Singing a Series of Notes Without Taking Breaths

Lesson on How to Improve the Vocalist's Stamina Whilst Singing

Sep 7, 2009

The singing tutor must devise a strategy to help increase the singer's stamina in order to avoid taking a breath in mid sentence of a song or to trail off at the end.

It is not enough simply to show the student singer the correct breathing technique during a vocal performance. The tutor must devise a series of lessons that continue to improve and maintain the correct breathing technique.

Breathing for Novice Singers

The tutor may have already informed the student on the correct way to breathe whilst singing, namely from the diaphragm upwards, not just from the chest. But lung capacity alone means little without breath control. David and Carrie Grant’s book Total Singing Tutor [Carlton Books, 2003] describes preliminary exercises that involves steadily exhaling and pausing the breath every three seconds and repeating the cycle four or five times to the end of the breath.

An oxygen rush may be experienced at first, where the student will feel light headed. The student needs to be prepared for this and to breathe normally as soon as this happens. Practicing this technique will be required until a noticeable improvement is detected, where the pauses can be repeated seven or eight times in one exhalation. Aerobic exercises such as swimming will help increase lung capacity.

How to Control the Exhalation to Help Vocal Performances

The next stage entails the same technique as before, but to place a finger onto the lips and to make a hissing noise. The teacher may place a candle in front of the student in order to detect any sudden gusts of air. The objective is to keep the exhalation steady and controlled to the end of the breath.

Singing a Series of Continuous Notes

The next stage entails singing a series of words without taking a breath in the middle. A short sentence consisting of six or seven syllables may be used at first, building up to nine or ten. Singing the syllables on the note of C with predetermined beats provides a benchmark from which to work and progress.

Singing Non Stop Without Pausing for Breath

The singing tutor must devise strategies that progress with the student’s improvement in stamina whilst singing. The beginner may be shown simple breathing exercises involving the diaphragm in order to increase lung capacity and taking care of the vocal cords. Placing a candle in front of the student during an exercise involving making a hissing noise will reveal any sudden gusts of air and therefore an unsteady exhalation.

Singing a series of syllables without breaking up the words and increasing the number of syllables in one breath will help the likelihood of optimum performance whilst singing. Singing a series of notes without having to take a breath in mid sentence or having to trail off on the last note is the objective of the lesson.

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