Diaphragm Control - Yes or No?

In the latest poll, I asked if you think you should be able to control your diaphragm when you sing.  Astoundingly, 100% of you said "yes!"

Let's test it.  

If I say to you, raise your right hand - Can you do it?  I would hope so.

If I say to you, jump up and down - Can you do it?  I sure hope so.

If I say to you, move your diaphragm - Can you do it?  (Silence abounds!)

Having direct control over your diaphragm is really not up to you.  It's like asking you to jiggle your intestines.  It can probably be done, but only indirectly, by doing something else that affects it.

So, no, you cannot directly control your diaphragm.  This is a LARGELY misunderstood concept.  And it is understandable, since many vocal coaches will teach their students to "use their diaphragm."  Yes, your diaphragm is important in good singing.  But you can only affect it by other things you do - hence, indirectly.

By taking large breaths in (inhaling), you expand your lungs in a downward motion (like filling two balloons).  When those lungs fill with air, they push down on your diaphragm, which, being the flexible membrane that it is, curves from it's upward position to more of a sagging position.  When this happens, it forces your viscera (stomach, intestines, etc.) down and out.  This creates the "belly pooch."  When your belly "pooches" out, you then can directly control your air by contracting your abdominal muscles and slowly force the air back out of your lungs.  As the air moves out, floating over and setting in motion your vocal chords, the diaphragm slowly returns to it's original position, thus allowing the viscera to return to it's prior state.

Unfortunately, you CANNOT directly control your diaphragm.  But with lots of practice, you can indirectly control it, by controlling your inhaling, exhaling and contracting your abs.

Check the right column for the next poll!!!

Never Underestimate the Power of Your Abs

Any singer who has sung for a substantial amount of time will tell you that "support" is vital to continuous singing. Many people will specifically say "breath support." And although it is important to be able to take full, deep breaths - no true breath support can happen without the power of the abdomen muscles.

The abdominal muscles directly affect how long we can hold a note or how powerful the breath support is behind any particular note. The concept of singing with your "diaphragm" is highly misunderstood. We have no control over our diaphragm except for how it is impacted by our breathing and abdominal movement. (To prove this point - try to move your diaphragm now. Don't know what to do? Exactly! We can't consciously control the diaphragm.) The abs, then, play a highly important role in supporting our breath and voice. After you have inhaled, by contracting your abs continuously while singing, you should notice a stronger and longer sound. Also, by using the abs correctly, many singers find that they no longer have "pain" in their throats. (Pain in the throat while singing often comes from trying to strengthen sound with the throat muscles instead of using the abs.) You can become a bit fatigued by using your abs consistently, but it should be completely painless. And just as with any other muscle, the more you use it, the stronger and easier it is to use.

Some of you may think that you are not in "good shape" enough to use your abs. This is a common misconception. In fact, your ab muscles lie beneath our "belly fat." And regardless of your overall health, you can tone and strengthen your ab muscles. There is no need to do full sit-ups when referring to muscle tone for singing. Simple crunches every day can help you strengthen those muscles. Just think of all those operatic performers who are highly overweight, but have amazingly strong and controlled voices. They have strong and toned abdominal muscles under that exterior!

Another helpful practice can be done anywhere and anytime - I refer to it simply as the "Breathing Technique" exercise.
1. Breathe in deeply.
2. Contract and hold your ab muscles.
3. Blow out the air with a quick "punch" (as if someone is punching your contracted abs which forces you to exhale quickly.)

This is very similar to the technique professional singers use to sustain notes (high or low) and to add power to any note (loud or soft).

So, are you a little on the chubby side? Do you have a weak sound? Does your throat hurt after singing? No worries...you can sing just as powerfully by strengthening and utilizing those hidden, but powerful abs!

Warm-Up Videos and CDs

I will be uploading some videos from some of my students lessons here on this site. We will begin with warm-ups. I am curious to know how many (if any) of you would be interested in purchasing a warm-up cd. I have been thinking for sometime of creating a simple to follow warm-up cd that you can use at any time - before a performance, in the car, at home, etc. If this might be something you would be interested in, please comment and let me know what would work best for you. If you have specific ideas, feel free to let me know.

