10 Breathing Exercises for Singing to Improve Your Voice Control and Endurance
Tyler Connaghan Music producer, Singer
11/24/25 | Last modified: 12/11/25
Your breath control is the engine behind your singing voice, and if you’re like most beginner singers, you may not even realize how easy everything could be if you just got your breath in order.
The thing is, most singers don’t actually have a “voice problem.” They have an air problem. Too much air, too little air, air that they dump all at once, air that trickles out like a tired bike pump. I’ve been there myself.
Good airflow allows you to focus on your tone, supports your high notes, and provides more endurance for long sets or sessions. And with the right breathing exercises for singing, you can take more control of your voice and sing the hardest songs in your repertoire without feeling winded or tense. Best of all, most of these exercises are simple, repeatable, and genuinely helpful for beginners and experienced singers who want more consistency.
How Breathing Affects Your Voice
Tone quality, pitch control, phrasing, and stamina all come back to how efficiently you move air. A lot of singers chase high notes without realizing their real struggle is with their breathing habits.
Your body does some pretty cool work in terms of breath. The diaphragm drops and widens, the intercostal muscles between your ribs expand, and that creates steady air pressure beneath your vocal folds. That pressure is what makes them vibrate cleanly. When your airflow is smooth and consistent, your tone follows suit.
When it’s messy, however, you can never be quite sure how your voice will react. Proper support, on the other hand, can help you feel grounded and low. Your ribs should feel wide, your belly should expand, and the air should sit where your body can use it. That’s the foundation of real breath control in singing.
How to Test if You’re Breathing Properly
Here’s a quick self-test you can try right now:
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Take a slow breath in.
- If your shoulders rose or your chest lifted, that’s upper-body tension. We don’t want that.
Try again, aiming for belly expansion and rib movement. That sensation is the basis of most effective breathing techniques for singing.
Best Breathing Exercises for Singers
Some singers can hold a phrase forever without looking like they’re going to give out. The secret is no secret at all. It usually comes down to training. These breathing exercises for singing aren’t meant to turn you into a human air tank.
They’re meant to help you coordinate airflow so your voice feels clear and supported. Big lungs don’t matter nearly as much as smooth, controlled release.
The Slow Inhale and Exhale
This exercise is one of my favorites for building awareness, which is the foundation of everything else.
How to do it:
Inhale through your nose for a slow count of four. Hold that breath for two counts. Then exhale through gently parted lips for six. Once this feels comfortable, stretch the exhale to eight or ten.
Why it works:
It teaches you to release air evenly. That steadiness is what gives your phrases more stamina and prevents your tone from wobbling.
Try this:
Place a hand on your ribs. If they’re expanding outward instead of lifting upward, you’re on the right track.
The Hissing Exercise (“Sss” Drill)
This is one of the classic breath control exercises for singers.
How to do it:
Take a deep breath, then release it through a long, steady “sss.” Time how long you can sustain it.
Why it works:
The narrow escape of air forces you to regulate pressure. It’s one of the most effective breath control exercises for singers because it exposes leaks instantly. If your airflow starts wavering, you’ll hear it right away.
Try this:
Set a daily goal and try to beat your own record by one or two seconds each week.
The Silent Inhalation
Most singers breathe loudly without realizing it. We don’t need all that extra noise. In fact, all it really does is cause tension. That’s why a silent inhale is so helpful.
How to do it:
Breathe in through your mouth with a relaxed, open throat, almost like you’re beginning a yawn. Let the air fall in quietly on its own. As you inhale, you should feel a light coolness at the back of your throat. That’s a sign everything is open and free of tension.
Why it works:
Silent breathing removes neck and throat tension before you even start a phrase. A quiet inhale almost always leads to a cleaner tone, as it opens the back of your throat.
Try this:
Place one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Only the bottom hand should move. Your ribs should widen outward while your shoulders stay still as you breathe in.
The Straw Phonation Exercise
This one is powerful (and weirdly calming). It’s one of the many semi-occluded vocal exercises discussed in SOVT training.
How to do it:
Grab a drinking straw. Hum a gentle “oo” through it for 30–60 seconds. Afterward, sing a short phrase and notice how much easier everything feels.
Why it works:
The straw creates resistance that naturally corrects your airflow. It encourages easy cord vibration and teaches your breath to support the sound rather than overpower it.
Try this:
Alternate between humming through the straw and singing lightly. It resets your whole system.
The Sighing Exercise
Great for singers who carry tension in their throat or jaw.
How to do it:
Inhale deeply, then let the air fall out of you in a natural sigh on “ah.” Don’t shape it or push it. Let it simply fall.
Why it works:
It teaches release. So many singers struggle with holding too much effort in their upper bodies. This exercise helps you let go.
Try this:
Let your shoulders drop as you sigh. The more natural it feels, the better.
The “Four Corners” Breath
A mental trick that helps with proper expansion
How to do it:
Picture your rib cage as a box with four corners: upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left. Inhale and expand each “corner” evenly.
