Running out of air during performance...

[midlifecrisisbuffalo]

Sometimes during performances, I lose my breath... I feel like I cant breathe in or out... Drives me nuts... I am very animated on stage with dancing around and working the crowd, Im 52, and think that has something to do with it as well. Been singing my entire life and have been fronting bands for 38 years! Doctor sys Im ok, maybe breathing excersizes?

[highmtn]

@midlifecrisisbuffalo,

 

You're not a smoker, are you? I hope not. That certainly won't help you with sustaining your breath, and you never know when that habit is going to catch up with you and knock your for a loop.

 

Dancing around will affect your ability to maintain good breath, as well. A lot of the song-and-dance bigtime folks do lip-syncing when doing big dance numbers.

 

All that said, the other obvious places to look point to: Are you using diaphragmatic breathing for singing? Yes, we all have to use our diaphragms in order to breathe, but how we use it makes a big difference. You can watch all kinds of videos on the internet about diaphragmatic breathing for singing. So I would ask, do you breathe when singing according to any of these methods?

 

If you learn to use proper singing breaths, you can dance and move around, but those techniques should be ingrained into your brain enough that you won't get distracted from using your diaphragm properly. I'm older than you, and I can hold a note for as long as I want. People even get bored if I hold a note too long, deliberately. I am a runner, and that probably helps, but more than that, I know that breathing for singing is very different than breathing for normal life or for running.

 

Since the Doc says you're OK, you probably need to watch a few singing videos and do the SSSSSSSSSSSS and the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ where you try to go 10 seconds, then 15, then 20, 30 etc... Those are some common breath stamina exercises. There are more. Everybody's got 'em.

 

Get all buff and them wow 'em with your long notes!

 

Good luck!

 

Bob

 

[midlifecrisisbuffalo]

Hey Bob! Thanks for the advice... I will look at some videos on youtube and try some new breathing techniques...I am a former smoker......I still might smoke a cig here and there,, maybe 2-3 a month sociably at gigs... but that's it.. even though I know its bad.... But I am just trying to get it right... It doesn't happen all thime.. mainly on 5-6 tunes that we do, out of 1001 that we know! lol.... I am a very animated performer, I play guitar as well but I had to put it down due to Carpal Tunnel and Ulnar Nerve disorder in my hands and elbows... so I just do the front work now.....and I cant stand still!!! LOL!!!

[Vox Source]

Hey @midlifecrisisbuffalo

 

I would recommend the breathing exercises! Especially with you being very animated on stage with dancing, and that occasional cig pull does help either!! Lol but by learning how to breathe and expanding your lungs will be able to get a better tone and project your notes out to "work" that crowd even more than you already are! Incorporate the right tips and tricks into your breathing will allow you to dance and move around and still sound great. Here are a few simple tips you can follow in addiction to the great advice Bob gave that will help you breathe correctly when you sing.

Only move your abdomen when you breathe- You can practice this by lying on the floor, with a book on top of your abdomen. If it the book doesn’t move up and down, find out what body part is moving, and then change your breathing so the air moves in and out through your stomach.

Fill your belly with air.-When you first start out, you can focus on keeping the air in your abdomen by filling your stomach with air, and then slowly letting that air out like a balloon. Use some visualization with this technique so you will learn how to move air in and out of your stomach.

 

Don't use too much air- It doesn’t take a lot of air to sing. If you use too much air, you will spend more time breathing than you will singing, so practice singing without using much air.

 

I hope these tips can help! There are so many out there...Good Luck!

 

P.S

I also have a FREE pdf that can that have a a lot more tips that can be valuable to helping you.

 

Cathy

 

 

 

 

[PhilMoufarrege]

Sometimes during performances' date=' I lose my breath... I feel like I cant breathe in or out... Drives me nuts... I am very animated on stage with dancing around and working the crowd, Im 52, and think that has something to do with it as well. Been singing my entire life and have been fronting bands for 38 years! Doctor sys Im ok, maybe breathing excersizes? [/quote']

 

Great posts here...

Just to add something else that I think will help:

If you practice in a rehearsal studio then book some time there and try to recreate the live setting as best as you can. Pump the cd up really loud and what I would like you to do is do a set of pushups or jumping jacks to get your heart rate up (this will mimic that adrenaline rush/slightly out of breath feeling you get when you are about to go on stage).

 

Then start singing your set while you MOVE AROUND and "be animated" as you said. Try to practice as close to how you will perform. Hell you can even do this on a treadmill, running and singing. Or if you don't have that, just jog on the spot, or just dance and sing. The key is you want to get good at taking your breath while doing this.

 

It is imperative that you relax your support muscles inbetwen phrases and relaxe everything so that you can take another breath without any tension in the body. A key part of doing this is keeping your lower back flattened and knees silghtly bent so that you can take quick "micro breaths" that still feel COMPLETE.

 

I hope this helps.

[midlifecrisisbuffalo]

Wow thank you all for the advice and tips! Performing tonight in Hamburg NY so will try some of the tips. Especially like the flattened lower back and slightly bent knees... It makes a ton of sense...Im not 25 anymore, but at 52 , I do alright! Lolol! Rock on all my fellow Vocalists! sing sing sing!