When it comes to breathing for singing, one issue arises more often than any other.

There’s one issue that breathing coordination coach Lucinda Allen sees more than any other in her singing studio.

The common problem often goes under the radar and can cause raspiness, cracking or breathiness.

It can occur at any time but often tends to happen when a singer is about to belt or hit a high note.

So what is this common mistake singers make?

It’s taking in too much air – which then can cause problems when the singer exhales.

“With many of the singers I work with, there tends to be a faster exhale,” Lucinda says. “There is a sense of wanting to drive the air, whether it be just in breathing or when it comes to voicing.

“But if we’re expelling quite a lot of air, that tells us that we potentially could be taking in more air than is functionally optimal.”

Lucinda says singers often don’t realise how little air the vocal cords need to vibrate and make a sound.

“If the coordination of airflow and the vocal cords is not balanced, then we’re not going to be able to get that lovely cord closure and connection in the cords that we want,” she says.

“We’re either going to get the cords blown apart by that fast-moving air or contracting and squeezing together to try and maintain that function to make sound, but they can’t because of that huge flow of air.”

What should we be aiming for when it comes to breathing for singing?

“Ideally, we want a slow, steady outflow of air,” Lucinda says. “If the air goes really fast, we don’t have time to allow it to spin in that space above the vocal cords, which some people call the filter or the resonators. It almost explodes out into the world.

“If the air is slow, and it’s allowed to resonate and move in all these lovely spaces, we have more choices to be able to boost and resonate the voice optimally.”

A sudden movement or jolt when singing could signify sub-optimal fast air movement.

“Whenever I see a dynamic or dramatic movement, I would always make sure it’s not negatively impacting the setup we’re looking for,” Lucinda says.

“Particularly with belting, I would check that the dramatic movement isn’t like a domino effect that could negatively affect what we’re trying to achieve.”

Other potential signs

How do we know when somebody has an issue with airflow – or, more specifically, too much airflow?

“Often when people have too much airflow, you will see their jaw ping open like a trap door,” Lucinda says.

Singing teachers may notice a buildup of air pressure around a singer’s neck, or that they are over-lifting the chest or compressing the back of the neck.

Or you may hear constriction, distortion or rasp in the voice “because the cords are desperately trying to hold the air back from the impetus underneath”. Furthermore, the voice might suddenly go breathy or crack.

If you see or hear any of these issues, it’s worth digging a little deeper. But don’t jump to conclusions.

“Sometimes just by listening we might think ‘that doesn’t sound safe’. But actually what the singer might be doing is, for example, a safe distortion.”

Exercises to help

The good news is that singing teachers can support singers with their breathing in many ways. To find out what Lucinda recommends, tune into the Singing Teachers Talk podcast, where she shares her knowledge and expertise. Listen here