Preplan the song you are practicing. Decide where the breaths come. Usually they will be at the end of a line. Don't leave the breathing to chance or what you might feel like at the time of singing.

Now, how do you take the breath? NOT through your nose, and not through a minimally opened mouth, and not by expanding the chest. EMPHATICALLY not by expanding the chest.

Open the mouth and throat, at the time suddenly expanding the abdomen by means of the diaphragm, which will draw in a great draft of air into your lungs. I hope that description is clear. It should give you a full breath. Don't take little sips of air.

Done properly, this takes very little time in a tiny pause at the end of a line. But practice singing a line and consciously doing such a breath, with no thought at that moment of going on to the next line. Then do that line and breath again. Done over and over, line-(breath) by line-breath) will help you get the feel of how the line should feel breathwise.

If you MUST breathe in the middle of a line, it can be a smaller, partial breath, but middle-of-line breathing is to be avoided.

Hope this is helpful. The results do repay the practice.

Dave Oesterreich