When to Breathe
The previous three examples have been only two bars long. However, when you are singing a song, even one verse will be at least eight bars long. This means you will have to find places in the music where you can take a breath. A good place to breathe is at the end of a phrase (group of notes), at the end of a bar or at the end of a long note.
This means that your breathing time is taking up some of the value of the note, but sometimes this is inevitable. In time you will instinctively find places to breathe which cause the least interruption to the flow of the music. Remember to breathe from the diaphragm and be careful not to lose your timing when you breathe. Counting mentally and tapping your foot on the beat as you sing should help you become more confident with this.
The Whole Note
This is a whole note. It lasts for four beats. There is one whole note in one bar of * time.
This example is four bars long and contains whole notes in bars 2 and 4. A good place to breathe here would be at the end of each whole note. The two dots before the double bar are called a repeat sign and indicate that the music is to be played or sung again from the beginning.
