You're Not Breathing Right!

Dr. Ken Peterson
Reprinted by permission of the author and The South Dakota Musician, Fall 2001, Alexander Fokkens, Editor

Sound familiar? Despite frequent lip service to "correct breathing," to date, no one has been able to adequately describe how this is accomplished in terms of actual human physiology. Having recently and finally completed an in-depth study of breathing for singing, I thought it appropriate to share some of what I've learned with my South Dakota colleagues.

Do We Know What "Correct Breathing" Is?

In this day of high technology it is surprising to find that much has yet to be determined, under controlled investigation, concerning the act of respiration for singing. Much of what is expounded by vocal pedagogists is still only "theory," and will remain so until further studies add more to our knowledge on this important topic. 2
A recent survey of nearly 400 respected teachers of singing throughout the United States sought to discover the foremost directives for teaching breathing for singing. Of the "Top 20 Breath Support Directives" distilled from this survey, four dealt solely with the posture, three were analogies, one was an exercise, and twelve dealt solely with inhalation. 3 Not one of the top 20 teaching directives dealt on any level with actual human physiological function. The author of the survey summarized as follows:

The singing professional historically has been characterized by various methods and terminologies, as well as by idiosyncratic pedagogical approaches. Poorly-defined technical terms and poor understanding of the physiological process of singing have led to confusion, misconceptions, and difficulty in communication with each other, as well as with other professions. 4


Why Don't We Know More?

The reason for our poor understanding of breathing for singing is lack of conclusive research. Johan Sundberg offers an explanation as to why this could be:
Many scientists have probably avoided the singing voice as a research object; singers' voices seem so special that general conclusions regarding voice are probably hard to infer from the way they use their voices. Further, what would be the applications of scientific research on the singing voice? 5
The highly specialized yet multi-disciplinary nature of this kind of research certainly lends to its scarcity.

What Are Some Common Misconceptions?

That twelve of the "Top 20 Breath Support Directives" dealt solely with inhalation confirms my own experiences in the profession with regard to the following: too many of us fail to differentiate between the inspiratory and the expiratory cycles of respiration, let alone the difference between passive and active expiration. Although related, inhalation and active expiration are more appropriately thought of as opposite sides of the same coin. Physiologically speaking, they are as different as night and day.

For example, one often hears the expression "sing from the diaphragm." Although it is commonly known that the diaphragm is the primary muscle of inspiration, it is less well understood that the diaphragm does not and physically cannot aid in the active expenditure of the breath. Strictly speaking, it is physically impossible to "sing from the diaphragm." If not the diaphragm then, what muscle or muscles are responsible for expelling the breath and hence responsible for singing? Most will agree with the general response that the "abdominals" are responsible for expelling the breath. The idea is that the muscles of the abdominal wall contract to compress the abdominal contents back up toward the diaphragm, forcing the diaphragm itself upward like a piston to expel the breath.

The question then becomes which of the major abdominal muscle groups are involved and to what extent? Without boring you with details, the results of my research conclusively demonstrated that the upper striation of the rectus abdominis (the muscle group just below the sternum) and the obliques (the muscle groups roughly on either side of the abdomen) are equally and highly active during active expiration. The lower abdomen (the region below the navel), however, was not significantly involved in the active expiratory process.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I believe that we in the profession of teaching voice have a responsibility to recognize the gaps in our understanding of the vocal instrument, be willing to admit what we don't yet know and to be open to and excited about new developments in the study of the vocal mechanism.

Part of that responsibility might include retiring "poorly-defined technical terms" and directives that encumber the process in favor of explicit, carefully defined terms and directives based on known principles of the physiology of singing. Along with that, we musn't be afraid to honestly question the efficacy of heretofore-unfounded pedagogical approaches.
We are privileged to live at a time when more and more, the hidden instrument is being brought to light through continuous research. For the sake of our students, let's take advantage of whatever new insight we can to refine our teaching methods to be that much more effective and precise.

1. Peterson, Ken 0., "Electromyographic Investigation of Abdominal Musculature During Measured Active Expiration," Published Doctor of Arts dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2001.
2. Kenneth Phillips, "Respiration for Singing: Torso Movement and Related Research," Journal of Research in Singing (December 1985): 10.
3. Kathleen Wilson Spillane, "Breath Support Directives Used by Singing Teachers: a Delphi Study," The NATS Journal (January/February 1989): 11-12
4. Ibid., 9.
5. Johan Sundberg, "What's So Special About Singers?" Journal of Voice, vol.4, no. 2 (1990): 107.

Ken Peterson received his Doctorate of the Arts in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado, the Master of Music degree from Illinois State University and the Bachelor of Music degree from Utah State University. He has performed extensively throughout the United States. At SDSU Dr. Peterson teaches applied voice, voice pedagogy, directs the music for the annual musicals, directs the Vocal Jazz ensemble, and is assistant director of the Opera Workshop. Ken and his wife Leslie are proud parents of four beautiful boys and when he is not busy with them, he enjoys the study of vocal research and related literature. ken_peterson@sdstate.edu
http://www3.sdstate.edu/Academics/CollegeOfArtsAndScience/Music/Faculty/KenPeterson/