-- Several methods of breathing during singing

About breathing during singing and several methods of inhalation How to inhale and how to exhale is something that does not need to be considered at all. This function of the human body is essentially and physiologically the same when singing and speaking, but there is a big difference between the two in application. When speaking, people do not need to think about when and how to breathe. The breath can come in and out as much or as little as it feels is appropriate, because he has ample opportunity to breathe. He does not need to inhale anywhere, nor does he need to fix the inhaled breath in one position to support a specific length and intensity of sound, and there is no limit on the speed of ventilation. In short, it is casual and free. The situation with singing is different. The singer must consciously inhale and keep the breath distributed among a certain number of sounds to be emitted, and each sound has its specific height, length, and intensity. When singing a song, the singer can only breathe when there is a rest and when the lyrics, phrases and other expressions allow. In short, it is conscious, prepared and planned. Singing requires breath, so isn’t it true that the more breath you take in, the better? My friend, you must have had this experience: because you were worried about not having enough air, you took in a lot of air, but in the end you still felt like you didn’t have enough air, and you felt suffocated while singing. This is because when the breath is taken in too much and too full, the respiratory muscles are exerted too much, causing muscle stalemate. In other words, taking in too much breath will affect the normal progress of singing. So, how much breath is appropriate? This is a question that cannot be answered with numbers. It can only be "calculated" through the singer's feelings. It should be said that singing and breathing is a cyclic process of excitement and relaxation. When inhaling, maintain a positive and relaxed state. Positive refers to the upward feeling of excitement, and relaxation refers to the downward feeling of sighing. In this positive and relaxed state, we must first have the correct singing posture: lift the chest moderately, relax the shoulders, relax the neck, look straight and with a smile on the face (a smile from the bottom of the heart) . Maintain this posture and learn the following inhalation methods to experience the correct inhalation for singing.

(1) Sighing inhalation: As we all know, sighing is a very common phenomenon in daily life. It is relaxed and downward. It helps relax the inspiratory muscle groups so that you can inhale better. The specific method is to sigh first and then inhale. Your main thought is to sigh, not to inhale. When the breath is expelled with the "sigh", that is, the work of the exhalation muscle group has been completed, and then the inhalation muscle group will immediately start working - inhalation. This cycle is completed automatically. If you are thinking about inhaling, your inhaling muscles will always be in a working state and unable to relax, making it difficult for the breath to be inhaled normally. Note: Breathe in wherever you sigh, don't make any forced movements. Keep the feeling of sighing while singing, and do this with each phrase to form a good breathing cycle.

(2) Smell-style inhalation: The sniff-style inhalation method makes it easy to inhale deeply, and there is no pumping sound and redundant movements when inhaling, and it is easier to understand and master. When smelling flowers, the fragrance of flowers makes people feel particularly happy. When identifying the fragrance of flowers, special care and attention are required. It is a feeling of relaxation and excitement. Specifically, when inhaling: the upper body is completely relaxed, the waistline is relaxed and comfortable, and then the chest also feels relaxed, and the space in the body is increased so that the breath can flow in naturally. This kind of inhalation is both loose and moderate. After inhaling, the person will be very excited and the chest will feel spacious. Use this feeling of inhalation to sing, your breath will be smooth and your voice will be mellow. You can open or close your mouth when doing fancy smelling. When closing, your mouth should not be closed too tightly. Too tight will affect the speed and flexibility of air intake. When simply practicing inhaling, you can use closed-mouth inhalation. When singing, it is best to naturally open your mouth and nose and inhale at the same time. Whether you inhale simultaneously with your nose with your mouth closed or with your mouth open, the most important thing is to experience the feeling of the breath flowing into your body.

(3) Surprised inhalation Surprised inhalation is to use the rapid physiological response of people when they are surprised to achieve the purpose of rapid inhalation. This kind of inhalation is both fast and deep. It can make the respiratory muscles complete the cycle of contraction and relaxation in an instant, and can exercise the rapid flexibility of the respiratory organs. This inhalation is also called "gasping." It is better to express sadness, anger and passionate emotions. The above three inhalation methods can be learned and mastered by doing some simple exercises, such as inhaling quickly and exhaling quickly, inhaling quickly and exhaling slowly, inhaling slowly and exhaling quickly, and inhaling and exhaling slowly. , is just a auxiliary exercise). On the other hand, practice during singing, which is the main practice method, because if the purely physiological inhalation movement is not combined with singing, the deep and loose inhalation required for singing cannot be obtained, that is to say, Good inhalation for singing can only be achieved through singing practice. In addition, there are some inhalation methods required according to the mood of the song. Such as Qi replenishing: when the mood is coherent but needs to be inhaled, a part of the Qi is replenished while preserving the original breath to keep the breath full. "Stealing breath": Used to take breaths between phrases when there are many words and the melody is fast. The movements should be quick and the inhalation should be quick but less. Breath maintenance and use in singing breathing Friends who sing have had this experience: they often feel short of breath and not enough air during singing. The more they sing, the more they hold it in, which is very difficult.

