The Importance of Breathing in Every Voice Actor

In voice acting, there is one thing that never ends. It is PRACTICING. Wherever you go, whatever tutorial or article you read about the art of good reading, they all say the same thing. That is to never stop practicing even if you are already getting jobs here and there.

There is so much more to learn in voice acting. Even professional and experienced voice actors are not fully aware of the potential they have in their voices until they are properly directed and learn to tweak their sound to make this or that character. The bottom line is that you cannot afford to be stuck with the same reading techniques all the time.

One of the areas to consider when you are a voice actor is the importance of breathing. Gavroche DeGraw is already at the top of his game. Like any other voice actor, he started by submitting his samples to each casting director he finds. He was very perseverant, knowing that it wasn’t easy. Until one day, he landed his first job. This continued for months and years until Gavroche became a calibre in the industry.

What is his secret? It’s the never-ending eagerness to learn and the never-ending practice. Gavroche was known for his ability to create a lot of different voices. This is because he never fails to work on his breathing. He always does breathing exercises to make his breathing more flexible.

Like Gavroche, you can also a successful voice actor by starting to do some breathing exercises. In this article, we will share some breathing exercises. Remember that these drills do not necessarily target your voice. There are other vocal exercises which we will tackle in other blogs. This is solely to enhance your breathing capacity, a precondition to read properly. Like a bagpipe, your lungs would be full with air, which will later flow across your vocal cords in an effortless drive. That’s also an art. Keep reading…

WikiHow discusses some quick tips to increase your lung capacity. These exercises are perfect for those people that are on-the-go and have little time for extensive training and exercise.

• Deep breathing. You can slowly train your lungs to absorb more air by breathing in deeply now and then. Make your breaths complete and steady, inhaling and exhaling as much air as you can. This can be effective if you do it a few times before you start recording.
• Hold your breath and relax. Try closing your eyes and meditate. Make it a point to not move. The more relaxed the muscles are, it would be easier for your lungs to hold your breath.
• Exhale slowly. Instead of quickly letting air out, try to exhale slowly in a steady stream. Repeat this cycle 3-4 times. You will notice that your lungs can hold much more air than they could minutes ago.

In an article at LiveStrong by Alan Bass entitled “Exercises to Improve Breathing”, he discussed 3 major techniques to know the importance of breathing. You might as well do these techniques during your free time.

1. Abdominal Breathing Technique. When doing this exercise, you should have your one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale through your mouth and notice the hand on your stomach rise higher than the one on your chest. This is a sign that the air goes deep into your lungs. Do five breathing cycles in 10-second intervals while tightening your stomach muscles as you exhale.
2. Pursed Lip Breathing. Bring yourself to sit on the ground with your back straight. Inhale deeply with your nose and purse your lips in a whistling position. Then, exhale slowly, allowing the air to slowly stream out your mouth rather than forcing it out. Repeat this four to five times every day to improve breathing.
3. Diaphragm Breathing. In this exercise, you need to lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Put your one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale deeply with your nose and exhale slowly with your pursed lips. Remember to keep the hand on your chest still through the whole process. When you exhale, allow your stomach to go in as much as possible. This will improve the strength of your diaphragm and will have you exert lesser energy when you breathe.

In voice acting, knowing how to breathe properly is very crucial. It helps in one’s effort to try to voice different characters. And, being able to do a lot of voices means you are flexible and versatile. And, being flexible and versatile means you have more chances of landing a good job. It’s a domino effect.

How about you, do you practice these exercises? Or, do you have other tips and drills to share with us? Do you now know the importance of breathing? Share it now!