Why it works:
It helps you draw air into areas of your ribs you might normally ignore. More even expansion for better support.
Try this:
Wrap your arms loosely around your rib cage to feel it open in all directions.
The Book-on-Stomach Exercise
Simple, effective, and perfect for beginners.
How to do it:
Lie flat on your back with a light book resting on your stomach. Breathe in and let the book rise, then fall as you exhale.
Why it works:
It trains true diaphragmatic breathing without overthinking it.
Try this:
Use a book that isn’t too heavy. The goal is to feel it gently moving up and down. You shouldn’t feel like you’re pushing weight.
The Panting Exercise
Great for building diaphragm agility.
How to do it:
Pant quickly, like a small dog after a run. These should be short, quick inhales and exhales. Keep your shoulders down and your neck relaxed.
Why it works:
It engages your diaphragm rapidly, helping you respond quickly during faster phrases or big vocal leaps.
Try this:
Do this for 5–10 seconds at a time. Stop if you start feeling lightheaded.
The “Sustain and Release” Drill
This connects your breath to your tone.
How to do it:
Hum a gentle “mmm” for 5–10 seconds. Then release into an open vowel (like “ah”) without letting the airflow change.
Why it works:
It teaches you to carry steady air from one sound to another, which helps prevent your tone from feeling shaky.
Try this:
Place two fingers lightly on your nose. If it buzzes evenly during the hum, your support is steady.
The “One-Breath Challenge”
Perfect for measuring your progress over time.
How to do it:
Pick a simple melody or phrase and sing it on one breath. As your control improves, add slightly longer or more complex lines to that same breath.
Why it works:
This exercise trains exhale management, phrasing, and focus.
Try this:
Record yourself once a week to hear the improvement you might not notice in the moment.
Why Are Breathing Exercises for Singers Important?
A lot of singers skip breath work because it feels “basic,” though it’s the whole foundation that holds everything else together. The voice can only ride on the air you give it, so if your breathing is shaky, your tone, pitch, and stamina usually end up shaky too. This is why consistent breathing exercises for singing make such a dramatic difference.
With better breathing habits, you can help your lungs stay steady through long phrases. Over time, you’ll feel your airflow stretch out naturally, giving you more room to experiment with notes without squeezing or pushing.
There’s another perk people rarely talk about, and that’s the fact that breath work helps with nerves. Slow, controlled inhales can help calm your system onstage. It’s one of the reasons so many high-level singers rely on breath routines before every rehearsal and show.
Solid breath habits also protect your voice. Most strain comes from shallow inhaling or inconsistent airflow. When your air runs out, your throat tries to compensate, and that’s when things get tight. Good breath control in singing stops that downward spiral before it starts.
How Forbrain Can Help You with Breathing When Singing
When you’re working on breathing techniques for singing, one of the hardest parts is knowing how your airflow and tone actually line up. What you hear in your head isn’t always what comes out, which can make breath work feel a little guessy at times.
That’s where Forbrain can be useful.
Because it uses bone conduction, Forbrain lets you hear your voice the way it vibrates through your body, not just through the air. That extra layer of feedback helps you notice when your airflow is steady or when it’s wobbly and tense.
A few ways singers use it for breathing exercises:
- Light warm-ups to check airflow
- Vowel shaping drills to hear how tone changes with breath
- Long, sustained phrases to test endurance without pushing
You don’t need to wear it for your entire practice session. Even a few minutes can help you pick up habits you might miss on your own.
Final Words
Strong singing comes from repeated breathing exercises for singing, not big heroic breaths or sheer effort. The more familiar you get with how your body handles air, the more control you’ll feel in every part of your voice, and in no time, you’ll sing better and with more confidence.
Short daily sessions work far better than an occasional marathon practice. Five focused minutes can alter your control more than an hour of frustrated pushing.. Treat breathwork as part of your artistry instead of a chore you “have” to get through. As your breath steadies, your voice will follow.
FAQs
How does breathing work for singers?
Breath starts the moment you inhale, letting the diaphragm move downward and the ribs expand. That air becomes the fuel your vocal folds need to vibrate cleanly. When your exhale is steady, your voice almost feels like it sits on top of your breath.
When should singers practice breathing exercises?
Often. A few minutes a day goes much further than you’d expect. Most singers like to do a light round of breath work before warming up, since it sets the whole voice up to respond better. On days when you’re working through tougher songs or longer practice sessions, you can spend a bit more time with your breathing drills.
How long does it take to see results from breathing exercises?
Most singers notice early changes within two to four weeks, as long as practice is consistent.
Reference List:
Cleveland Clinic. (2021, November 6). Diaphragm: Hiatal Hernia, Diaphragmatic Breathing, What Is the Diaphragm. Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21578-diaphragm
Cox, K., & Titze, I. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://ncvs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SOVT-Book-Sample.pdf
Harvard Health Publishing. (2020, July 6). Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response. Harvard Health; Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response