This is related to the inability to use the breath and maintain the breath. Although the inhalation is very deep, when singing a song, the breath quickly rises to the surface or runs out quickly. So, after the inhalation action is completed, how should we maintain and use the breath we inhaled?

(1) When singing, you should maintain the inhalation state. After inhaling, there is a momentary pause. This is a natural short pause after inhaling and before using the breath. This pause causes the inhalation and The confrontation between the two forces of qi should be used as much as possible when using qi. It not only maintains the depth of the breath, but also makes the breath even, smooth and lasting when singing. If you realize it carefully, this kind of confrontation is actually a state of inhalation and holding. Singing with inhaled breath is just a feeling. In fact, no one can breathe in while singing, but using this feeling can achieve the purpose of maintaining breath. This state can ensure the balance of sound position and breath, and can also keep the breath at a certain depth and unobstructed. During the singing process, the less breath is used, the more necessary it is to maintain this inhalation state. Practice singing while maintaining the inhalation state: First do silent exercises. After inhaling, gently touch the tip of your tongue to the lower front teeth to make a "wisp" sound. The longer you breathe, the better. It is required that the breath you exhale should be even. , steady and slow, so that the intensity of the "Sisi" sound is the same, not suddenly strong or weak. The slower and longer the exhalation is, the more you can appreciate the confrontation between exhalation and inhalation, and the power of conscious control of the breath. Traditional vocal music has a method of practicing Qi by blowing out candles. Place a lighted candle in front of you. When blowing out the candle, do not blow it out. It is required to slowly blow the candle flame in one direction, and the flame should be steady and the swing range should not be large. After practicing, if you feel soreness in your lower back and abdomen, it means you have found the correct feeling of resistance or control when exhaling.

(2) Maintain a sighing state while singing. Insufficient breath and breath-holding phenomena that often occur during singing are not only related to the inability to maintain the inhalation state, but also related to the lack of relaxation of the breath. The breath needs to be controlled during singing to keep the breath smooth and lasting. However, if the breath is controlled excessively, it will cause stiffness and inflexibility of the respiratory organs and respiratory muscles. As a result, the breath cannot be smooth and difficult to last. How can we maintain the breath we inhale without getting stiff? The best thing to do is relax and sigh. The relaxation mentioned here refers to excessive stalemate. Sighing means using the feeling of sighing instead of exhaling all the air in the body. Sighing is a habitual action in our lives. Everyone can do it, and it is easier to find a feeling of relaxation. While maintaining a positive and exciting breath, don't neglect to use the feeling of sighing to sing. In this way, the breath will not only have depth, but also be natural, relaxed and smooth. When singing in a sighing state, be careful not to let your voice break away from your breathing, otherwise your breath will be out of sync and it will be difficult to maintain your breath. In other words, the sighing state during singing and the inhaling state exist at the same time, and neither one is missing. They allow the exhalation of breath to be maintained but not stiff, and to relax but not completely relax the breathing muscles. This exhalation method is also called "kneading". It means: the breath inhaled into the chest is "kneaded" outward slowly and tenaciously by the muscles of the waist and abdomen, just like kneading dough. When singing while sighing, if you feel that your waist and abdomen are distended but not stiff, your chest is expanded but not held back, and your breath flows out in a controlled manner, then your feeling is basically right. Continue to solidify this feeling. Falsetto and breathy voice. The so-called "false voice" refers to the sound produced by consciously controlling only part of the vocal cords to vibrate during singing. This sound is higher and weaker than the "real voice" in which the entire vocal cords vibrate. And the tone has a bright and transparent feel. Most pop singers (both male and female) sing in their real voices to achieve a natural, approachable, and colloquial style. Some female singers (such as Qi Yu and Huang Yingying) mainly use falsetto when singing songs with a wider range and stronger artistry. Male singers often use falsetto when singing accompaniment parts, such as Garfunkel in the American "Simon and Garfunkel" duet, and Lin Zhixuan in the Taiwanese "Yuke Li Lin" duet. This is also an important feature of country music style duets. But there are not many male singers who sing purely with a soft falsetto like the lead singer of "Modern Talking". The key to producing a beautiful falsetto is to have a relatively high vocal position. When using the falsetto, pay attention to the smooth transition between the true and false sounds, without any breaks. Generally speaking, the falsetto voice lacks strength, but when necessary, the falsetto voice can be converted into a half-true, half-false, half-hoarse cry. Many heavy metal rock singers like to sing in a hoarse falsetto. Falsetto can also be used as a way to modify the sound. The "mixed sound" that combines real and false sounds can produce a soft, delicate, and slightly ethereal artistic effect. Compare "Passenger of Life" sung by Tong Ange and Tu Honggang. The former uses pure real voice to sing, while the latter uses a timbre between true and false voices. There are also such differences in "About Winter" sung by Liu Huan and Qi Qin. The sudden switch between true and false voices used in Tong Ange's "Unforgettable" and Wu Sikai's "Special Love for Special You", and the cadenza sung in falsetto at the end of Zhu Zheqin's "A True Story" are all examples of this. Common methods of applying falsetto in popular songs.

