Yahoo Answers is shutting down on 4 May 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Liz
Lv 7
Liz asked in Entertainment & MusicMusicSinging · 6 years ago

How does anyone think you can support air?

I keep seeing the word support used in terms of singing like for example you have to support the air. Just think about this. How do you support air? Can we have a better way of describing this than something that is basically a nonsense statement?

7 Answers

Relevance
  • 6 years ago
    Favourite answer

    The air in your lungs, not surrounding you. The sound (singing) is supported if the singer knows how to properly control the flow of air, or rather their breath, chiefly when the breath is expelled. They need to know when and how to take an adequate breath of air (oxygen isn't really accurate either if you want to quibble over terms, since other gasses are present in our atmosphere) for singing. However, no matter how big of a breath they take, or how "correctly" they do it, if all the air is expelled at once, they will run out of the necessary breath to support whatever note or phrase they need to sing.

    People take necessary breaths when they talk, but breathing in and out while talking is pretty much automatic. We don't think about it.

    The "diaphragm" is a large organ located at the base of the lungs, and abdominal muscles can help control (to a point) the movement of the diaphragm to expel breath needed for singing. However, the phrase "sing from the diaphragm" or "breathe from the diaphragm" is not entirely accurate. There are people who constantly write in asking how they can literally breath WITH their diaphragm intead of their lungs, or ask how can they use their diaphragm instead of the THROAT for singing. I usually will explain that unless they are aliens with strange anatomy, the air is going in and out of the lungs, and everyone sings from the throat because the layrnx is located there.

    It's very different to learn how not to STRAIN the throat muscles or vocal cords while singing, and trying not to use them at all by mysteriously transferring sound production to the midsection of your body.

    Amateur singers also overemphasize the importance of breath control. YES, it is very, very important for reasons I already mentioned. However, it is not the only thing involved in producing a lovely and "supported" tone while singing.

    Even how vowels and consonants sounds are pronounced is going to affect how well or easily the tone comes out.

    THAT'S why people who actually sing for a living, or who teach voice for a living, or anyone who actually has had REAL LESSONS from a QUALIFIED teacher (not some 16 year old in back of the music store, or from YouTube), will insist that those who can't even sing in the simplest song in tune, really NEED expert help. It isn't a matter of EGO. If you've noticed, there are PLENTY of people who can sing beautifully without having had any lessons--including small children. However, if a person has tried all their lives to sing better, and has sent away for countless DVDs and books, and watched videos hour upon hour, and STILL could not sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" but thinks they can star on Broadway---sorry, "denial" ain't just a river in Egypt!

    There are people, for whatever reason, may never be able to learn to sing correctly. But most should be able to learn, after a lot of hard work, to sing in tune with a relatively pleasant tone. Even talented singers don't necessarily make it in show business.

    Source(s): Personal experience and knowledge as a classically trained singer (and I have been very lucky to have had some really excellent teachers) http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_cond... http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/bre... This describes deep breathing for health and relaxation, not singing
  • 6 years ago

    I've never heard that term; however I have heard the term breath control which means you control your breathing while singing with your diaphragm.

  • 6 years ago

    Obviously you don't blurt all the air out at once, you need to control the airflow properly.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    The diaphragm helps with controlling the air when singing

  • 4 years ago

    2

  • ?
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    1

  • Lv 7
    6 years ago

    it is an abstract term that pro singers use to sound smart. i recommend a new teacher. one with some humility...

Still have questions? Get answers by asking now.