EXERCISES FOR CAPACITY AND CONTROL

The object of these exercises is to assist in increasing the amount of breath taken and the control to sustain longer phrasing in speech.

1. Using the ribs only. Breathe in for a slow count of three. Pause for a moment and then breathe out gently, with an open mouth, for a count of six. Raise the arms out to the sides, reaching shoulder height, on breathing in and lower them slowly while breathing out. This exercise should be done slowly and gently.

2. Do the same exercise but whisper the numbers on breathing out.

3. Extend the counting to nine, twelve, fifteen etc. Only add the additional numbers when the preceding stage can be achieved easily and comfortably.

4. Place the backs of the hands on the lower ribs and breathe in easily. Feel the ribs swing out. Gently blow the air out on an OO sound and feel the ribs swing in.

5. Repeat exercise 4 sustaining the OO sound for a count of ten.

6. Say the following, taking a slightly bigger breath on the ribs before each line. At the end there should be enough breath left to speak the sentence twice without taking a further breath:

7. Swing the arms backwards, forwards, backwards while breathing in and then swing them forward to shoulder height breathing out on a long AH sound.

8. Breathe in, raising the arms to shoulder height at the side. Breathe out over a count of six, keeping the arms extended. Breathe in again, raising the arms above the head. Breathe out to a count of twelve, lowering the arms back to the side of the body.

9. Breathe in, raising the ribs, and whisper the following:

Faulty Breathing

(Breathe in again)

Eight and eight are sixteen

Sixteen and sixteen are thirty two

(Breathe in again)

Thirty two and thirty two are sixty four

Sixty four and sixty four are one hundred and twenty

eight.

10. Repeat number 9 with voice, beginning quietly and gradually increasing the volume as the exercise progresses.

11. Using the ribs and the diaphragm. Breathe in on the ribs and keep them expanded. Breathe in on the diaphragm and say 'January'. Follow this with further breaths on the diaphragm before saying each of the months of the year. The reserve of air in the ribs should be retained until the last diaphragmatic breath has been used on speaking 'December'. The exercise should then be completed by speaking all the months of the year using the air retained by the ribs.

12. Lie on the ground and place a book on the stomach, just below the sternum, or breast bone. Breathe in on the ribs and retain the breath. Breathe in and out, slowly, on the diaphragm and watch the book rising and falling.

13. Breathe in on the ribs, then in on the diaphragm. Using the breath from the diaphragm speak the following quietly. Renew the breath on the diaphragm at each /, but retain the air in the ribs as a reserve.

After completing this exercise with diaphragmatic breath do not take a further breath after the count of 1 but speak the whole sequence through, smoothly and rhythmically, using the air retained by the ribs.

14. Speak the following quietly. Take a breath in on the ribs and then a breath in on the diaphragm. Renew the breath on the diaphragm at the end of each line, while retaining the raised rib position.

On completion of the sentence do not take another breath on the diaphragm but use the reserve retained in the ribs to say 'away' as many times as you can comfortably manage.

15. Take a breath in on the ribs and the diaphragm and speak using the breath as shown:

16. Repeat exercise 15 but speak quite loudly on A B C and X Y Z. The longer phrases should be spoken quietly.

17. Take a breath in on the ribs and the diaphragm and thenspeak using the breath as shown:

18. Speak the whole of the Alphabet twice - first using the air from the diaphragm followed by the air from the ribs.

19. Retain the reserve of air in the ribs and use only the breath from the diaphragm. Speak the following with a pause in place of the rhythmic count of four, do not take a breath. After the third phrase breathe and repeat the exercise:

20. Take a breath on the ribs and diaphragm. Count as high as you can, using the breath from the diaphragm. Then begin at 1 again and use the breath from the ribs to count as high as you can. Do not attempt more than you can comfortably achieve.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 799