Transcription
In this podcast series, I'm exploring the seven psychological foundations that I believe should shape your singing, helping you sing with real soul.
In our first episodes, we discussed emotions, identity, and mentors .
Since we're building layers of understanding throughout this series, I recommend checking out those episodes first.
Today, I'm introducing my concept of core power for singers.
Core power is all about the physical act of core breathing, which leads to the awareness of your core being, which then leads to the expression of your core values.
So, to grasp core power, we need to do a spiritual deep dive, but don't worry, it doesn't have to be complicated or overly mystical.
Breathing is natural to humans.
In fact, we we don't even consciously control it.
And being is our natural state.
I mean, we're here, hello.
And our being ends when breathing stops .
I'm not saying this to be grim, but to highlight that, breathing is an autonomic function.
It happens automatically, even when we're asleep or unconscious.
Singers hear a lot of advice about breathing and and breath support.
Some of it is right, some of it is wrong, but mostly it's lost in translation.
Breathing for singing shouldn't have to be an arcane mystery.
We can easily understand what's happening by studying anatomy and the work of medical practitioners , as well as respiratory therapists.
So if breathing is so easy and natural, why do we need to know about the method of core breathing?
So many singers and teachers focus on the runs, the impressive R&B, gospel gymnastics to make people go, ooh, and ahh, but often it's really the straight tone, the actual shape of the note that is trapping the listener's ear.
In my view, core breathing is fundamental for all singers.
Core breathing promoters the quality of tone, vocal stamina, and the total ease of muscles and tissues in your throat, your tongue, and your mouth.
It also supports the strong breath essential for a hitting those impressive high notes and those long phrases that earn applause at the karaoke bar.
First, let's talk about what we cannot control in the respiratory system.
The diaphragm, the larynx, the vocal folds, are all involuntary muscles, all connected by a network of fibrous tissue called fascia.
This complex system works together as a complete unit.
The only aspects we can control in singing are how we take in air, how we release it, and how much control we have over the abdominal muscles surrounding our air chambers.
So what are these air chambers?
Think of them as an expansion area.
When you inhale, that expansion creates a 360 degree pressure that's resisted and contained by your rib cage.
You're not just breathing into your belly back or sides .
You're breathing all around your torso, like inflating a ball or an inner tube.
I find it helpful to picture this air in a ball surrounded by a harness, the diaphragm at the top and the pelvic floor at the bottom, and the transverse abdominus, your inner core muscle wrapped around it, connected from the front and the back.
Our core anatomy and our breathing functions are universal, yet singers may get a lot of confusing advice.
We've all heard the advice sing using your diaphragm and while it's well meaning, it's not physiologically correct.
The whole vocal system is complex and we can't isolate voluntary muscles in the throat or in the larynx or in the intercostal muscles .
Yes, we can train them, but we can't isolate them.
And because of the individuality of our bodies, each person will need to develop their own approach to achieve the desired sounds.
This is why some vocal exercises will work for some, but not for others.
My core breathing training focusses on becoming conscious of how this all works in your body and strengthening the core muscle system, primarily the transverse abdominus and the pelvic floor to balance the effort.
This maintains air intake and controls the pressure and the velocity of the exhale needed for singing.
It also helps avoid stressor strain on the shoulders, the jaw, the throat, and other areas that get sore, tired, or damaged from poor vocal technique.
When singers don't support their sound with core breathing, the body will compensate with tension and strain, leading to a weak or damaged instrument.
You can do all the exercises, warm-outs, vocalizing, and YouTube tips and tricks but without core breathing, I think you're missing out on the foundation of robust vocal health.
And most importantly, the development of a unique tone, that special frequency that makes your voice instantly recognizable.
Singers like Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, with their gospel roots and their amazing musical capacity, touched our souls through their wonderful vocal tone.
That tone revealed their essence , their sweetness, and their love.
In other words, their core being.
I was very fortunate to discover the book called The Art of Breathing by Nancy Z, very early in my singing journey.
Nancy Z is a renowned key gong expert who developed core breathing exercises to enhance her own life in her singing career .
Qi is the essence within breath, or life force.
In martial arts, life force is about intention.
Action oriented energy, focussed in your mind like willpower.
Physically, it's akin to oxygen within air .
Some see this energy as nourishment from a greater source.
The word inspiration is closely tied to the Latin word for inhaling, and the wordspiritus originally meant breath.
So it's easy to see why practises like chanting, yoga, and meditation are considered spiritual bridges to the source of our creation .
For the religious, slow exhalations in prayers, like saying that the rosary or Buddhist chanting produce similar effects.
From a neuroscience perspective, the controlled, slow exhalation promotes feelings of safety, comfort and peace by regulating the autonomic nervous system .
So who are what governs these automatic functions like the heartbeat and breath?
Is it physical?
Is it divine?
Regardless of the deeper answers we seek, we can all agree that our bodies and nervous systems are a wonder of design.
So for singers, core breathing may be regarded as the foundation of control for your sink, your pitch, and the quality of tone .
All singers, regardless of religion or create, can benefit greatly from core breathing.
There is so much more to this wonderful topic and how this affects our performance and our psychology as singers.
If you're interested in my intensive core power for singers workshop, please visit my wait list on my website .
In my next podcast about messaging, we'll get more into how this inspiration flows into our core values and the messages we send as singers.
Bye for now.
See you soon.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic your comments or you could send an email to Veronica@soulsingercoach.com
Remember, life is hard.
Sing anyway.