THE DIAPHRAGM, LUNGS AND BREATHING EXERCISES
THE
MYSTERY OF SOUND (TMS)
May
11th 2017 seminar material
THEME: VOCAL ANATOMY
THEME: VOCAL ANATOMY
TOPIC: THE
DIAPHRAGM, LUNGS AND BREATHING EXERCISES
INSTRUCTOR: DAIKWO SAMUEL
INTRODUCTION
I want to thank Bro. Elmond Isaiah
of the THE MYSTERY OF SOUND for the opportunity to give this seminar. I pray
that God Almighty will increase you richly and take you to greater heights in
Jesus mighty name.
I might say all forms of knowledge that we
humans can provide based on human experiences, educational training, books,
internet sources and our opinions have a tendency to be lacking at various
possible levels in perfection as regards accuracy and consistency with the
general body of knowledge on the subject matter influenced to some degree by the
knowledge base of the provider of the information.
I do assert that this piece of work is no
different, as I declare that I do not present the information below as an
epitome of knowledge but do hope that you find this piece of work useful. God
bless TMS.
DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm is a musculotendinous
partition separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities. It has convex and
concave surfaces. Its convex surface faces the thoracic cavity that houses the
heart and lungs and its concave surface faces the abdominal cavity that houses
the stomach, liver, intestines and other organs.
The diaphragm acts like a shared
wall (actually floor/ceiling) separating the thorax and abdomen. Its most
important (vital) function is serving as the primary muscle of respiration.
The pericardium, containing the
heart, lies on the central part of the diaphragm, depressing it slightly. The
diaphragm curves superiorly into right and left domes; the diaphragm has its
arterial supply, venous, lymphatic drainages and nerve supply which will not be
mentioned here.
ACTIONS OF THE DIAPHRAGM
When the diaphragm contracts, its
domes are pulled inferiorly so that the convexity of the diaphragm is somewhat
flattened. Although this movement is often described as the "descent of
the diaphragm", only the domes of the diaphragm descend, its periphery
remains attached to the ribs and cartilages of the lower six ribs. As the
diaphragm descends, it pushes the contents of the abdomen to a lower position.
This increases the volume of the thoracic cavity and decreases the pressure in
the thorax, resulting in air being taken into the lungs.
LUNGS
The lungs are organs located on the
diaphragm. The air we breathe in, goes through the larynx to the
trachea which divides to give two bronchi (singular=bronchus), which further
divide at different stages to supply tiny structures called alveoli. There are
hundreds of millions of alveoli in the lungs.
PHASES OF RESPIRATION
Respiration occurs in two stages
1.
Inspiration during which the air enters the lungs from
the atmosphere
2.
Expiration during which the air leaves the lungs.
FUNCTIONAL
ANATOMY OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT
The respiratory tract is the
anatomical structure through which air moves in and out. It is divided into two
parts
1.
The upper respiratory tract
2.
The lower respiratory tract
The upper respiratory tract includes all structures from the
nose up to the vocal cords. The vocal cords are the folds of mucous membrane
within the larynx that vibrates to produce the voice.
The lower respiratory tract includes trachea, bronchi and
lungs
MOVEMENT OF
THE THORACIC WALL
Movements of the thoracic wall and diaphragm during
inspiration produce increases in the intrathoracic volume and diameter of the
thorax. When you breathe in, the diaphragm descends allowing room for the lungs
to expand thereby compressing the contents of the abdomen which are located
below the diaphragm leading to the protrusion of the abdomen. Take a very deep
breath and you will notice your abdomen protruding out. This is because the
diaphragm which is below the lungs descends when you breathe in so as to make room
for the lungs to expand and accommodate more air. But in doing so, the
diaphragm compresses on the contents of the abdomen making the abdomen expand.
The lungs are elastic and so they return to their initial size when you breathe
out. When this happens, the pressure on the diaphragm from the lungs is reduced
and so the diaphragm can ascend and make more room for the contents of the
abdomen and so the abdomen pulls back to its initial position.
BREATHING EXERCISES
A vocal therapist was once quoted
as saying "your voice is a muscle and it can be trained just like any
other muscle to be strong and healthy". Naturally, when a person is asked
to take a deep breath, the chest is likely to rise. However this should not be
the case when you breathe while singing.
Try this:
Place your hand on your abdomen,
try to take a deep breath with your chest staying, your abdomen expanding
outwards as you breathe in and collapsing as you breathe out.
NOTE: Your belly should move with
each breath you take in and out. O yes! Your belly and NOT your chest.
Next, get a stopwatch and do the
following:
1.
