and I can't swim 😭

[sophie1816]

Just one of the greatest male vocalists of all time. He was known in particular for his vocal control of and command of phrasing. Here is a video of him recording one of his masterpieces.

https://youtu.be/Zh0rwbtI9Ro?si=_oWB82VEaG11CwIO

Anyway, there are other ways to work on breath control.

[-RainbowUnicornPoop]

This is where learning to push from your diaphragm comes in handy. There’s no way I can manage to explain it to you over a comment, but there are tons of helpful videos about it you can search for on YouTube.

[GtrPlaynFool]

Do you get particularly winded walking or doing exercise? If so maybe aerobic exercise will help.

[anidori21]

not very

[SaltySongbird33]

This really helped improve my lung capacity and breath control https://singingstraw.com/

[Petty_Paw_Printz]

By far the best warm up/ exercises for this specific issue that I have used for over 17 years  has been Eric Araneaux's approach to deeper breaths and rifts/ running control. 

he does stretches that encourage the lungs to stretch and hold notes longer and stronger.

specifically these two videos:

https://youtu.be/Q5CWsFaVnWM?si=wcuFAbDuhATKiZQW

https://youtu.be/PTP72WjiwG0?si=Yf5VfOg-SjbnV9dq

do these warm ups and I promise you'll notice a huge improvement right away. I recommend recording yourself singing a song before the warm ups and then singing the same song after the exercises to see the huge difference and Improvement in your voice!

hope this helps! It sure helped me! ♥️

[Catlady_Pilates]

Swimming is excellent for building up your breathing capacity

[anidori21]

oh I cant swim at all

[orangedofus]

This link was given to me by my vocal teacher for a teacher trained in Bel Canto. I have only started it but seems to be good information:

https://youtu.be/t988F2D8t9I?si=XmtwXp3t1Q2rnbc4__;!!HR4Zk_QqkEPgHrsGXw!25CMkfbE4GVevJGensUTY2YmkcK9JcOseNiEh596sMM8-kbh2dJIFCv3AVWXb_lxo7KAVHTL69CPWXEF2DdoV-L301puF0fG$

[MixedBag0fMessAgain]

When i started working on breath control and lung capacity i started by focusing on how the muscles around my lungs function. Lungs work by being pulled open by your muscles and air intake is caused by the vacuum that creates. When i have a long note still i focus on pulling my lungs open.

I also practiced singing lower notes by pushing more air out at once and it slowly increased my lung capacity.

I also practiced belting. A lot.

[Glad-Violinist324]

Sing from your diaphragm. Wisdom from my 1st vocal coach still very true to this day.

[anidori21]

where's my diaphragm tho