Singing From The Diaphragm Foolishness
Gary Catona Posted on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 04:18PM ;)
The ever-popular injunction to “sing from the diaphragm” is one of the more ironic ideas in all of voice pedagogy for the simple reason that it is physically impossible to do so. The diaphragm is a thin layer of muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage. During inhalation (breathing in) this muscle contracts and moves down into, and enlarges, the thoracic cavity (chest cavity). This increased thoracic space results in lowered air pressure in the lungs, which causes outside air to be sucked into them. During exhalation (breathing out), the diaphragm is thoroughly disengaged while lung reflexes, the abdominal muscles, and the external intercostal muscles squeeze the air out of the lungs through the nose or mouth. Singing (and speaking) takes place only in the exhalation phase of the respiratory process in which there is no diaphragm engagement at all, and therefore,there is no ability to control its behavior (or sing from it).
Nonetheless, a related question naturally arises at this point: If it’s true that breathing muscles are an essential aspect of voice production, then why shouldn’t a singer practice breathing exercises to increase the strength and efficiency of the voice muscles? The answer is that the breathing muscles are naturally engaged and exercised whenever vocal tones are produced. It’s important to grasp the crucial idea that the breathing musculature works in a capacity that is unique to singing. This means that breathing exercises, which are typically done without producing vocal sounds, don’t address the muscular needs of singing; they are not specific enough. Only the actual production of vocal sounds, beginning in the larynx and formed in the pharynx, oral cavity and soft palate, engages the breathing muscles properly. It’s for this reason that voiceless breathing exercises are a waste of time.
Reader Comments (3)
Love it Gary :) Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for reading, Nik!
DR SAYS I HAVE PLAQUE ON MY VOCAL CORDS. IT IS NOW HARD TO CARRY A TUNE. RANGE IS LIMITED. ANYTHING I CAN DO?
TOM