How the Diaphragm Affects Your Singing

Surrounding your lungs is a muscular system called the diaphragm which is attached to the lower, sides, bottom and back of your ribs. When you breathe in, the diaphragm muscle lowers and displace your internal organs. When you breathe out the diaphragm helps to bring in the muscles around the lungs (abdominal muscles) to control how quickly the breath is exhaled just like an accordion squeezing out air in a consistent way. 

If you breathe out fast, the diaphragm does nothing and just sits pretty.  When you breathe out very slowly, the diaphragm resists the contraction of the abdominal muscles. A good singer will then use this diaphragm muscular system to control the singing breath as it is being exhaled.

Hold your index finger about an inch from your lips and breathe out slowly and try to notice the action of the diaphragm as you exhale. This should be the amount of breath used when you sing. A singer does not need to 'push' or 'force' air through the vocal cords to produce a good strong or loud sound, doing this will create a lot of air pressure against the vocal folds and may damage the vocal cords.

This set of singing lessons cover the art (and science) of how your diaphragm affects your voice. If your singing were done by computer, you could click the mouse and correct the sounds and volume. However, you do not have a digital voice, just a human singing voice so you have to learn to control it from within. This article will help you achieve that goal.

If you've been singing any length of time, you have probably heard the phrase "sing with your diaphragm" already. But what does this really mean? What is your diaphragm and how does it work? How does the diaphragm help with singing? Let's explore what the word "diaphragm" really means and how it is connected to good singing. Read the article How the Diaphragm Affects Your Singing here.

Thanks for visiting,

Tony Joett

Vocal Coach - Pop, Soul, R&B, Jazz, Dance, Gospel