Q&A for How to Breathe Correctly to Protect Your Singing Voice

If you want to improve your lung capacity, take a deep breath that fills up your chest, your lower back, and your intercostals. Then, as slowly as you can, release the breath with a hissing sound. You can even time yourself, so if you do it and you can hiss for 40 seconds, you might try it again and try to extend it to 45 seconds, then 50. That will help strengthen your lungs and your support system.

You may be holding your breath for too long. Practice breathing to avoid feeling faint.

Yes, it can help you get better at regulating your breathing, as well as make your abs stronger, which will help you when singing.

A few extra pounds won't affect singing at all. Some of the best singers are a bit heavy.

Yes. Drink plenty of water. It will clear your throat and help you sing better.

Try to work harder on finding the gaps in the song you pick and when you do, take deeper breaths. This might also help with hitting notes.

Yes you can still sing, but it may harm you and damage your voice.

Just keep working on it, and keep tightening your stomach muscles when you sing. You will soon find yourself becoming louder.

That vibration may just be your vibrato showing itself, which is healthy for people who sing classically, and is correlated to proper breath control.

Combined breathing, which is breathing both from your nose and mouth, is recommended.

Practice singing while plugging your nose. Voice teachers have students do this all the time.

Try using your diaphragm as your main breathing system. This will allow you to avoid having curvy voices or nasal sounds.

The diaphragm is a muscle below your lungs that assists in a deep inhale and an exhale. It is what causes hiccups.

Quit smoking for the first step. After that, exercise and eat healthy. Exercise will help to expand you lung capacity.

Only if you're breathing from another part of your body, like your chest or shoulders; your diaphragm should be pushing out as you inhale.

You will know that you are doing it properly when you believe you can do it. All it takes is courage, faith, and hope, and keep trying to do it properly. You also breathe from your whole stomach.

You want to exhale slowly with a little bit of pressure.

It would help to lift your top lip without smiling and make an o-shape to allow the sound to flow properly. Lift the soft palate, too.

Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth. This is your hard palate. Then slide it back to your throat where the bone stops and it becomes soft like your cheek. This is your soft palate.

Just practice. Try to hit slightly higher notes in songs. Relax your body and don't strain your voice by trying too hard.

Yes, staying hydrated keeps your throat lubricated.

Practice every day. Do warm ups, and drink a lot of water. Voice lessons are always helpful as well!

As uncomfortable as it might be, you have to force your body to adjust to proper posture and sitting techniques, even if it's painful at first. Proper posture is the only way to get truly correct breathing.

Consider having your adenoids and tonsils surgically removed -- but only by a specialist who understands how to protect singers' voices when doing this procedure.

Try to soothe and clear your throat with hot tea with honey and cider vinegar. Go easy on your voice until you have to use it and keep hydrated.

It is a dome-shaped sheet of muscle that is inserted into the lower ribs. It's located right under the chest. Place your hand above it and now try to breathe through it by making your abdominal muscles expand, allowing very little movement of your chest and shoulders and, when you are filled with air.

To trill try to lower and raise your pitch at a very quick pace. Work on getting faster, and you'll get a trill/vibrato.

you may be pushing yourself too hard. If you get lightheaded, take it easy, and maybe work more on your breathing techniques.

Try to connect your breath to the start of a phrase. Don't allow a time gap between your inhale and sound production.