In Whitney Houston's "All My Love Is Left to You", she first sings softly in the mid-bass range with a warm mixed voice, and then uses a straight and high-pitched real voice to gradually push the song to a climax, reaching the highest point of the song, and suddenly Switch to a very soft falsetto. This is an excellent example of using the transformation of true and false voices to express the ups and downs of emotions in singing. There is often the so-called "breath singing method" in China. In fact, "breathing" is not a "singing method", but a sound application technique. There is no distinction between the quality of Qi Sheng and the style of speech. The key is not to abuse it. If you can seize the right opportunity and use it properly, it can play a finishing touch. For example, in "Hello" sung by American singer Lionel Richie, the chorus is first repeated with an passionate voice, and finally he breathes out "I love you" softly, which is very expressive. Teresa Teng from Taiwan is also a singer who is very good at using her breath voice. Similar to breath sounds are "crying sounds" and "breaking sounds". It must also be used with great caution.

It should be noted that when singing from bass to treble, the vocal cords gradually evolve from main vibration, partial vibration, to edge vibration, but the sound must be unified up and down, and no trace of change can be heard. If it is not mastered well, the muscle contraction will become rigid, the sound will not be consistent up and down, and even broken sounds will affect the singing effect. When singing popular songs, you must also achieve "the true voice is not loud" and "the falsetto is not false". Note: Many popular singing enthusiasts sing falsetto, causing "falseness". It can even cause acute hoarseness of the voice. Also, those who practice falsetto skills must first strengthen their breathing control ability in singing. Vocal Characteristics of Popular Singing Today we will talk about the vocal characteristics of popular singing. In this regard, the following considerations should be made.

First, those who adhere to the popular singing method should understand and be familiar with the general rules of scientific vocalization methods, strive to change their spontaneous voice-using habits, and incorporate their accustomed voice-using methods into the track of scientific vocalization. .

Secondly, we strive to find the basis for the voice personality of popular singing from the most common scientific vocalization rules. In other words, every time a song is sung, the rationality for the singing of popular songs is found from aspects such as pronunciation, vocal position, and breath flow. Change the habit of purely imitating or blindly using your voice, and change from a perceptual way of using your voice to a rational way of using your voice.

Thirdly, popular singing, whether scientific or not, has long been formed as a genre of voice use and is accepted by the majority of amateur vocal music lovers. Due to its popularity, popularity and unique singing personality, it also occupies a place in various competitions and professional vocal music fields. Therefore, it is undeniable that this singing method must have its uniqueness, and our vocal music circle should pay attention to it. Below I will just talk about a few personal views on the vocal characteristics of popular singing.

1. Breathing is the foundation. "Qi is the foundation of sound" and "breathing is the driving force of singing." As one of the vocal singing arts, popular singing is also inseparable from the support of breath. The use of breathing in popular singing is even more unique when combined with song emotion and song style.

[Performance of Breathing] Different song contents contain different emotions. The popular singing method attaches great importance to the intensification and externalization of the emotion of the song, and the use of breathing is the key. For example, when expressing very sad and profound emotions, the breathing is very strong, and the vocal cords are intentionally not fully closed, resulting in a hoarse sound that sounds like air leakage. This hoarse and deep voice color is exaggerated and externalized. , let the audience (listener) really feel this emotion. This sentence in the song "Mother in Candlelight": 440610123222 Among the two words "mouth" and "throat", you can sing it with a hoarse voice to show that the protagonist can no longer control his emotions, so as to strengthen the voice of infectiousness. Another example is the strong lyricism, when expressing a kind of pursuit and memory of beautiful emotions, the breathing should be soft and even, forming the best coordination with the vocal cords. The color of this kind of voice is soft and round, and the control and application of breathing reflect the vocal music. techniques on. This method can be used for singing songs such as "The Crooked Moon", "The Sound of the Waves Still Sound" and "Through the Moon Full of Flowers". In addition, when expressing intense and rough emotions, the depth and intensity of breathing must be strengthened, and a strong tightening state is formed at the waist and diaphragm, so that the voice will have explosive power and produce a voice color that is almost like a shout. For example, there are two interludes in the movie "Red Sorghum": "Sister, Go Forward Boldly", "Good Wine Song", etc. In these two songs, the melody has taken a back seat, and the expression of emotion has become almost natural. This is the second kind of breathing state that is extremely stressful and exciting during physical labor mentioned earlier. As for cheerful and relaxed emotions, the flow of breath is required to be light and smooth, not too deep, and does not require greater intensity, such as "Telling You Softly", "Chashan Love Song", etc.

