Managing Air Flow in Order to Protect Your Vocal Cords

Singing is technique. You as a singer will spend a great deal of time and effort developing your vocal technique. One of the most important aspects to consider in developing your technique is balance and control of your airflow. Too much or not enough air through your windpipe results in overworked and overused vocal cords, and this eventually leads to painful swelling, hoarseness of voice, and eventually damage to your vocal cords. Many singers do not much consider the damage they may cause to their vocal cords, even though this should be a priority-one item any singer should guard against. Having the sound you want is useless if it eventually leads to irreparable damage. So first and foremost - protect you vocal cords!

One common misconception is that you need a great deal of air in your lungs to be able to sing, especially when it comes to belting out those big power high notes. Contrary to this notion, you don't need more air than you can muster; you just need to manage the air capacity that your lungs already have. If you take in more air than you are comfortable with, you wont be able to manage it properly to start, so you would be following a self-defeating approach. Of course there are exercises that will help build and expand your lung capacity, but until you get there, you need to be comfortable with your current abilities and learn to manage the air flow corresponding to your present capabilities.

When you take a breath, inhale with your diaphragm into your lower rib cage area, aka your reserve tank. Your stomach should expand while you make this action and you should do so without lifting or tensing your shoulders. As you are singing, press upward with your diaphragm. This way the effort and pressure of making sound is not completely on your vocal cords. When you sing, your ribcage or reserve tank should be fully expanded and you should sing as if it were coming from your stomach.

When it comes to singing, always remember to protect your vocal chords. A good way to do this is to always remember to engage your diaphragm on both the inhale and exhale of you singing breaths. This way you can effectively manage your air flow and protect your vocal instrument.

Read Vocal Domain to learn more about the subject of this article or other singing and performing techniques.