Breath pattern changes when we talk, sing or do slow breathing exercises by modification of the movement of the rib cage and abdomen, since the respiratory system has many other important functions of the body. Controlling breath pattern actively affects the efficacy of the respiratory system, which is very essential for classical singers, to optimize their vocal performance. Experienced professionals from the singing field optimize their breath control and tonality by using the abdominal muscle activation that raises the intra –abdominal pressure, expanding the rib cage, which increases the length and pressure generating capacity of the ribcage
However, several attempts to find stereotypical patterns of respiratory kinematics in classical singers are fairly inconclusive and unclear the difference in breathing pattern of classical singers from the untrained ones. As per the National Association of Teachers of Singing, focus on abdominal breathing is one of the most effective ways of teaching breath support for performance enhancement. Our abdominal muscles are highly active when we speak or sing. It has been found out from visual inspection during classical singing performance, the singers contract their abdominal muscles at the peak of their performance that produce pre-phonatory inward movement of the abdomen leading them to better breath control. A case study by Sauro Salomoni, Wolbert van den Hoorn, and Paul Hodges for journals.plos.org reveals the characterization of breathing patterns and their objectives in classical singers.
