I think most architects would agree that when it comes to building a house, getting the foundation right is the most important part. Without it, the building will not stand (at least not for long). In the same way, breath support is the foundation of singing. It’s from this support that our sound maintains stability. Yet it seems that for many singers (even those who have had tons of training), a truly solid understanding of this foundation remains elusive.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misleading and contradictory information out there that serves to confuse more. Here, I’m going to try to address what I find to be the two most common misconceptions about breath support.
Misconception #1: You should breathe into your belly. Breathe into my belly? I’m pretty sure I don’t have lungs in my belly. If you’ve heard this, it’s because someone has noticed you’re taking shallow breaths which pull your chest and shoulders up. If you try to “breathe into your belly,” what you end up doing is forcefully distending your abdominal muscles out on the inhale—which may redirect the energy out of your shoulders—but does absolutely nothing to help
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