{"id":18027,"date":"2026-02-05T14:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.londonsinginginstitute.co.uk\/?p=18027"},"modified":"2026-02-12T10:18:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:18:03","slug":"breath-management-for-singers-appoggio-support-and-air-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonsinginginstitute.co.uk\/breath-management-for-singers-appoggio-support-and-air-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Breath Management for Singers Appoggio Support and Air Control"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mastering one\u2019s breath is the key to maintaining vocal health and the most important piece of successful singing.<\/p>\n

Not just a simple mechanism snuck away in the subconscious labyrinth of our brain, when brought to the main focus, breathing holds the answer to any of your \u201cwhy can\u2019t I sing that\u201d or \u201cwhy doesn\u2019t this work\u201d questions.<\/p>\n

The \u201cappoggio\u201d, coming from the verb \u201cappogiarsi\u201d which means \u201cto lean against\u201d in Italian, is how we refer to the \u201csupport\u201d of our voice in the music world.<\/p>\n

Support does not just come from our breathing and our lungs, but our entire body.<\/p>\n

It starts with our feet, our legs, our pelvic floor, the abdomen, our lower back and our ribs. <\/p>\n

Like strong trees planted in the ground.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

The Truth About Airflow and Phonation in Singing<\/h2>\n

A common misconception in singing is that to hit a note, whether high or low, you require more air.<\/p>\n

This is false, you simply need to use your air more efficiently\u2026 <\/p>\n

Air goes through the vocal folds to create phonation, but too much air can make the voice sound weaker or thinner. <\/p>\n

The extreme of this is whispering- pretty much all air and no phonation. <\/p>\n

Breathing in, of course, is important- but don\u2019t misconstrue taking in more air with exasperation. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the control of the release and the amount of pressure that is let out. <\/p>\n

Think of a balloon. It has a lot of air, and the opening of the balloon represents the vocal chords. When you hold the balloon from the top and pull it open to let out a bit of air, it makes a pitch. <\/p>\n

Depending on how far apart the lips of the balloon are, it changes the level of noise coming out, and if you open it completely, the air comes out all at once and makes no noise at all.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Correct Breathing Technique for Singers vs Shallow Breathing<\/h2>\n

First we have to talk about breathing correctly when it comes to singers. <\/p>\n

What I see in a lot of my students is when I ask them to take deep breaths, I see them breathe high in their chests. <\/p>\n

For example, their chests rise and their stomachs become smaller, creating tension in their shoulders and necks, which can make singing more difficult. <\/p>\n

This type of breathing, shallow breathing, is common with athletes. <\/p>\n

When training for a sport, especially a sport that requires plenty of running, people are trained to breathe in such a way that they can take in a lot of oxygen for it to be quickly released. <\/p>\n

What singers do is the opposite, breath should be taken in low into the body so it can be held for longer- to sustain longer phrases. <\/p>\n

To help my students find their lower breath, I ask them to lie on the ground and let their bodies breathe naturally. <\/p>\n

The stomach rises with inhalation, and lowers with exhalation. <\/p>\n

When we sing we should get used to our stomachs getting bigger, which is difficult when the societal expectation is for us to be as skinny as possible and to \u201csuck it in\u201d. <\/p>\n

We have to be more comfortable with letting ourselves fully breathe and loosen the abdomen.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Finding Strength Through Breath, Posture, and Vocal Space<\/h2>\n

The next step is preparing ourselves to sing. After taking a nice deep breath, loosening the abdomen and feeling the ribs expand, we then find our strength.<\/p>\n