Switch It Up: “Sing From Your Diaphragm”

There are certain choral phrases that have stood the test of time: “Sing from your diaphragm” (or “Breath from your diaphragm”) is one of them.  This one is a big pet peeve of mine!  Have you ever used this phrase?  I promise that I will forgive you if you have!

Singing is already an abstract art, so we must choose our wording wisely.  Unlike our instrumental teaching counterparts, we can’t use visual cues to diagnose improper technique.  Ultimately, we don’t want to say anything that can confuse the singer or contribute to tension in the body and voice.  When we use phrases like “Sing from your diaphragm”, we are misrepresenting how the body functions and how singing occurs.

As you sit there reading this post, I ask that you move your diaphragm up.  Now down.  See?  You can’t do it.  The diaphragm is an involuntary muscle, which means we do not have the brain impulse control to move it.  When we say “Sing from the diaphragm”, we are implying that the singer has some control.

During inhalation, a singer’s stomach should be relaxed and move out like an expanding balloon. (Think about how a baby breathes!) The ribs expand laterally as the intercostal muscles (between the ribs) engage. The diaphragm muscle will move downward, moving other organs out of the way.  This is the true function of the diaphragm.  

So what can we say instead of “Sing from your diaphragm”?  Leave your comments below!