Learn How to Sing in the Fastest and Easiest Way
At eHow to Sing you will find everything that you need to learn how to sing like a pro. Find all of the lessons, tips, vocal workouts and techniques that you have always wanted, all in one single place. Our lessons are very easy to follow making learning to sing fun and enjoyable.
Learn How to Sing Better: Sustain and Breathing
It’s quite possible that you have heard many singers who have the strength or potency to maintain a note for a long time. It is even more amazing when the note they are singing is high.
This technique is called sustain and is one of the most common elements used during a good singing performance.
The beauty of sustaining a note that is perfectly in tune for several seconds is that the satisfaction it produces for the singer when reaching the climax of the song is priceless.
There is no real trick behind this apparent extraordinary execution while singing, we just have to use the appropriate respiratory control to do it and practice some sustain exercises.
Exercise for improving air control and for helping prolong the duration of a note
The following exercise is a very simple but effective breathing exercise:
Try inhaling completely into the diaphragm area while expanding your abdomen.
Start by exhaling a very little bit of air constantly, but do not open your mouth too much. Make the sound of the letters t and s together, like tsssss.
Try to make the air come out slowly, control your breathing so that all of the air does not come out too quickly.
Measure the amount of time this takes you and record your results so you will see your progress as you get better. It doesn’t matter if at the beginning you just last for 10 or 15 seconds. Little by little you will make yourself last longer.
If you feel fatigued or dizzy at first, take breaks but try to last as long as you can without feeling dizzy.
This exercise will help you control your breathing better which will then in turn help you to achieve a longer sustain duration.
Now practice singing a note that is easy for you that is within your vocal register and which isn’t at the very high end or the very low end of your vocal range so as not to exert yourself too much.
Start with the syllable maa, using the same breathing technique and at the same time measure the length of time that you maintain the note.
When you are able to last a bit longer, change the note and start to sing higher notes each time. When you reach the highest notes use the sounds aah or ooh.
Always guide yourself with some sort of musical instrument. If you don’t have one, use the virtual piano on this website.
When you feel that the air is starting to run out in a specific note, stop the sound completely and abruptly without trying to use your very last breath. The note should end clearly without being lower in intensity. The note should always come out clear without altering the tune or volume.
As you go to higher notes it will be more difficult to sustain the note for a longer period of time. Try to concentrate on the different resonators in your body while you are practicing breath control.
You should notice that when you are singing a note, your abdomen should start deflating little by little. This will indicate whether or not you are utilizing the correct breathing technique.
Another variation of this exercise is to sing the scale of do re mi fa so la ti, accompanied by an instrument. If you still have enough breath left after the final note, continue on to the next octave.
This exercise is very simple yet very effective for improving your sustain technique. Remember that you should always record the time and the note you are singing, this will help you see that you have progressed.
Video: Breathing Exercise for Singing
A brief demonstration of breathing exercises for learning how to sing. As you will notice, it is recommended to use a mirror while practicing these exercises so that we can see if we are doing it correctly.
How to Sing: The Right Way to Breathe
Knowing how to breathe during a singing session is one of the most important things. The sound of each note that we produce is related to the technique that we use to breathe; if we do not use the technique correctly, we can not reach an excellent vocal performance.
This is to say that the more you learn to control the air to sing a note, the better control you will have to sing. The voice is like a wind instrument and the air is what controls everything. When people first learn how to sing they typically use the wrong breathing technique, the sound that we hear can be unstable, broken, and the singer can get worn out faster.
Generally, the majority of people who try to sing do not know the correct form in which to breathe. Ideally, singing with the right breathing technique should be automatically programmed in your mind, without having to think about it each time you start to sing.
Breathing Techniques
To breathe correctly, you have to concentrate on the diaphragm which is located in the lower chest right below the ribs and above the abdomen. Normally when a person inhales, the upper chest inflates and the shoulders lift up. When we breathe normally, our lungs only inflate one-third of its capacity.
When we breathe deeply, possibly the maximum that it expands is two-thirds of its capacity. This is not the correct form in which to breathe when singing. When we practice breathing techniques we are helping our lungs get used to filling themselves to their full capacity.
When we breathe the right way, we will notice that our abdomen will raise when we inhale. When we see this, it shows that we are using our diaphragm to breathe. This may feel awkward to us at first because it is not the way that we normally breathe. We can practice this through various breathing exercises.
Breathing affects the interpretation and intensity of a song. When you use the correct breathing technique, your voice has the potential to carry much farther. You are not only using your throat to sing, but you are using your abdomen and diaphragm, which have much more power to make your voice soar and increase its strength. Your voice will be projected much farther and with much more control.
Practicing Breathing to Sing Better
The best way to start practicing is standing up. Look at yourself in the mirror. When you start to breathe in, focus on your diaphragm, below the ribs and on the top part of the abdomen. Concentrate on making it raise and inflate. When exhaling, notice that your diaphragm should deflate as you let the air out.
Try to make sure that the shoulders do not move. Practice inhaling for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 more seconds, exhale slowly for 4 more seconds. Repeat this process several times. This is a great way, when you are first learning how to sing, to get your body used to the correct way of breathing.