Diaphragm Program:

Hiss Exercise

Why Should I Do What's In This Video?

I want to introduce you to the feeling of having your body work for you and help you to
control your breath. Most singers approach singing by taking a deep breath and then
trying to push all the air that they can out while singing. And because they do this, they
experience unnecessary tension in the jaw, throat, and body, making for a forced and
unnatural singing voice. The exercises in this video will help you to sound more natural
and help you control your breath flow while singing.

What Is It I Need To Know Most About What's In Here?

Without a properly conditioned diaphragm, you approach singing while already being in
the body and as a result are only using 25% of your lung capacity. If you want to sing
with more power, clarity, and have a wider range then we need to use 100% of your
lung capacity. You will know that you aren't using your diaphragm properly when you
breathe and your shoulders rise or you don't feel your belly expand when you breathe.

This causes unnecessary tension and can lead to injury while singing. We must learn to
breath low into our bellies and use the longer, stronger muscles in our stomachs so that
we can lower our larynx, have more space in our bodies to sing, and breathe lower into
our bellies for more power and clarity.

How Do I Achieve The Extended Hiss?

You have to make a "Ts" sound and release air as slowly as you can. It's not about
rushing, it's about body control. The routine outlined in this video is included below:

Take a deep 360 breath and then do a "Tsss" Hiss sound for 15 seconds

Hiss Exercise
AApproach

Take a deep 360 breath and then do a "Tsss" Hiss sound for 25 seconds
Take a deep 360 breath and then do a "Tsss" Hiss sound for 35 seconds
Take a deep 360 breath and then do a "Tsss" Hiss sound for 40 seconds
It is important that when you feel your body start to tense up, you have to consciously
tell your shoulders, neck, and jaw to relax.

What Will Happen If I Start Doing This Right?

If you do it right, you will be able to do a hiss sound for 40 seconds without tensing the
shoulders, neck, and jaw.

How Do I Know When It's Time To Move On To The Next Video

You'll know it's time to move onto the next video when you are able to do the hiss
exercise three consecutive times without feeling any tension. This becomes a lot easier
if you have mastered the 360 degree breath from the previous diaphragm video.

My current Daily Vocal Regiment

At this point, here are the things that you should be doing every day as your daily vocal
exercises.

"360 Breath" - 3 sets of 10

"Hiss Exercises" - 3 forty second hisses
The AApproach Advanced Warm Up

Hiss Exercise 2