PART II.
CHIEFLY ON RESPIRATION.
We will now turn our attention to the different ways of breathing.
In throat or collar-bone breathing (the wrong method) the region of the upper ribs is most strongly distended; the collar-bone, part of the breast-bone, the shoulders, the spine, and in laboured breathing even the head, take part in this mode.
It is fatiguing and injurious, yet it is very general, both in speaking and singing; and in time it would make the voice weak and tremulous. There is little doubt it produces a tendency to sore throat. Some authorities even say that imperfect respiration is one of the causes of consumption, and that practising deep breathing in the proper manner is a preventive.
Most likely if you were told to inhale deeply, you would open your mouth and try to expand the chest from above. This is quite wrong; it is styled collar-bone breathing.
It is a mistake to suppose the upper part of the chest is the chief reservoir of air required for the voice; that is brought into play by nature at times of exhaustion only.
Now for the proper mode: diaphragmatic or abdominal respiration. The diaphragm is a muscular membrane stretching from the front to the back, and in a state of rest is arched upwards towards the lungs, but on inhaling, its sides contract and the arch is flattened, causing the cavity of the chest to become enlarged, and the air rushes in by the windpipe and distends the lungs. When the muscles are relaxed, the elasticity of the lungs squeezes out the air, and the diaphragm is drawn up again to its original form.
A good position in which to acquire this mode of inspiration, is to lie down at full length on the back, the head as low as the body, and begin to inhale slowly (the clothes must be quite loose), then you will find the parts below the ribs expand like a pair of bellows. Another way. Sit on a chair—it must not be low and easy—with your hands folded behind it and breathe leisurely; or, stand perfectly upright, put your hands behind you, and draw in the air gently but deeply, retaining it for ten seconds or more, then let it go as slowly as possible.
Do not try to take too deep a breath at first, or you will find you cannot retain it. Your power will gradually increase.
Practise, without singing, sometimes in one of these positions, sometimes in another, twice or thrice a day, but not for many minutes at a time. It will strengthen the lungs and organs of digestion. You will now have found how important it is for the clothing to be loose, I hope.
It is well to close the mouth when one wishes to take breath. Especially at long rests the singer should do so, as it prevents the throat and vocal chords from getting dry. If they do become so the voice loses sweetness.
Remember a good tone does not depend on the great volume of air ejected: indeed, too much breath expended will make it uncertain. Flat singing is now and then the result of this forcing. The air must be given out gradually, not jerked out.
Avoid coughing; it is an injurious habit easily got into; if you feel an inclination to do so before beginning to sing, check it if possible, and instead quietly swallow.
Let me advise you not to eat nuts or similar dry things before singing, and here is another hint. Do not sit in a low chair with the feet perched up on a stool after meals, as the digestive faculties cannot act well in such a position. With an impaired digestion the voice may become affected.
Never talk in the open air if the weather is cold and damp, nor when travelling, nor at any time, if it can be avoided, where there is much noise.
Many persons wrap up the throat excessively. One of my pupils came once with no less than two silk handkerchiefs under a fur-lined cloak, besides wearing a boa. A silk scarf is enough even for the winter; fur is not healthy to wear unless it is in the form of a loose mantle.
It is a good plan on getting up each morning to bathe the neck with cold water, afterwards drying well, using plenty of friction, also to gargle the throat with cold water.
For the expansion of the chest, I strongly advise the use, night and morning, of an elastic chest expander. It must be strong enough to require a distinct effort to stretch it, and the exercise must be persevered with for ten minutes at a time, until the muscles begin to ache. By-and-by it can be used for a longer period.
The singer must observe the laws of health, remembering that the vocal organ is but an instrument, though played on by the soul.
A few more words before closing this article. Perchance one of my readers may be anxious to sing well, though unable to have the benefit of receiving lessons. In that case, I do not advise the study of exercises, unless some tuition has first been received from a competent person, as bad habits are so easily formed though not so easily got rid of.
Let the songs you choose lie well within your range of voice, without runs or shakes; nothing being more absurd than to hear ornaments badly executed.
When it is possible, try to hear a professional render a song that you know. There are many ballad concerts given, and the music that will be performed is generally advertised. Take your copy with you, and mark all places where breath is taken, where a crescendo is made, and where the time is slackened or accelerated. You will get a good lesson on a song in this way, and if you persevere your style will by degrees improve.
Before singing a new song, practise the accompaniment well, then study the words, making it a rule to recite them, that you may give proper effect to both music and poetry. Try always to bear in mind, what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.