Shush! Silent breaths

One of the most common issues we see in our studio when working with singers of all types is hearing loud, gasping, or aspirate inhalation sounds.  When we listen to our students inhale in preparation to sing, we don't want to actually hear their breath coming in.  If we do “hear” them inhaling then we know that the singer is not raising their soft palate and creating an open throat.  If you hear that aspirate sound of your breath coming in, you need to learn to raise your soft palate.  For more information on raising the soft palate, please see our blog post from 11/9/21.

Another issue you will experience when you are breathing loudly, is a very dry mouth and throat.  With each breath you take, you will feel your voice getting drier and drier to the point that it will begin to cut out or crack.  So, what can you do?  Try taking in your breath making as little sound as possible.  You will hear the breath going past your teeth and your lips but you should not hear a raspy gasping type of sound. If you are already working on raising your soft palate, taking a silent breath is another way to achieve the raised palate because when your breath comes in silently, you have raised your soft palate and gotten it out of the way.  Because we have to breathe often as singers, if you take in a silent breath each time you breathe, you will be practicing raising the soft palate which will give you a lot of chances to practice this important skill and have success in achieving that full, beautiful, open sound we all want!