Yes, it's basic, and yes it's stupid, but I don't really know where
else to ask.
I'm a (very) periodic user of this mailing list, and I've been even
more periodic in the last year or so, when I gave up my singing
lessons and wasn't able to take them up again after losing my job.
I studied singing for the better part of eight years from late 1994
until this past spring, when I just couldn't take it any more. One
would expect there to be at least some improvement during that
time. Well, in my case, one would be wrong. Moving a number of
times and changing teachers more times than I could count didn't
help, but I still feel like I should have progressed at least a
little. All I got for my trouble and money (over $1000, probably
quite a bit more) was a lot of garbage in my head from almost
everyone that did nothing but contradict what everyone else
says. "I don't care what you've 'learned' before, this is the right
way.'" How I wish there were only ONE right way in singing instead
of there being about 40,000, but that's neither here nor there.
But, well, I still want to sing. And I think I've pretty much
learned that there is never, ever going to be any hope of that.
But if I can't have that, I at least want to be able to breathe
correctly. There's so much made--rightfully so, as far as I can
tell--about breathing being the most important aspect of singing,
but it's also one of the most important aspects of life. If you
can't breathe, not a lot else really matters. And I want to do it
properly. If not for singing, then for something like public
speaking (at which I'll probably fail just as readily given that
it's the same thing), but preferrably just to know that I can at
least do SOMETHING. If anyone has any suggestions on breathing
exercises I might be able to follow so that I can get the muscles
and everything coordinated properly as to use air properly for...
well, for whatever... I'd appreciate it.
One thing: Please don't tell me to go to a singing teacher. I know
that's the first thing anyone would/should say, but I absolutely
cannot afford one right now, and even if I could, chances are (based
on my past experiences) they wouldn't know what to do for me
anyway. If you can't give me specific advice about how to do this,
maybe is there any particular type of physician it would be
beneficial for me to see? I'm really hoping that singing teachers
are not the only people on Earth capable of getting the breathing
mechanism working correctly, so if anyone has any other suggestions,
I would appreciate it tremendously.
Thanks,
--Matthew
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