It all starts with where you breathe.
Ever seen a baby get ready to cry? Honestly those few moments I am in the grocery store and that poor parent is literally there in some emergency form because the last thing they want to do is be there with their infant who is clearly about to wail, I cringe because we all know their time is up.
It happens, we all know it, and we have actually all been that baby.
The key would be if we could just remember how these infants are naturally hardwired to use their diaphragm.
In those few seconds before the that tiny humans mega voice makes its impact we all are made aware of what is about to happen by the crazy way their tiny human tummy starts to stretch.
Face it everyone you are out of luck.
That breath is in there and it is ready to come out with a noticeable impact.
pause: Does anyone else feel a bit of anxiety when they think about this? It can't just be me right? My palms are already sweaty thinking about it.
Key to this story... that tiny humans breath intake.
I mean they are prepared, they can go for hours, they never loose their voice screaming at the top of their lungs.
Or should I say their diaphragm?
The diaphragmatic breath is something we really need to look more closely into. Its about supporting your vocals and the ability to sing without losing your voice.
Babies have that key, adolescents loose that somewhere along the line when we start breathing into just our lungs and that diverts the flow of air and leaves us a bit flat.
I always explain to my students that if you are not using your diaphragm to sing then you are missing the most basic building block to your vocal technique.
I always start here and have always seen consistent improvements from my students in this area.
Essentially you need to be breathing from that same space a baby does when they scream, in order to hold that vocal strength. Its not about squeezing or pushing, its about controlling that deep low breath. That deep breath should be as low as your belt line and if you want to make sure that you have the breath going in the right place, I suggest you get to talking to your voice teacher! They are an essential part of your vocal growth.
In earlier blogs I have talked about taking that deep breath and working on growing that diaphragmatic strength. Expanding your diaphragm is a work out, its stretching those muscles and expanding the depth of that breath.
Have you ever seen a baby scream for hours and hours? They simply do not lose their voice. They don't get hoarse and they only stop when they get exactly what they need and want. Your singing voice should not be hoarse when you have finished a set. Singing should feel like a massage in your throat.
If you are soar all the time you should check back with your voice teacher, because that is a clear sign that something is missing.
Remember to be encouraged! the first steps are the hardest and the most important. But they are also the most crucial and beneficial.
Discipline, practice and patience are key. Keep moving, keep loving your sound and keep growing!