Elizabeth Tait OB Ch.3 Summary

Summary: Posture and breathing are of the utmost importance, and are an even greater priority than tone production in the building of healthy singing.  The diaphragm's functions and motion is directly related to posture (specifically of the lumbar vertebrae), so it is vital to do exercises that encourage proper alignment.  We can be more aware of body alignment (in order to correct it), through developing the 6th sense of proprioception, or the sensory awareness of muscles.  Brown includes a comprehensive list of exercises that enhance posture and proprioception.  With good posture in place, Brown goes to discuss breathing.  Breathing is really the movement of a pendulum: breath enters the body when it is needful, and naturally leaves the body when it is needful.  There is no forcing of air in or out on our part.  And what's great about establishing good breathing is that also brings down the larynx!  FTW!  Once relaxed breathing has been establish, we can move towards singing.  Singing does not use the entire lung volume, but only vital capacity.  That excludes residual volume (air left after forced expiration.)  But we do fill our lungs to their complemental volume (full capacity) for singing.  Brown then lists a series of breathing exercises to practice these skills.  Essentially, don't make this too complicated! "Trust that the energy will be there when you need it and you will never have to worry about the mystery of supporting a tone.  Breath will connect with the tone and the release of air will do the work."
Key Terms
crura
lumbar vertebrae
proprioception
kinesthesia
transversalis
external and internal intercostals
pericardium
tidal volume/complemental volume/supplemental volume/residual volume
vital capacity
cortical control
reflexive action
Venturi Effect
Key Concepts: Using these exercises will get you to a place where you can carry the body and breath with ultimate freedom.  Once you have established that, trust that your effort will carry you through.
Making Connections: I really loved when he mentioned the pendulum concept in relation to breathing.  Cindy have mentioned the pendulum effect in learning to sing often, and through pondering I've realized that the pendulum effect is a principle of life!  From the most elementary aspects of life (such as breathing) and the most complicated (relationships), the pendulum effect holds true!  Fascinating...