How to Sing From Your Diaphragm: 3 Simple Singing Tips

Diaphragmatic singing involves using air from your diaphragm to project your singing voice rather than taking shallow breaths from your throat. (The diaphragm is a muscle in your upper abdomen that regulates the airflow in and out of the lungs.) Vocal instructors teach diaphragmatic breathing as a singing technique to train singers to use deep breathing, which improves vocal control, giving them more than enough air to project their voices.

When you learn how to sing from your diaphragm, you inhale lots of air and exhale deeply to help control the air pressure in your lungs. This vocal technique will feel like singing from the belly, with the air resonating out from your ribcage.

Diaphragmatic singing helps protect your vocal cords, improves your vocal range, and allows you to achieve a fuller, louder sound. It also helps regulate breathing to prevent you from running out of breath in the middle of a phrase.

The diaphragm maximizes the air supply that you have in your lungs, allowing you to control exhalation, which is the act of singing. The diaphragm muscle is located at the bottom of your ribcage, separating your abdomen from your chest. It regulates the amount of air you have in your lungs so that you can project a full, on-pitch sound from your vocal cords as you sing.

Using your diaphragm efficiently also prevents you from running out of breath. As you inhale at the beginning of a vocal phrase, the diaphragm muscle contracts to pull air into your lungs. As you exhale to sing, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its concave position.

A vocal coach can help beginners become better singers by teaching them how to sing from the diaphragm. If you’re teaching yourself how to sing, these basic steps will help you develop the best breathing technique:

1. 1. Stand up straight. Good posture is imperative to proper singing technique. Start by finding a comfortable upright standing position, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees and shoulders relaxed and place your hands on your upper belly where your diaphragm is.
2. 2. Exhale fully. Push all of the air out of your lungs, letting your stomach relax under your hands as you exhale. Your stomach should contract as you do this.
3. 3. Inhale deeply. Take a large breath through your mouth and feel your stomach expand under your hand. Relax your throat as you take in the air rather than tighten it.
4. 4. Sing a sustained note. Sing a single sustained note using a simple vowel sound ("aah" or "ooh") and feel the controlled expansion of your stomach. Push your stomach out slightly to expel every last breath of air. The more slowly you can feel the air releasing from under your hands, the more control you have over your diaphragm.

Here are some tips to help improve your diaphragm singing:

1. 1. Always warm up. Warming up your voice with breathing exercises before singing is the best way to improve your diaphragm control and protect your singing voice. Warm up by taking deep breaths and doing simple singing exercises. Try singing long, even notes and simple scales, perform vocal trills, or sing “maah, may, mee, mow, moo.” All the while controlling your airflow and breath support.
2. 2. Relax your body. It’s essential to relax your body—especially the vocal cords—as you sing from your diaphragm. Any tension in your body impedes your diaphragm's ability to contract and release. Maintain good posture and make sure your knees have a soft bend. Drop and roll back your shoulders. Relax your abdominal muscles and lift your head as you sing.
3. 3. Experiment with high notes. As vocalists get into higher octaves, the instinct is to start the sound higher up in the body, such as the throat, making it harder to sustain these notes. As you reach for high notes, remember to keep sending breath to your diaphragm to make the most of your lung capacity.

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