Friday, March 1, 2013

More Birthday Cakes! เค้กวันเกิด part 2

My daughter somehow convinced me to make her three birthday cakes for her recent fifth birthday. Smart child.

The first was for her school class. She wanted a Peppa Pig cake. So I was up most of the night constructing Peppa, then up early in the morning making buttercream frosting...

 

Then she had a puzzle themed birthday party, so we made a puzzle cake...


Finally, for our private family celebration I made an ice cream cake (since Bundit doesn't particularly like cake, but loves ice cream). In a mini-tragedy, the freezer door didn't get shut tightly enough and the cake melted in the freezer.

They ate it anyway...

Birthday Cake Success and Failure!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

HOW TO SING LIKE A PRO: Just Breathe (Part Two)

The most important part of singing is something you already know how to do. You've been doing this since birth. And what is this amazing key to singing that you have definitely already mastered?

Breathing.

A very common problem among singers is incorrect breathing technique. A lot of singers overlook the importance of proper breathing (including me, as I've written about before).  Or they overthink their breathing and make it more complicated than it really needs to be.

You've been breathing since you were a baby. And you should breathe as naturally and simply as a baby does.

So here we go: The Basics of Breathing.

HOW TO BREATHE
  1. Stand up straight, arms relaxed at your sides.  Your back should be straight with your shoulders relaxed.
  2. As you inhale, drop your diaphragm and allow the air to slowly fill your lungs all the way down to your abdomen. 
  3. Allow your abdomen and lower rib cage to expand, without moving your shoulders or raising your chest.  (But don’t breathe with your belly! It is your diaphragm that moves, not your stomach.)
  4. Exhale slowly and with control, contracting your diaphragm.
  5. Keep your chest and shoulders relaxed and open.
  6. Never force the breath out, allow it to escape.

If you aren't sure where your diaphragm is place your fingers just below your rib cage and laugh. That muscle you feel moving up and down is your diaphragm. Check out this helpful picture:
Drawn by Theresa Knott


My next post will outline some exercises that can help you practice good breathing technique.




วิธีการหายใจ

๑. ยืนตรงปล่อยแขนตามสบายข้างลำตัว หลังควรจะตรงขณะที่ไหล่ทั้งสองข้างผ่อนคลาย

๒. ขณะหายใจเข้าให้ปล่อยกระบังลมให้ตกไปและปล่อยให้อากาศเข้าสู่ปอดอย่างช้าๆผ่านไปสู่ช่องท้อง

๓.ปล่อยให้ช่องท้องและชายโครงพองขึ้นโดยไม่ขยับไหล่หรือยกช่องอก (แต่ก็กย่าหายใจด้วยหน้าท้อง ส่วนที่ขยายคือกระบังลม ไม่ใช้ท้อง)

๔.หายใจออกช้าๆอย่างมีการควบคุม หดกระบังลมลงไป

๕.รักษาให้ช่องอกและไล่อยู่ในอาการผ่อนคลายและผายออก

๖.อย่าเค้นลมหายใจออก แค่ปล่อยให้มันออกมา