Pillar 1: Breathing

Proper breathing is the basis of good vocalism. It is essential for clear and proper speech as well as singing.

As speakers, our voice is the medium of our message, and our body is the source of our voice. As singers, every aspect of our art is rooted in use of the breath. As musicians, we must cultivate breathing in the spirit of the music and infusing our music making with a sense of breath. Doing so takes our audience on a journey of emotional (as opposed to physical) tension and release. As artists, we are engaged in truth-telling and a life-changing and world-changing spiritual practice. By becoming conscious breathers, we learn how to influence the world with integrity, even if they aren’t aware of our influence.

Virtually every problem in singing and speech is rooted in faulty breath management technique. Proper breathing technique sets up the conditions under which every other aspect of the technique can function properly, and without which, other parts of the body compensate in a reaction of physical muscular tension. Tension is the enemy of the vocal artist, and is the great destroyer of the innate beauty of the human voice. The vast majority of professional singers -- including classically trained singers -- are not well-grounded in breathing techniques and breath support. Most singers acknowledge this to be the case and feel that this is the weakest aspect of their technique. The art of proper breathing is mostly a lost one, and so counterintuitive no one could figure it out on their own without a mentor.

Pillar One of Transformational Voice Training -- Breathing -- includes examination and mastery of the following areas: Posture and body carriage; laws of physics that impact respiration; inhalation; different types of "attack" or onset; physiological changes to the body during respiration (including the blood gase transfer, brain wave changes, heart rate, blood pressure, seratonin/endorphin/adrenaline levels); exhaling or sustaining; the release; breathing exercises to condition the body; analysis of breathing techniques commonly used by singers and their efficacy; breathing as meditation and its assistance in managing performance anxiety.

Although proper breathing technique is essential to good vocalism, its potential role in our life is enormous. Breathing techniques are the doorway into the meditative state, and as such, enable us to become aware of and transcend our fears, and even reduce fear and anxiety in others. While the study of breathing is a life-long discipline that underpins the art of singing and declamation, its mastery is a worthwhile endeavor for the many other physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits it brings us.