How To Know If You Are Singing From Your Diaphragm

Check Out These Steps On How To Know If You Are Singing From Your Diaphragm

People who are new to music and singing may not know what the diaphragm has to do with singing; some may even think the diaphragm’s job is to pass air into our lungs since it’s located in the throat.

But only a few people know that the diaphragm is among the most important part of a person’s voice or sounds.

If you love singing, and you want to improve the sound of your voice while singing, learning how to sing from your diaphragm will be the best thing for you to do.

For people who are novices to music or singing, there will be a list of the functions of your diaphragm, how to sing from your diaphragm, ways to avoid straining your diaphragm, and how to exercise your diaphragm.

Content Navigation

How To Know If You Are Singing From Your Diaphragm

The diaphragm can be a powerful tool for singing if you know how to use it well.

What Is A Diaphragm?

It is known as a huge muscle that is stretched below the rib cage. The body is divided in half by the diaphragm because it separates the lungs and heart from the other organs inside the body, such as the kidneys and liver.

Your diaphragm is also involved in breathing because the contractions of the diaphragm cause the taking in and out of oxygen and carbon dioxide from the lungs.

It is just a normal thing for your diaphragm to have a connection with how well you can sing because the diaphragm also has a connection with your breathing.

When your diaphragm is flat, it controls the supply of air into your throat more, and it also supports your singing voice through your airstream. For example, when a balloon is filled with air, and you slightly open your lips to let some of the air out, the sounds are not usually pleasant.

The diaphragm holds air in your lungs, which will make you able to control the amount of air you supply to your vocal cords. Most of the very famous singers you know know how to perfectly manipulate their diaphragm so they can produce such melodious sounds while singing.

When you know how to manipulate your diaphragm, you will be able to know how much air you have in your lungs and how to use them at best while singing.

Your diaphragm is very important when you want to grow your voice; during singing lessons, music teachers always train your diaphragm.

How To Sing From Your Diaphragm

There are a few steps you can follow to learn how to sing from your diaphragm; these steps below also include simple exercises for your diaphragm and perfect your singing voice.

You first need to learn how to control and strengthen your diaphragm and then perfect singing with your diaphragm. After strengthening your diaphragm, you will use it in singing and hitting high notes fully.

Strengthening steps

Step1; Finding the diaphragm muscle

Locating the diaphragm should be easy to do. However, it needs a lot of practice; you already know the diaphragm is inside your body around your chest, you can find it by touching it below your rib cage. Finally, you will find your diaphragm; it is the entire muscle that covers your torso.

Step2; Learning how to take breaths into your diaphragm

This second step may be a little difficult for you because this requires a lot more practice. You will need to learn how to quarantine your diaphragm whenever you breathe in; this can be done by inhaling as much breath as you can until your lungs are full, allowing your stomach to get as big as possible.

Hold for a while; then you begin to exhale slowly; tuck your stomach in as much as possible; you will definitely feel the pressure in your diaphragm. While doing this, you should be in a relaxed position and practice continuously.

Step3; Learning breathing exercises to develop your diaphragm

There is the availability of different kinds of straightforward and effective breathing exercises for your diaphragm. After learning to breathe using your diaphragm, the next step is to learn exercises to improve and strengthen your knowledge of your diaphragm.

One of the exercises you can try is counting the number of times you can hold air in and let the air out in your diaphragm and increase the number little by little. It would help if you remembered to keep track of your progress and not push yourself too much.

Step4; Adding the breathing exercises to your everyday life activities

This may be easy for some people and hard for forgetful people; it will be better for you to learn quickly when you practice your exercises every day; you can even add simple singing to the breathing lessons. Adding little singing sections to your breathing exercises will help you move faster on your way to getting knowledge.

Step5; Learning to breathe with your lips closed

This may also be referred to as lip thrills; it involves keeping your lips clamped together while you do the breathing exercises and then exhaling from your nose slowly; this will also help you control the amount of air getting into your vocal cords.

Then you can try to sing a slow and calm song while your lips are not very opened. Truth be told, this is a challenging step, getting control of your diaphragm. But all you need is constant practice because you can’t be a good singer if you can’t control your breathing.

Singing Steps

Step1; Preparing your vocal cords.

After getting past the strengthen of your diaphragm steps, it’s on to the singing with your diaphragm steps. You first have to prepare your vocal cords for the new activity by warming up.

There are different ways of warming up; you would have to stop eating heavy foods before singing, doing some breathing exercises, singing slow, gentle songs from low notes to high notes, you can drink warm water before singing, warm water helps to relax loosen the vocal cords.

Step2; Knowing the right posture to use when singing

When you are determined to sing with ease and no discomfort, learning the right posture to use when singing is one of the most important things to know.

When singing with your diaphragm, you need to take long, deep breaths, which may become difficult and uncomfortable with the wrong posture. In addition, when you sing in the wrong posture, your airways will obstruct, so you must always practice while standing or sitting upright. No Slouching!

Step3; Opening your throat When you want to sing.

If you want to know if you are singing from your diaphragm, your throat must always be open while singing. It would be best if you allowed all the airflow freely in your throat when singing to and fro into the diaphragm.

If you are finding it difficult to keep your throat open when singing, you can try imagining there is a little tennis ball inside your mouth that is preventing you from closing your mouth, it might feel odd at first, but you will get used to the feeling and keeping your throat open.

Step4; Differentiating between both of your voices.

When Singing from your diaphragm, you need to avoid getting off the pitch; you can do this by knowing that you have two voices, the one for low pitches and the one for low pitches. It would help if you did not sing a low song with your high voice, making you sound terrible and get off-pitch.

This can be difficult, but practicing low songs with your low voice and high songs with your high voice every day will help.

Step5; Learning to articulate your words

Most people find it hard to sing hard consonants. Because of lack of articulation, novice tends to lower their voice when singing the part of consonants.

You can try saying some particular consonant words and then sing them in the right tone of voice; this will help whenever you come across consonant words in a lyric.

Diaphragm Singing Exercises

After learning and understanding how to sing from your diaphragm, you need to know old exercises to do for your diaphragm. There are a lot of exercise activities you can do, and below are a few.

Breathing in your diaphragm type of exercise

One of the common and easiest exercises for your diaphragm is the balloon exercise, this works by imagining you have a ball on in your stomach, and you are meant to fill that balloon with air, and after a few seconds, you let all the air out slowly.

Another diaphragm exercise involves putting a straw in your mouth and placing a hand in your stomach, and start to drag in air through the straw; try to stay calm and relax, just inhale to fill your stomach, and then exhale very slowly through the straw. Again, you will be able to know where your diaphragm is located easily through these exercises.

Almost the most important, good posture exercise. In case you are having problems with maintaining good posture while singing from your diaphragm, you can do better by standing in front of a wall, with your head, shoulders, bottom, and calf touching the wall then you can either practice your breathing exercises or singing exercises for a few days.

And then do away with the wall and try to stand upright without the wall, take deep breaths, and sing. You will have the perfect singing posture in a matter of little time.

Hopefully, you now know how important your diaphragm is in supporting your vocal cords and training your singing voice. The more you practice, the better you get. However, if you find it difficult to learn even with this knowledge, you can try getting yourself a music teacher or a vocal coach.