Perhaps you’ve heard of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World? If not, you can read the Wiki article here.

But from a Vocal Training point of view, I’d like to nominate an 8^th Wonder of the Ancient World – the human respiratory system.

Yes – that’s right. Not only is it truly a wonder, but it is also by any measure, ancient.

Scientists generally agree that Homo Sapiens first became the dominant species on earth around 300,000 years ago. Further, they began grouping into towns and cities — figuring out how to create a civilization – around 6,000 years ago.

So, any way you slice it, the Wonder that is the human respiratory system is indeed Ancient.

Let’s look at the two primary functions of this ancient (and wonderfully efficient) system.

Up and Down

In a very basic sense, breathing is simply “up and down.” When we exhale, the breath moves up; at inhalation, it moves down. But the “why” is more interesting.

High pressure in the atmosphere around us responds to the low pressure inside the human body. When we relax and avoid aiding inhalation, high pressure seeks low pressure and – you’ve just taken a breath!

To exhale, all one must do is simply relax and let go. The upper body (which weighs around 20 lbs) responds to gravity and gently exerts downward energy on the body. With a gentle ‘sigh’ the breath leaves the body almost instantly – again completely unaided by the singer!

In and Out

I admit, I was a moderate skeptic about this one, until I saw the birth of my daughters.

At the moment their little bodies came into the open air, they drew a breath that went “down” – their shoulders did not move. And then, as the little lungs filled for the first time, I saw the little belly move “out.”

If that’s not a Wonder – what is?

One of the primary goals of Vocal Training is to foster the singer’s ability to allow the Wonder that is the human respiratory system to function unaided. To allow the system to just do what it does.

Yes, the singer does other things to turn the unaided exhale into a singing tone, but that is the topic of another blog post (and one we work on in every single training session!).

See you soon!

#inoutupdown
#dothereps
#majovta