Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 9/11/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello, and thank you so much for your time! I have a short question but if you could answer it the help would be monumental. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on getting both my head and chest voice warmed up at the same time. I have a problem where I can either belt, go very low, or sing soprano at one point but never any of those three at once. My natural singing voice is a bit of a belt but I still need to warm up for longer if I want my full ability in that respect. For many songs I desire to sing I need to be able to jump from one voice to the next. My range is good but I can only produce an opera voice with a very long warm up and then I kiss belting good-bye. I don't know if this is natural or if there is a technique I simply don't know about but any insight for my problem would be much appreciated!!
Thank you!
Lauren

ANSWER: Lauren...Thanks for writing.

Let me think about this question for a bit.  OK?  

Do you have head exercises and chest exercises that you can do?  Or are you in need of exercises?

It could be that you are not using your diaphragm to sing.  It almost sounds like you are singing from the throat more than from your cage.  

Are you warming up with breathing exercises as well?  Where are you breathing from?


Let's start here and see what we can do.

Wanda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Wanda,
I have some exercises for both head and chest but I have not done breathing warm-ups...I never even thought of it! I have been taking account of where my breath support is while I sing for the past day or so in order to ask a relevant follow-up and I think I am inhaling properly but not pushing out the air from the bottom of my lungs first and it creates properly. I have done much diaphragm work on stage for acting and had that training before I began to explore my vocal abilities. Just focusing on singing from my cage and not my throat has already helped me, thank you! I suppose now I was wondering if there is any advice you have from what you know of what I do and if you could somehow convey to me what makes for the best breathing exercises?
Thank you!  
Lauren

Answer
Hey Lauren...I'm glad that helped.  :)  It is hard to help from this website sometimes as what we do as performers is so practical and is with our bodies.   It was worth the shot. :)  That is why I do this because we can help each other at least a little.  

Also glad you have head and chest exercises.  That's so good.  Keep doing them.

Breathing exercises - One of my favorite is for breath control and depth -  Take a small puff of air through the nose using your diaphragm and keep taking in small puffs of air through your nose using your diaphragm to pull the air in until your cage is so full it feels like it will burst.  No matter how much you want to release the air, try not to.  Then do the opposite.  Using your diaphragm, release a puff of air through your mouth and try to release just a little at a time until your cage is empty.  Then relax.

Another is simply breathing deep in through your nose and out through your mouth with your hand on your diaphragm making sure your diaphragm is doing the work. (This really should be how you breathe.  Many people actually breathe with their chest and that is why they are not that well.  The air is not getting down into their deepest cavities.)

Another is to do the deep breathing through the nose and out through the mouth using a song that you want to sing.  Take it slow at first making sure each and every breath is coming from the diaphragm. Eventually move to a place where you are doing the tempo of the song and you should see a remarkable difference in the tone quality and control.  

Does this help?

Wanda
www.reinholdtproductions.ca