[About "breath singing"] Another feature of the use of breathing in popular singing is the use of "breath singing", which not only enriches the expressiveness of popular singing, but also adds new features to vocal art. means of expression.

"Breath singing method" is a style in which breath and sound are combined regardless of the rules of vocalization. Normal vocalization rules require that when the breath vibrates the vocal cords, the two vocal cords must be closed to produce a sound. This kind of sound is relatively strong and loud. However, the "breath singing method" intentionally does not allow the vocal cords to be completely closed and allows the airflow to pass through the incompletely vibrating vocal cords. issue.

In this kind of sound, due to the obvious air flow sound, the sound color is slightly dark, weak, and even somewhat muted. This kind of sound is more natural and friendly, and has special appeal. Li Guyi has made outstanding achievements in the application of "breath singing". She sang "Hometown Love" (the episode of the TV movie "The Legend of Three Gorges") and the episode "Velvet Flower" in the movie "Little Flower", etc., which left a deep impression on people. impression.

2. The movement state of the vocal organs [Vocal Cords] In popular singing, the main function of the vocal cords is pronunciation, that is, when the airflow vibrates the two vocal cords, they close and produce sound. However, in order to express a certain special emotion of a song, or express some special style and charm of a song, when the airflow vibrates the vocal cords, one part of the two vocal cords can be closed, leaving the other part unclosed, causing air leakage. At this time, the function of the vocal cords is not just pronunciation, but also has the function of expressing emotions or expressing style and charm. As mentioned in the previous section "Breath Singing".

[Lypharynx and soft palate] Among the various vocal cavities in singing, the hypopharyngeal cavity is the dominant vocal cavity. In the vocalization of popular singing, the hypopharyngeal cavity plays an important role. This is because the sound in the hypopharyngeal cavity is natural and simple, and has strong plasticity, while the use of sounds in popular singing focuses more on natural or semi-natural sound characteristics. In other words, in popular singing, the laryngopharyngeal cavity is wider than that of female voices. Songs with deep emotions should be played louder than songs with upbeat and jumping emotions. The former is like "A good man has a safe life" and "Applause rings out"; the latter is like "Telling You Softly", "Betel Nut Picking, etc." In addition, the singing styles of songs are different, the music genres are different, and the opening and closing states of the hypopharyngeal cavity are also different.

The state of the soft palate is closely related to the opening and closing of the hypopharynx. Only when the hypopharyngeal cavity is opened can the state of the soft palate be required. Popular singing does not require intentionally raising the soft palate to create a high-positioned vaginal vibration. Anyone who has studied vocal music will use the soft palate flexibly and skillfully to show vocal cultivation, protect the vocal cords and throat, and at the same time enhance the expressiveness of the song.

The soft palate can be used flexibly in the following situations: when singing forcibly, the soft palate can naturally lift as the throat opens; when singing high notes, the soft palate can also be lifted appropriately. This can decompose part of the impact of strong airflow on the vocal cords and larynx, expand the range of vibration and reduce the pressure on the larynx. But the focus of the call cannot be entirely on the raised soft palate. This is because after the soft palate is raised, the color of the vocals in the high position is different from the color of the throat. If you sing entirely in the high position, you will lose the sound characteristics of popular singing. Therefore, even if the soft palate is raised, it can only be used skillfully, but the position of the hypopharyngeal cavity as the dominant vocal cavity must still be retained. For example, "Ten Thousand Times Questions" (the theme song of the TV series "Beijingers in New York"), the high pitch reaches BB2, which is quite difficult for popular singing methods that mainly use real voices, but if you use it a little A little high-position sound, coupled with the organic cooperation of the breath, the high notes will be completed better. Liu Huan's singing achieved the best effect, not only maintaining the style of popular singing, but also showing the color and emotion of high notes, demonstrating his profound skills in using vocal methods and his mastery of the difficult skills of popular singing. The flexible use of the soft palate is also reflected in popular songs with strong lyricism. Lyrical songs focus on the softness, roundness, and smoothness of the voice. There is no need to tighten the throat, but to loosen it to form a hollow shape. At this time, if you lift the soft palate, control the sound on the soft palate and pharynx, and let the breath flow evenly, the sound will inevitably appear lyrical. Of course, this also depends on the lyric content and music style. Love songs are more soft and mellow. Songs that praise the motherland and miss the hometown are more profound and respectful, so you can make some fine adjustments to the state of the soft palate to show the difference in sound color.

Reference material: Weifengying Popular Music Network