Breathing

Having good breath support is paramount to every musician's performing ability. Whether it's to produce a good tone, hold out a note for a long time or to understand a phrase properly, every musician must breathe properly. This includes musicians whose instruments do not require breath to play. Here are some techniques and exercises you can do to help breathe properly.

1. Use your diaphragm: From day 1, every voice student I teach begins with diaphragm exercises. Without proper use of the diaphragm, your support and tone quality will be poor. A simple exercise is to lie down on your back, preferably on a hard surface, and to place a heavy book or object on your stomach. As you breathe in, make the object move upwards. As you exhale, the object should lower as your stomach goes down. Repeat this exercise sitting in a chair, feeling your diaphragm with your hand to make sure it is moving properly. Keep repeating the exercise until you can do this standing up with ease.

2. 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out: Breathe through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for four and then exhale for four, always pacing yourself so that the air inhales and exhales at a comfortable rate. Try 8, 12, 16, 20 or more seconds to extend your breath support. Remember to always breathe diaphragmatically.

3. Diaphragmatic breaths don't make sound: Unless you are breathing very quickly in the middle of a phrase, a diaphragmatic breath makes very little to no sound. An indication that you are breathing with just your chest is that you can hear an airy, "breathy" sound, with a lot of shoulder movement.

4. Breathe with your music: For singers, brass and woodwind players, you will naturally have to go over your music and put in breath marks if they are not indicated. But for those who play an instrument that requires no breath, practicing breathing before your phrase can help you execute it better. Every phrase I play on the piano, I make sure to take a deep breath before and exhale with the phrase. This illuminates some notes of the phrase and helps me shape the idea properly. Singing your phrase is another great idea. Think of it as having a conversation; you need to take a proper breath before you talk, otherwise you'll be awkwardly taking breaths in the middle of sentences!

5. Exercise: This may seem obvious, but the more you exercise (especially aerobic exercise) the better your lung capacity will, and the stronger the muscles that help you sing will be become. The American Heart Association recommends children exercise 60 minutes a day, 5 days out of the week to stay healthy. In recent years, exercise among younger people has been on a decline, so make sure you get off the iPad, cell phone or computer and run around for a while!

6. Yoga: While this could easily fit under exercise, yoga specifically is great for musicians. So much in fact that many music schools offer (and sometimes require) their students to take a yoga class. It gives you core strength without tightening muscles that could restrict your diaphragm, and uses many breathing exercises used in music classes.