Jared Daley Mckinney Chapter 4

What is the normal breathing rate of a person at rest?
-12-16 times per minute

What are the stages of breathing for life? 

-1-slow intake of air, 2-quicker release of air, 3-recovery period before next intake

What are the factors involved in getting air out of the body?

-expansion around the middle of the body in the upper abdomen, the lower ribs, and the back while the diaphragm slowly begins to release its tension.

What are the factors involved in getting air out of the body?
1. The diaphragm relaxes
2. The lungs return to their original shape
3. Abdominal organs and wall return to their original shape
4. The internal rib and abdominal muscles assist in getting rid of the air.

What are the benefits of breathing through the nose?

- (Why do we normally do this when breathing for life?) the nose filters, warms, and moistens the air by slowing its intake

Why does McKinney believe that aerobic conditioning is good for singers?

-Singers who exercise would be better and more efficient at exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen using the lower capillaries of the lungs.

What are the stages of breathing for singing? 

-inhalation, suspension, phonation, recovery

How does inhalation for singing differ from inhalation for life?
-The inhalation for singing, has more quantity, goes deeper into the lungs and is quicker than breathing for life.

What are the three scenarios he suggests trying to condition a good inhalation for singing?
1.Pretend you are smelling a flower
2. Pretend you are beginning a yawn.
3. Pretend you are drinking a flass of water

What are the three postural conditions that should exist BEFORE you inhale? 

-comfortably high chest, lower abdomen comfortably in, upper abdomen released and free to move

How does breath seem to move when you inhale? 

-In, down and out.

In the quote from Van Christy, “[When] all the muscles function properly in singing, there is a feeling of flexible, expansive openness in the body.

Why does McKinney say that recovery is important?

- If the recovery is insufficient tension can be built with each succeeding breath.

What is the secret for performing a good catch breath?

- getting the airway completely open as quickly as possible without extra restriction or work

What is breath support?
-Breath support is the "dynamic relationship between the breathing-in muscles and the breathing-out muscles, the purpose of which is to supply adequate breath pressure to the vocal folds for the sustaining of any desire pitch or dynamic level."

What is breath control?

- Mainly is a function of the vocal folds. A dynamic relationship between the breath and the vocal folds which determines how long you can sing on one breath.

What are the four incorrect methods of breathing and their corrective procedures?

- upper chest breathing--correct posture and breathing, rib breathing--release postural tensions and encourage upper abdominal expansion, back breathing--encourage frontal expansion, belly breathing--fix posture!

What is hypofunctional breathing and what are the corrective procedures for it?
-Hypofunctional breathing is when the singer can produce enough physical activity of the breathing mechanism. It is corrected by explaining, demonstrating the four stages in breathing.

What is hyperfunction breathing and what are the 2 main causes and corrective procedures for it?

- demanding too much activity of the breathing mechanism--only take as much air as is comfortable and use it efficiently

What is hypofunctional breath support and what are the possible causes?
-Hypofunctional breath support is the failure to activate the support mechanism and provide enough breath pressure for the proper function of the vocal chords. Possible causes are: no suspension phase, the misconception about how loud you are singing, an anemic concept of vocal tone, devitalized posture, and lack of awareness.

What is the corrective procedure for hypofunctional support?

- Dog panting, laughing like Santa Clause. Exaggerating the functions of breath support so they can begin to feel their purpose.

What is hyperfunctional breath support and what are the possible causes?
-Hyperfunctional breath is demanding too much from the support mechanism and results in a malfunction of the phonations, resonation and the articulation systems. Possible causes are: trying to make the voice big, pulling in the upper abdomen, elimination the suspension phase, excess postural tension and too muscular approach to singing.

What is the corrective procedure for hyperfunctional support?

- Student must learn to relaz the upper abdomen so that it retains ints flexibility and freedom. Encourage practicing the four stages of of breathing for singing. Make sure expansion and suspension is happening. Ask if they could sing to a baby. Ask for buoyancy not force.