How to Sing from Your Diaphragm Correctly

_{^{Article Details: 1396 words (7 – 9 minute read)}}

Learning how to sing from your diaphragm is extremely important to proper singing technique, and in this article we’ll show you exactly how you can start to sing from it like a pro.

If you’ve ever taken online singing lessons, then you know the very first things they teach you is how to breathe properly.

This may be one of the best things you can do to become a better singer (beginner’s guide). It’s closely related to being able to sing louder (learn more) with a strong voice.

Why is learning how to sing from the diaphragm essential? Because to really sing powerfully we need a steady, consistent flow of air.

That’s where the diaphragm truly shines. Some people think they need to learn how to sing from the “stomach,” but what they really mean is their diaphragm.

Read on to understand exactly how to sing with your diaphragm and what you can do today to improve your overall technique.

What is Your Diaphragm

It is a muscle located right in the center of your chest, spanning the lower rib cage. When you inhale or exhale breath, it expands and contracts to allow air into and out of the lungs.

Starting to see why you HAVE to learn how to sing from the diaphragm correctly?

When you use your diaphragm to sing properly, you have much more control of the air supply moving through your vocal cords, and therefore you have much more strength to project your voice.

Once you learn to use it, it’s important to do vocal and breathing exercises that help to strengthen your use of this important muscle.

How Your Diaphragm Works

When you inhale air the diaphragm contracts and flattens. That motion actually creates a vacuum-like effect that pulls the air into your lungs.

When you exhale, it relaxes itself and that pushes the air out of your lungs through your mouth or nose.

There’s a nerve called the “phrenic nerve” that runs from your neck to your diaphragm which controls the contracting/relaxing movements.

It’s not all about breathing, but we won’t get into it’s other functions since that’s all we really care about for our purposes.

Since your diaphragm regulates the air in your lungs (and thus how much air you can use and how much you can project your singing voice), it’s super important to strengthen it and utilize it properly.

— Learn More About Singing Lower Notes (read now), Singing Falsetto (read now) or Strengthening Your Voice (read now) —

How to Find Your Diaphragm

It’s a bit difficult to feel it and therefore not easy to locate. Why do you need to find it? Because you want to be able to “feel it working,” while doing breathing and singing exercises.

Do this:

1. stand up straight
2. use your hands and find the bottom of your rib cage

Your diaphragm is basically right there, wrapped all the way around your torso, separating your chest from your abdomen.

Or try this if you still can’t feel it:

1. lie flat on the floor
2. put a large book right above your stomach area
3. now inhale and see the book move upwards
4. next, exhale to see the book move downwards to it’s starting position

That muscle that’s moving the book is your diaphragm.

How to Sing With Diaphragm Step-By-Step

To effectively sing using it, you need to get good at breathing through your diaphragm.

That means strengthening that muscle and practicing how you breath.

That’s not the sexiest answer to the question but it’s the best answer. It’s also easier to think of it in terms of “how to sing from the stomach,” even though it’s not really your stomach.

How to Sing from the Diaphragm – Basics to Remember

The first thing you want to remember is that whether or not you’re singing from diaphragm, your throat is being used all the time.

Your throat (and vocal cords) creates the resonance that produces the sound of your voice.

What you need to watch out for is tension. When you’re NOT singing with your diaphragm, you often feel tension and strain in your throat.

That’s not good.

So learn how to sing from stomach and don’t underestimate the importance of your posture when singing.

Standing up straight makes it so much easier for your body to cooperate with you when you’re singing. Also, it helps to know your natural vocal range (find yours like this).

Here’s a few things to keep in mind before we start:

• make sure to relax your entire body – arms, shoulders, head, neck, throat, stomach
• stand up completely straight – posture is key for optimal air flow
• don’t tuck your chin or push it up/out – keep a neutral head position

And remember to always warm up your singing voice (like this) before you start doing any singing.

— Related Article: Increasing Your Singing Range (read now) —

Steps to Diaphragm Singing

1. Stand up straight and tall with your shoulders down and head relaxed
2. exhale the breath in your lungs
3. inhale through your mouth deeply until your lungs are full of air (your stomach should expand and protrude out)
4. now sing a note using a vowel or consonant sound (i.e. “oh,” “ahh,” etc)
5. as you’re singing (using the air in your lungs) “push” the air out and “suck” your stomach inwards (internally)

That’s how you sing using your diaphragm. And now it’s a little more clear why people think you’re actually learning how to sing from your stomach.

If you’re having trouble with posture, stand up with your back against the wall. Your head, shoulders, back, butt and feet should be touching the wall – but remember not to strain yourself.

You have to be relaxed when singing.

Pay attention to your shoulders, as well. They should stay down – don’t let them move up as you breathe in.

If you’re having trouble felling the “push” on your stomach as you exhale/sing, put your hand just above your belly as you sing. You don’t have to push with your hands, but that should make it easier to feel yourself “pushing” that air out.

Another important tip is to make sure you’re “opening” your throat fully when you start to sing. To practice this, stand in front of a mirror and pretend there’s a ping-pong ball in your mouth. That’s how wide your throat should be – again NOT straining, though – when you’re learning how to sing with your diaphragm.

Strengthening Your Diaphragm for Better Breathing

Now that you know how to sing using your diaphragm and what it should feel like, you need to focus on getting better/stronger with it.

There’s a couple of things you can do, but the most important one is just to practice breathing in and out using your diaphragm.

That should be easy, now that you know how to use it correctly!

Here’s a specific breathing exercise you can practice :

• put a straw in your mouth
• wrap your lips around the straw so the only air that gets in is through the straw’s opening
• put a hand on your stomach
• slowly inhale air through the straw (keep your shoulders relaxed!)
• focus on feeling the air in your stomach
• slowly exhale the air through the straw

There’s a lot more when it comes to breathing exercises and you can get some great ones in our favorite online training for singers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Next?

So, what’s next? Well that’s up to you. You’re obviously interested in becoming a better singer and that’s GREAT! We’ve got a ton of free guides right here at Deviant Noise.

And if you’re interested in singing lessons then we recommend taking a look at our review of 30 Day Singer (read now)!

If you really want to level up your voice and singing ability, I highly recommend you try out 30DaySinger (14 Day Free Trial) – they’ve got tons of great lessons and exercises to make you a better singer fast.

Thanks for reading our guide on how to sing from your diaphragm.

Related Singing Articles

• How to Become a Professional Singer or Vocalist – Read Next
• How to Sing Harmony Correctly – Read Next
• Review of Singorama – Read Next
• Getting Better Pitch – Read Next
• Get a Better Singing Tone – Read Next
• How to Sing Runs and Riffs – Read Next
• How to Sing Higher Notes – Read Next