Expel air from lungs:
Breathe out
for as long as you can. When you feel you have come to the maximum you can
withstand, make a hissing sound (by clenching your teeth as though you intend
to brush your teeth with your tongue placed behind the teeth). The air should
be made to come out through the tiny holes in between the teeth while keeping
the jaw, neck and muscle relaxed. As you do this, you should notice your
abdomen pulling inwards
2.
Relax your abdomen and let air flow into your lungs
while you count from one to five using your fingers and then stop the air
entry.
3.
Make the hissing sound for 20 seconds using your
stopwatch. Ensure your neck, shoulder and jaw are relaxed when doing this. Then
let out a final burst of air before taking in a deep breath.
Do this 3
times daily. it might feel very uncomfortable initially but gets easier
eventually so much that you might want to extend the 20 second timing in step 3
above.
You can also try out the following exercises ensuring your
abdomen pulls back and forth while your chest stays still. Take it easy if you
start feeling short of breath
1.
Blowing up a balloon:
Get a large balloon and blow it up
2.
Puffing the feather:
Pretend you are puffing a feather in the air or you can use a
feather if you have one. Do this with your abdomen moving back and forth and
your chest staying still.
3.
Sipping through a straw:
You can use a coffee stirrer which is smaller which increases
the muscle tension compared to a regular straw. Sip air through the straw, then
remove the straw and breathe out through the mouth. For a start, you can use a
regular straw.
4.
Barking as different sized dogs
Now this may sound very ridiculous. It is advisable you do
this when no one is around you. Try making sounds similar to a puppy barking as
well as a barks of larger dogs of varying sizes. You can give it a try right
now as you read.
5.
Laughing like Santa Claus:
The laugh should sound like you are making the
"ho-ho-ho-ho" sound. While at it ensure your abdomen pulls back and
forth
6.
Cooling the soup:
This is when you pretend you have a bowl of soup in your hand
and blow
7.
Spooking spinning noses
Sounds like
huuuuuuuuuuuuuuooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooouuuuuuh
BREATH
CONTROL
An often overlooked aspect between breathing and singing is
how it is affected by a tempo. Often when one sings faster, one breathes harder
and that should not be the case. Ensure your breath is the same steady stream
no matter the tempo with which you are singing a scale.
Try making an "eee" sound on the using the solfa
notes doh, reh, mi, fa ,soh, fa, mi, reh, doh.
Do this first on 2 beats, then a beat, then half a beat,
after which you should progress a semitone higher than the first key with which
you started. You might want to use a keyboard or guitar to help you find the
next key which is a semitone higher than the first.
If you can’t do it all in one breath, take little breaths in
between. The point here is that the flow of air is the same whether you are
singing on quarts, eighths or sixteenths. It takes a lot of strain off your
voice when singing fast songs because you don’t need the air to be so
energized.
Another often overlooked aspect of singing is the end of a
phrase, how long one is going to hold a note at the end of a phrase.
Take a small breath through your nose at the start of each
note and make the ‘’eee’’ sound using a beat on the same solfa notes, doh reh
mi fa soh, then rest for four beats and then make the ‘’sound’’ using the solfa
notes: soh fah mi reh doh. When you are on the solfa note, ‘’soh’’ make the
sound ‘’ahh’’ instead of ‘’eee” Do all of this in one breath even during the
rest (i.e. suspend your breath and do not breathe in between both scales). Use
a fast tempo and do this on successive increasing keys going higher by a
semitone each time.
Please note:
Have an idea of how long you want the scale to be so that you
will not mismanage your breathing. Have the whole phrase you intend to sing in
mind and this will inform your breathing. Ensure you don’t run out of breath
each time you run the scale by breathing in enough air before the start of each
round. Also it is much easier to sing when your breath is proportionate to the
length of the note you intend to sing. Short notes will require less air. You
will be putting yourself under too much pressure if you are used to taking in a
huge breath every phrase you sing.
SINGING POSTURE
Good posture is the starting point for effective breathing
and singing. Even before you take a breath or start singing, your body needs to
align optimally to function effectively. A medium high chest position is one
part of overall good body alignment. What does medium-high chest posture look
like?
1.
The breastbone is raised up and forward
2.
The shoulders are down and wide
This allows
for a dynamic chest alignment and gives the singer the freedom to move and sing
without any tension. The alignment allows the ribcage to open and move freely
with every breath. The lower ribs have the space to move and the diaphragm can
descend fully. Sufficient breath can be taken needed for a song phrase.
Please
note:
1.
It is not a soldier-like posture. If you cannot move
your breastbone higher, then your chest is too high. As a result, your body
will compensate by curving your back excessively and by moving your head out of
alignment which impedes the sound production.
