How do I know I'm singing from my diaphragm?

Question

How do I know I'm singing from my diaphragm? Any tricks/ tips?

Answer 1

Of course you know you don't actually "sing" from your diaphragm! The diaphragm is a muscle below your lungs and ribcage. This muscle comes into play when you are breathing CORRECTLY and from deep in your lungs and not just shallowly, like when your shoulders rise.

Think of the feeling you get when you get ready to blow up a balloon: you take a breath and when you feel the resistance of the latex of the balloon, your "abs" tighten up. That is your diaphragm trying to push the air into the balloon.

When you sing, if you breathe deeply then let that diaphragm muscle help to "push" the air through your voice, you will be "singing from your diaphragm" or supporting your voice.

Another exercise: lie flat on your back and place a book on your stomach. You'll see it rise and fall as you breathe naturally. That's your diaphragm at work. Or, when standing, try placing your hands at the bottom of your ribcage. When you breathe, try to EXPAND your ribs, actually causing your hands to move. Then, incorporate that kind of deep breathing and "pressure" (from your abs/diaphragm) when you're singing and the resonance of your voice will greatly increase! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

You will know if you are singing from your diaphragm when you don't feel any strain in your vocal chords, when your breathing doesn't raise your shoulders, but instead your ribcage expands, and when you sing a stacatto and feel as though you have the hiccups. I hope that this helps, as I am a singer myself. Good Luck!

Answer 3

when your stomach pokes out and you feel the air go down youre breathing from your diaphragm. an indicator is, if you shoulders are raised then thats not good breathing.

Answer 4

You KNOW when you are singing from your diaphram. If you were meant to sing well, then you will. Do not force yourself to sing what you can't. Sing from your heart and do the best you can and that's basically all you can do. Good luck!

Answer 5

I would to make one addition to what elelbee said. Please DO NOT try to push air. Normally when people think of this, they push excessive air through the vocal cords and end up doing what is termed "blasting". This is unhealthy for the voice and will lead to vocal damage. The sound that comes out of you should always be clear and non-airy. You may feel an increase in air PRESSURE from your abdominal cavity when you are trying to sing more strongly, but you should NOT feel more air passing through your throat.

When you sing with the diaphragm properly, you should feel:
* A sense of expansion in your BACK and SIDES
* Your throat stays relaxed
* The sound is clear
* A sense of solidity, support, and control under the sound -- in other words, it shouldn't feel like you're constantly about to flip or break

Because it is impossible to convey how to do all of this in text, I have put together a video demonstrating these ideas. I first start by showing you how to take a proper diaphragmatic breath by getting your back and sides to expand. I then show you how to coordinate this movement with sound (very important) so that you learn how to keep your throat relaxed. Lastly, I show you how to apply this to an actual song. You can watch the video here:

http://www.vocalliberation.com/articles/breathing-exercises-for-singing-how-to-sing-from-your-diaphragm

If you should have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Answer 6

your belly blows up like a ballon if you use ur diaphram. and if you don't breathe w/your diaphram, ur shoulders rise up.