Out of breath?

When I first began singing, I would always run into the same problem no matter what song I was singing; I always ran out of breath. I would get to the end of a long phrase and feel as if my lungs were collapsing. I found out that my "running out of breath" problem was not permanent and that it could be fixed. From one of my vocal teachers I learned that there are a few different causes for running out of breath when it comes to singing. Two causes that come to mind are 'airy' singing and shallow breathing.

Airy breathing is when a person's singing voice sounds like their words are wrapped in layers of air. A few styles of music require this type of singing, but it needs to be used correctly. If it is used wrongly, 'airy' singing sounds frail and dull. This was not the problem that was causing me, personally, to run out of air. I was having trouble with how deep my breaths were going. So, I was dealing with the second cause: shallow breathing. How to change my breathing style was hard at first, but then I got used to it.

To get rid of shallow breathing, imagine that your diaphragm is a big balloon. Fill your "balloon" full of air. Then, as you sing, imagine that there is only one tiny hole at the top of the balloon that the air gets let out from. By imagining these things, your air will last much longer. I remember the first time that I tried this; it was an amazing change. Give it a try!