Season 1 | Episode 6
Intro
There is only one way to breathe while singing – what a load of crap!
Welcome to The Voice Science Podcast, where we dive into the science behind all things singing and teaching. Here, you’ll learn how the voice works and discover practical tips to train it more efficiently. I’m Drew and I’ll be your guide for this episode about breathing.
Anatomy
Specifically in this episode, we are exploring the act of inhalation. For inspiration, there are a few muscles you should be aware of. The first is the diaphragm, which is a large domed muscle that separates the thorax or chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. When the diaphragm engages it descends flaring the ribcage and pushing the abdominal viscera out of its way, if the abdominal muscles are relaxed it will cause an expansion of the abdominal area, kinda like pretending you ate a huge meal. Without the diaphragm, breathing would be incredibly difficult.
Assisting the diaphragm there are many secondary muscles: the external intercostals, the scalenes, the sternocleidomastoids, the pectoralis, and the latissimus dorsi to name a few. The breathing techniques we are about to discuss revolve around different uses of these secondary muscles as well as the abdominal muscles. In all cases, the diaphragm is actively involved despite some common naming conventions.
Types of Breath
While there are undoubtedly an incredible number of ways you can breathe, typically they are broken into four types of breathing. Diaphragmatic, Thoracic, Clavicular, and Balanced. Let’s take a look at how they differ and why you might choose to use each of them. But before we do just a quick note about air volume; the amount of air that is required to sing a specific line depends on a number of factors like length of the phrase, intensity, pitch level, and other stylistic factors – these are important for deciding the best type of breath for a given situation. But do note that most phrases are really quite short and do not benefit from maximal intake of air.
Diaphragmatic Breathing or Belly Breathing
Let’s start with the proclaimed “right way” to breathe, Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. With a diaphragmatic breath, the abdominal muscles are relaxed allowing the diaphragm to lower maximally providing a large volume of air. This breath is typically also defined as having little to no chest or shoulder movement. Along with this is a natural lowering of the larynx and a natural calming of the heart rate.
This breath excels in high-stress situations where nerves are an issue and calm is desired, but also in situations where a lowered laryngeal position is desirable like classical music in a low to mid-pitch range.
This breath can be less than ideal in situations where you are portraying a highly emotional character or when singing in contemporary commercial styles or when singing higher notes that require a higher laryngeal position.
Emotionally this breath is calming but it is also very visible to an audience that will subconsciously notice the relaxed body language this breath conveys.
Clavicular Breathing
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Clavicular breathing which is named for the movement of the clavicle during inhalation. The shoulders visibly raise, and the abdomen may even move inward. Despite this different movement, I do want to highlight that the diaphragm is actively involved in all breathing.
This breath is wild and can be rather uncontrollable on the exhale, but it is also a breath of heightened activity and emotion. It is the body’s natural response to increased emotional and/or physical load because it is the fastest method of inhalation, drawing air into the lungs quickly, perfect for fueling the body for physical activity. Much like the Diaphragmatic breath it has a direct impact on the height of the larynx causing it to rise, this can be problematic for a lot of classical singing but potentially helpful for some CCM techniques.
Thoracic Breathing
Thoracic breathing is a type of breath that many people are very familiar with, it is characterized by an expansion through the chest, thus thoracic. This is a very normal method of breathing for most people, it is probably how you are breathing most of the time, and what a fantastic way to breathe. You get a decently large volume of air, with no real impact on laryngeal height, and is easily managed during inhalation and exhalation. It is a truly excellent default setting.
Balanced Breathing
The fourth and final breathing method is what is called Balanced Breathing. It is characterized by an expansion of the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This double expansion allows for the largest volume of air to be taken in, something that tends to be a double-edged sword, providing large amounts of air but also significant amounts of subglottal air pressure that needs to be regulated, no easy task. Some people might find that there is a slight lowering of the larynx with this breath as well potentially causing issues with singing higher or in certain styles. On the other hand, for exceptionally long phrases in classical music, this is an indispensable tool.
Recap
So, to wrap things up—there isn’t one “right” way to breathe for singing. Instead, different breathing strategies serve different purposes. Diaphragmatic breathing can be great for calming nerves and supporting classical singing in lower ranges. Clavicular breathing fuels high-energy moments but can be hard to control. Thoracic breathing is a natural, everyday breath that works well in many singing situations. And balanced breathing offers maximum air volume but requires careful management to avoid excess subglottal pressure. The key takeaway? The best breath for singing depends on what you’re trying to achieve, both vocally and artistically.
But real quick before you go, if you have questions about this episode or questions about the voice and singing in general, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach out to us on our website at voicescience.org/contact/. We’ll reach back out with an answer, answer your question in a future episode, or both.
Outro
Thanks for tuning in to The Voice Science Podcast! If you found this episode helpful, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future deep dives into the science of singing. Have a question or a breathing myth you want busted? Drop a comment, send me a message, or share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it! You can also check out more voice science insights at voicescience.org.
Until next time—breathe well, sing smart, and keep exploring your voice!