In my blog post Register Break – What Causes It? I said that “the keys to singing without register break are:
- A properly regulated air stream is sent to your vocal folds.
- The tongue and throat muscles are relaxed and permitted to function naturally and automatically – not manipulated.
In my blog post Belting or Singing with Power Part 2, I gave you an exercise to relax the tongue and throat muscles. To achieve a properly regulated air stream beneath your vocal folds every time you sing without having to think about it, you would need to learn, practice and use the ribcage expansion technique. You will find that in The Contemporary Vocalist Improvement Course Volume One.
For a taste of what it would be like to sing with an expanded ribcage, try this exercise:
Breathe into Your Back
- Lightly place the backs of each of your hands on the sides of your torso half way between the waist and the underarms.
- Take a deep breath and let your ribs expand outward against your hands. You will probably feel the air coming into your lungs as your ribs expand. If your ribs are not expanding out against your hands, you may be lifting your chest or pushing your stomach forward rather than naturally breathing into your back as you should be – the majority of your lungs are in your back.
- Now sing and let your stomach remain relaxed. Do the best you can to maintain the expanded position of your ribs.
- Do this a few times so you can get familiar with it and see how it affects your voice. It takes practice and certain exercises that I’ve created to do it well,but this should begin to give you an idea of what it is like to have proper ”breath support.”
This tip is only intended to give you an idea of how it could work for you. If you want to develop effortless rib cage expansion, the exercises and additional information about why it makes singing better and easier can be found inmy Contemporary Vocalist Volume One.
May you enjoy the rewards!