Tag Archives: breathing exercise

Why am I singing flat?

What are the main reasons people sing flat?

Developing singing skills is just like learning any instrument. To be able to sing on pitch and not sound flat you need to develop your singing technique,

be able to hear whether you are singing on pitch or sounding flat, and you require the confidence, energy and songs suitable for you to sing.

Poor breath support

Without steady airflow, the vocal folds don’t vibrate efficiently, causing notes to sag below the correct pitch.

Signs:

  • Notes start in tune but drift flat.
  • Long notes get lower as they continue.
  • The voice sounds weak or breathy.

Making sure you practice regularly to build good breath support is very important.

Ear training

A lack of ear training can have a lot to do with singing flat.

Sometimes the singer simply isn’t hearing the pitch accurately enough to match or maintain it.

Signs:

  • Difficulty matching a single note.
  • Trouble noticing when singing is out of tune.
  • Better pitch when singing with others than alone.

Your singing is boring

Flat singing can happen when the singer isn’t fully committing to the sound.

This is common with shy or inexperienced singers that aren’t adding enough energy, even when singing softly.

Signs:

  • Singing quietly or hesitantly.
  • Pitch improves when singing confidently.
  • Better tuning during energetic songs.

Song range is too challenging

Trying to sing notes that are too low or too high can make it difficult to maintain accurate pitch.

Signs:

  • Lower notes lose resonance and go flat.
  • High notes become strained and drop in pitch.
  • The voice feels uncomfortable.

Take time to recharge

There are times when we need to take a break and give our bodies a chance to recharge. It has been an incredibly busy first 6 months of 2026 for me. Apart from teaching, I participated in a performance of The Hunchback of Notre dame the first two weekends of March.

It was wonderful to be on stage again in a show. The last show I completed was Mary Poppins in 2024.

Performing in this show was so much fun. I had the pleasure of being part of the ensemble. I was thinking this would be a fairly easy for me, however, little did I know that the ensemble are pivotal to the show and are on for most of the show. Also as you can see from the set, there were lots of stairs, and I was running up and down these multiple times, especially in the first Act. Luckily I had prepared well, with months of training, swimming, pilates, walking and I was also getting vocal training during this time.  I am also having piano lessons to improve my piano skills.

I got to the end of Term One, and the first day of holidays I got sick, just before Easter. There were some other significant personal challenges at the same time and it was two weeks before I felt even a bit better.

I had the joy of travelling to Japan at the end of April with my family.

Here I am at Fushimi Inari Taisha,

one of Japan’s most famous Shinto shrines in Kyoto

I would highly recommend going to Japan.  It is a beautiful country.  Extremely clean. Very organized and everything runs smoothly.  The food is amazing and we had excellent accommodation. You certainly need to pick your  time to visit. We went at the end of Spring.  I would recommend going at this time if you want to avoid huge crowds. We saw blossoms, and it was in between Easter and Golden Week.  Of course it was busy, but we never had to queue for more than 30 minutes, even at Disney Sea. It was more of an adventure than a holiday, walking on average 17,000 steps a day.

When I returned home, it was straight back into work and life.  My husband David got quite ill.  Needless to say I caught it as well, and although tried to keep going, was on and off work for another 2 weeks.  I couldn’t shake the infection, so had more tests and finally got the medication I needed and within a week was feeling so much better. The end of Term Two was a flurry of mid year concerts, assessments and shows to watch.  Winter is the busiest time of the year for local amateur shows.  I had the joy of watching two of my best friends perform together in the musical “Come from Away”.  I had worked with one of them in the past on their singing, and it was so wonderful to see her on stage singing at such a high level and at such a high standard. It was an amazing performance.

A couple of days before the end of term my husband suggested we go away for a week.  We ended up in beautiful Merimbula.

 

The view from our apartment in Merimbula

I love staying in the Fishpen. We have the view of the lake and you can also walk around to the beach and into town.  We slept, read, walked and enjoyed being outside.

Sometimes you need to take these breaks where you don’t have the rush of seeing the next sight, being in the next city.

Walking on the beach alone gives you a chance to think.  It has been wonderful to let the mind wander and imagine so many things.

I have returned and feeling refreshed I am writing in my blog after such a long break from doing anything to my website.

It’s a wonderful feeling.

The beach at Merimbula in winter

Remember to take a break, take a breath and reflect. Its wonderful for the body.

What to sing?

Exhalation on a hiss

This breathing exercise is to help develop better breath control for good, well supported singing. Make sure the body is relaxed, the shoulders down, and you are breathing low in the body. Take a good breath and then hiss for as long as you can. Aim to keep the air flow steady, don’t let it shudder, and have a feeling of the air escaping slowly, don’t let the breath go all at once. Keep a steady, firm exhalation. Take a low breath, start the timer and see how long you can exhale for on a steady hiss. Do this regularly and keep a record of your time. See how much you can improve over a month.

 

If you would like to have one to one singing lessons with Mary @ Singing Strong,  click here to register your details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

30DaySinger.com Online Singing Lessons

Breathing to sing

Happy New Year! I am posting singing exercises for you to get back into singing if you have had a break over the holidays. This week I will be focusing on breathing exercises. The first exercise is about keeping a steady exhalation for as long as you can. Practice this daily for a week to see how much you can improve.

Breathing exercise one: How long can you hiss out for?