Lady Gaga released her 13-minute “Marry The Night” video this week, resembling more of a short film than a typical music video. But with Gaga – or the Mother Monster, as she calls herself – what else did you expect? She continues to influence the music world today, one theatrical video at a time. And along with her creativity, one thing is for certain: she’s got the golden pipes of a true star!
While you might think good breathing is only important for singers and for wind instruments, the truth is, it’s essential for everyone to master. Proper breathing means you’re more relaxed, which helps with any performance, on any instrument. Here are some great breathing exercises that will help musicians of all kinds, as published on the Music Made Easy blog:
For Singers:
If you are a singer, your whole body is your instrument, so in the following exercise, try to be aware of how your body feels in relation to your breathing.
- Focus on your posture and your breathing. Standing, make sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed and grounded posture, feeling the support of the floor.
- Place the palms of your hands just under your rib cage so that your fingers are just touching. Focus on your natural breathing and notice how your fingers come slightly apart as you breathe in, and as you breathe out, they come together again.
- While doing this, mentally check your body for any tension and purposefully relax muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body which may be tense.
- On your in-breath, through your nose, count that breath as ‘one’ and release it naturally through your mouth and adding a relaxed vocalization. Be aware the whole time of the movement of your diaphragm as well as relaxing your body. Try to exaggerate the ‘out’ movement of your stomach, so that the air flows deeper into your lungs. Then let the air out, making sure all air is expelled.
For Piano Players:
- Place the five fingers of your right hand on any consecutive five white notes above middle C and press down all the notes at once. Your left hand should be relaxed by your side or on your lap.
- Focus on your posture and your breathing, sitting on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet. Relax your wrists and make sure they are in line with your hand and the tips of the fingers are resting on the notes as the weight of your arms help to press the notes down. Fingers should be rounded and comfortable.
- Focus on your natural breathing. Mentally check your body for any tension, purposefully relaxing any muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body which may be tense. Continue to do this throughout the exercise.
- When you take a natural breath in, lift up your 5th finger (while all other notes are held down) about a centimeter off the key and when you naturally breathe out, press the key down again. Repeat the exercise, this time with the 4th finger (this will be difficult at first). Remember the 5th finger should be holding its note down now too. Repeat the exercise through 3rd, 2nd and 1st fingers and then do the same exercise over again but with your left hand, choosing notes below middle C and relaxing your right hand in your lap or by your side.
For Drummers and Percussionists:
Tension in the body and breathing are linked. If you are able to focus on your breath, you will be able to purposefully relax your body. It is important to be able to relax because tension can interrupt your ability to play when you are attempting new and more complex rhythms and/or soloing.
- Focus on your posture and your breathing. Sit on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet, and the palms of your hands resting on your legs. You can also stand, making sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed, yet grounded posture.
- Place the palms of your hands under your rib cage so that your fingers are just touching. Focus on your natural breathing and notice how your fingers come slightly apart as you breathe in and as you breathe out they come together again. While doing this, mentally check your body for any tension and purposefully relax muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body.
- Count your in-breath, through your nose as ‘one’ and release it naturally, being aware the whole time of relaxing your body and the movement of your diaphragm. As you breathe in, try to exaggerate the ‘out’ movement of your stomach, so that the air flows deeper into your lungs.
For Wind Instruments:
Developing good breathing technique is vital for playing a wind instrument because it dictates the way notes begin (intonation), the sound quality of the note (tone quality), how long you can hold notes (sustaining), how loud or soft the notes are (dynamics) and how you get from one note to another (flexibility).
- Focus on your posture and your breathing. Sit on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet, and the palms of your hands resting on your legs. You can also stand, making sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed, yet grounded posture.
- Focus upon your natural breathing. While doing this, mentally check your body for tension and purposefully relax any muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body, which may be tense. Continue to do this throughout the exercise.
- Breathe in through your mouth for two counts and be full of air by the end of this count then breathe out through your mouth for four counts, being empty of air by the end of it. When you breathe out make an ‘s’ sound with your mouth (like a snake). Make sure you push all the air out.
Need help with breathing exercises? Enlist the help of a music teacher for more personalized feedback. Search for a teacher near you here. Like these posts? Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe.
You might also like…
- Help Your Child Choose the Right Instrument
- 5 Common Mistakes of Beginner Guitarists
- Using Scales to Improve Your Vocal Range and More
For beginner pianists, and especially younger children or players with small hands, building up the dexterity of your hands and fingers can do wonders for your playing. Just as singers need to warm up their most important muscle with vocal warm-ups, piano players need to take their fingers into consideration.
