Breathing

I don't want to get overly technical or into anatomy. I want to say that breathing for singing is much easier than we make it out to be. If you can imagine sitting back in a relaxed position, watching your favorite movie or t.v. show, now think about the type of breathing you are doing when you are relaxed. Where does that relaxed breathing come from? The answer is low. We see the abdomen rise and fall as we are in this relaxed state of breathing. It does not involve the shoulders or the chest rising. So why is it when we take in air for singing we tense up and suck in air from in front of us? Is it a fear of singing? A fear of failing? A fear of not making a good sound? Try some relaxed breathing and sighing, then try relaxed breathing and sighing on pitch. The key here is to relax and breath as you would normally breath when having a nice relaxing conversation.

Getting Scoped

Its interesting that so many of us singers deal with acid reflux and the hoarseness it causes. After 2 1/2 years of being on acid reducing prescriptions and increasing doses only for that to stop working, to switching meds, I got fed up and called Vanderbilt Voice Clinic. What an awesome experience to get to see my vocal cords as I was singing. Now getting scoped of course isn't very fun, because I gagged a few times but it was totally worth it to see my own vocal folds, vibrate. To see the vocal folds seperate and see down the windpipe as I took a breath was amazing. You can be told this happens but you don't really get it till you see it first hand.

As for the acid reflux, I am being sent to a GI doctor who is going to do an endoscopy in a few weeks. Not excited about this but am hoping I will get more answers to this ongoing issue. I hope to not have to continue taking the amount of acid reducing meds that I take. Most of all, I hope to be able to have good vocal health and eliminate all hoarseness in my voice.