Ask Dr. LJ: Singing.

[saxikath]

So, I'm doing this solo with a bell piece that we're playing in late February. And wow, am I out of practice. The piece is slow, with looooong breath lines. (At least long for me.) Breath line was never my strongest suit, even when I was in better vocal condition, and now -- ouch.

So the question is, for you singers out there: what exercises do you recommend for working on breath line?

In related news, there is a distinct shortage of me-accessible musical theater this spring. Foo. Princess Ida is still an option, though I'm not all that wild about Blanche and can't imagine they'd actually cast me as Psyche. But I want to sing somewhere! (Brigadoon isn't happening in Belmont after all.)

(And yes, I went swimming again yesterday. And am going again tonight. I'm a quarter of the way across the Hellespont at its widest. Rawr!)

Comments

[stevie-stever.livejournal.com]

the breathe-in/breathe-out warm-up that's already mentioned is great.

For actual singing, once I've warmed up, I often taken a challenging run that I know from one piece or another and run through it. It doesn't have to be pretty...the idea is to get used to singing with as few breaths as are possible.

Selections from Bach's Magnificat are good for this, as are selections from B Minor Mass.

My favorites are various Mozart runs and of course almost -anything- from Handel's Messiah