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Vocal techniques are tricks of the trade that singers use to improve their sound. Breathing exercises are good for promoting vocal techniques and strong lungs. Exercises that use breathing techniques such as panting will increase muscle strength.
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In this exercise you pant like a dog – no slobbering!
To build up the diaphragm muscle, which support the lungs that hold the air to produce sounds. When you produce a sound, it rides on top of the air, so the stronger your lung power becomes, the longer you can hold a note. This exercise will enable you to hold longer, steadier notes. (This is called vocal sustain.)
Stand up. Open your mouth. Inhale and exhale breath very quickly in short bursts. Start slowly and then increase the rate of panting as you get used to it. Place your fingers on your diaphragm muscle, just underneath where your ribcage meets in the centre, below your solar plexus. When you pant, you should feel the muscle going in and out, and if you’re doing it correctly you can actually see your clothes rising and falling.
About a minute. But be careful: too much panting can make you dizzy. And you’ll have no audience if you faint!
See other online exercises to improve vocal technique.
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