2.
The chest should not be collapsed. It is laborious and
can weary the singer quickly. It creates tension in the upper torso and in the
neck area which may negatively affect sound. A collapsed chest can be one of
the reasons a singer runs out of breath when singing.
A technique
that can be used to find the medium high chest position is to let your hands
hang loosely by your side, then stretching both hands sideways and then bring
both hands to meet over the head while breathing normally. Do this while you
keep the chest up and open. The breastbone position is up and forward
Remember to
establish this posture before breathing or singing. Maintain this position
throughout singing and don’t allow your chest to collapse.
This
posture is important for efficient breathing because it allows your ribcage to
open, your lower ribs to move freely and allows your diaphragm to descend
fully. This is important for efficient breath for a given song phrase. Do not
collapse your chest when singing or breathing out. Your chest should not move
in or down while singing- o yes, not even a tiny bit. If you collapse your
chest every time you breathe in and out, you will have to work much harder
which might leave you exhausted at the end of the song. This fatigue may lead
to insufficient breaths, running out of breath or even tension or strain.
Keeping your chest open is easier said than done especially for those who sit
at the computer a lot or those who habitually slump over.
Breathing exercises to strengthen the muscles that keep the
chest up and open
Step 1
Use a mirror: Use the mirror to check for the movements of
the chest. The mirror will give you immediate feedback on your performance.
Watch for the slightest downward or inward movement of the chest
Step 2
Find a medium-high chest posture .
Step 3
Inhale silently. As you inhale your torso expands in all
directions.
Step 4
Exhale while keeping your chest open. To do this, focus on
not allowing your chest to collapse. Imagine having a string attached to your
chest pulling up. Watch your chest in the mirror and don’t let it collapse.
Exhale through the mouth while it is shaped in a rounded position as though you
were whistling. Exhale for as long as you can while keeping your chest up. Do a
few repetitions everyday
[Inhale= breathe in, Exhale=breathe out]
Ensure the following while singing:
POSTURE
1.
Body feels long and tall
2.
Chin is parallel with the floor
3.
Head is not jolted forward or tilted back
4.
Hips are aligned with the spine, neck and shoulders
5.
Chest is medium high and open
6.
Knees are not locked
7.
Soft palate is lifted
8.
Throat is open
9.
No tension anywhere in the body (e.g. neck, shoulders,
abdomen, chest)
CHEST
1.
Chest is medium high before and during inhalation
2.
Chest does not collapse during exhalation (singing)
3.
Lower ribcage expands sideways
BACK
1.
Back is wide and long
2.
Lower back expands slightly on inhalation
SHOULDERS
1.
Shoulders are wide, down and relaxed
2.
Shoulders are NOT moving during breathing and singing
ABDOMEN
1.
Abdomen is relaxed on inhalation
2.
Abdomen does not push out with force on inhalation
3.
Abdomen moves out on inhalation
4.
Abdominal muscles are engaged on exhalation but do not
push in
BREATHING
1.
NO audible inhalation
2.
Breath and voice are connected
3.
Breath is low
4.
Breathing is effortless
5.
Breath is sufficient for the song phrase
In
conclusion, it is important that the singer learns to breathe properly to be
more efficient in singing. A number of resource materials, both books and
videos were consulted in the course of the preparation of this material.
Although the reader is advised not to take the contents of this write up as the
absolute truth, the exercises could be tried out to see what works. There are
many videos on breathing that can be accessed on the internet which the reader
is encouraged to check out. You can check out this video on how to tell if your
diaphragm is working for singing by Nicola Milan.
Thanks for
reading!!!
REFERENCES
·
Sembulingam K, Sembulingam P: Essentials of Medical
Physiology, 5th Edition, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd,
2010
·
Keith LM, Arthur F.D.: Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th
edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006
·
Frank HN: Atlas of Human Anatomy, 4th
Edition, Saunders
VIDEOS
·
8_Easy_Breathing_Exercises_for_Singers Ellie Joi
·
Breath_Control_Exercise_For_Singers (Voicelesson.com
Mark Baxter vocal studios- singing tips from Mark Baxter)
·
Breath_Exercise_for_Singers (Voicelesson.com Mark
Baxter vocal studios-singing tips from Mark Baxter)
·
Correct_Singing_Posture__Breathing_Exercise_for_Singers
by Katarina
·
Singing_Posture__Medium-High_Chest_Posture by Katarina
·
How_Professional_Singers_Breathe_-_Exercises_for_Breath_Control
Elmond Isaiah
08067370005
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