Dear Dr. Hanson,
So, with all the mixed up information I have had with 13 teachers, each
adding to my understanding, how would you explain to a beginner with
clavicular breathing, how to begin to take the breath in and use it well? I
had one teen lying on her back to feel the air come in correctly, which
helps, but I would love to hear from someone with your great understanding.
Thanks, Jocelyn
>On Sun, 09 Apr 2000, Karen Mercedes wrote:
>
> >If the tension is below the navel and above the thighs, it's support. If
> >it's anywhere else, it's just tension. :)
>
>COMMENT: I have some difficulty with this statement. For me it
>strongly suggests that one must maintain some kind of lower abdominal
>strength or tension to properly support the voice. Perhaps you are
>merely suggesting that such lower support is always there and need
>only to be noticed. If so, I would agree, but I have never found it
>necessary to teach that the area you outline above is ever in need of
>overt physical movement, tension or strengthening.
>
>If one inhales such that the epigastric (That area between the navel
>and the bottom of the sternum) becomes moderately full feeling and
>the lower ribs (those disconnected from the sternum) are opened
>outwardly in a lateral position one experiences a sensation similar
>to that of surprise or anticipation. This feeling can occur even if
>only half a breath is taken. In other words, it is not necessary to
>inhale to capacity.
>
>This is the position of appoggio and should be maintained as along a
>possible as one sings. That is, one should maintain the inhalatory
>position during singing without any inward movement of the epigastric
>area nor the lower ribs unless the phrase is unusually long.
>
>It is easier to maintain this inhalation, anticipatory mode if one
>practices exhaling a small amount of warm most breath, as one does
>when cleaning ones glasses. It is this rather small amount of warm,
>moist breath that should be used in all singing. The voice does not
>require large amounts of breath! It is also the use of the warm,
>moist breath that makes one aware of the mild action in the lower
>abdominal area. But that action is not overt nor even feelable by
>the hands. If it can be observed or is able to be felt by the hands
>it is excessive.
>
>However, it is still common to observe students who have been taught
>to release the muscles in their lower abdomen on the inhale and pull
>these muscles back into their normally firm position on the exhale.
>This extraneous activity is not necessary for singing and it has not
>been taught in the traditional, Italianate school of voice. The
>diaphragm descends only to a flat position at the bottom of the rib
>cage during the inhale. It is not able to actively descend below
>this level. For this reason, there is no advantage to releasing the
>lower abdominal muscle wall (commonly called "belly" breathing) to
>make more room for the diaphragm or to attempt to take a larger
>breath. Breath capacity studies have shown that this release of
>lower abdominal muscles actually reduces the breath capacity because
>it tends to encourage the rib cage to sag slightly.
>
>Generally there should be nothing about breathing for singing that is
>much different than normal active breathing except that it is done at
>will and with a great deal of awareness because it is used to
>activate the vocal process. The most important achievement that
>singers must accomplish is an awareness of how they use the breath
>and how to maintain that use.
>
>
>Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
>Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
>School of Performing Arts
>Northern Arizona University
>Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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