Warm-Up Examples

A lot of you want to know specific examples of warm ups to be able to use on your own. Warm ups are as varied as given names nowadays. Generally, I give my beginner singers a lot of the same warm ups because they are the most easy to remember when you are at home. So, keep in mind these are just a few out of MANY, but here you go:

1. STRETCHES (DEEP BREATHING THROUGHOUT)
head roll (for relieving tension in the lower head and general neck muscles areas): While breathing deeply, roll your head all the way around from leaning backwards (looking at the ceiling) to bowing forwards (looking at the ground). Notice I said ROLL and NOT BEND - do not just thrash your head from side to side as this can actually hurt you. Roll 3-4 times in one direction, then repeat in the opposite direction.

shoulder roll (for relieving tension from the lower neck and shoulder muscles): While breathing deeply, extend your arms fully with arms and hands perpendicular to your body - circle arms forward in small circles until you feel the tips of your fingers getting heavy or tingly. Then circle backwards - again until fingertips feel heavy or tingly.

front intercostal stretch (for stretching the muscles between the front ribs for best results in lung capacity for breathing): While breathing deeply, cross fingers of one hand with the other behind your back - push palms in a downward motion while taking deep breaths. You should feel your chest open up as you breathe. Take 5-6 deep breaths, then release.

back intercostal stretch (for stretching the muscles between the back ribs for best results in lung capacity for breathing): While breathing deeply, cross fingers of one hand with the other in front of you - push palms in an outward motion (away from your body) creating an arch or curve with your spine while taking 5-6 deep breaths, then release. You should feel your back expand with each breath.

waist roll (for releasing any left over tension which might have made its way down to the lower back during stretching session): Exact replica of the head roll except entire torso moves in a circular motion. While breathing deeply, roll to one side 3-4 times, then repeat to the other side 3-4 times.

2. RHYTHMIC WARM UPS (for students who can read timing)
Choose either a vocalise book or any piece of music you are not familiar with. If using a vocalise book, go to end of each small section. If using a piece of music, work in 8-15 measure sections.

clapping: Give yourself a simple count based on the meter (ex. 4/4 - count "1, 2, 3, 4") - then clap the rhythm in time.

"ta"-ing: Give yourself a simple count based on the meter, then speak "ta" or the rhythm. (ex. in 4/4 meter: whole note=ta-a-a-a, half note=ta-a, quarter note=ta, eighth note=ta-te, sixteenth=ta-ti-te-ti, 32nd=ti-ti...)

3. MELODIC WARM UPS
For pitches, feel free to use numbers (123), note names (CDE) or solfege (DO RE MI). I will give examples for each. Also, I feel it is usually best to do melodic warm ups in a major key: (note 1 - whole step - note 2 - whole step - note 3 - half step - note 4 - whole step - note 5 - whole step - note 6 - whole step - note 7 - half step - note 8 (repeated note)).

stepwise:
123454321 - CDEFGFEDC - do re mi fa sol fa mi re do

skips:
13531 - CEGEC - do mi sol mi do

runs:
123, 234, 54321 - CDE, DEF, GFEDC - do re mi, re mi fa, sol fa mi re do
13, 24, 35, 421 - CE, DF, EG, FDC - do mi, re fa, mi sol, fa re do

octaves (8va):
135, 1 (hold), 531 - CEG, C(hold), GEC - do mi sol, DO (hold), sol mi do
1 (low) 1 (8va up), 7654321 - C(low) C(8va up) BAGFEDC - do (low) DO (8va) ti la sol fa mi re do

siren: Start on a low note, sing "ooh" as you slide up as far as you can go, then back down. On sequential sirens, try to start lower and sing higher.

*Note: You can actually sing the numbers, the note names or the solfege, but most coaches will give you a syllable or syllables to sing. Here is a short guide of some you can choose from:

SYLLABLES (for beginners)
"AH" - as in the word "vanilla." Most common because it tends to be the easiest to get out. "Ah" automatically makes you open your mouth for the sound to resonate, but don't be fooled - just saying "ah" however you want to does not mean you have your mouth open correctly. "Ah" should be pronounced with your jaw completely dropped, your tongue relaxed on the bottom of your mouth and your mouth resembling an oval shape.

"Ooh" - as in the word "loose." Good syllable to get a very focused sound. Also a good syllable for sliding between notes. Downside of "ooh" is that it is prohibits a "big" or "loud" sound. Lips should be tight and slightly puckered.

"OH" - as in the word "oval." Good syllable for a round tone. Mouth should resemble an oval with the jaw lowered, but lips should be more formatted to the letter "O" than the relaxed form of "la."

Putting a "T," "M," "L," or "B" in front of any of these syllables when doing a quicker note-to-note movements is excellent practice and warm up for the articulators (lips, teeth, tongue and jaw).

Remember to vote in the poll in the left hand column and leave your comments or questions by clicking the orange "comments" link below.

Vocal Warm-ups

Many people have misconceptions about warm-ups. Some think they only consist of a couple of "mi-mi-mis" or running through a song or two. First of all, it is most important to know that there are various kinds of warm-ups. Here are the 5 I personally use:

1. Stretches - these are physical warm-ups that relieve tension to prepare your body to be relaxed enough to allow your voice it's best opportunity of having a good quality of sound. They may include head rolls, shoulder rolls, stretching out the intercostal muscles as well as other stretches for any muscles that might be distracting from paying 100% attention to vocal technique.

2. Rhythmic - these are warm-ups that can help particularly when the singer is practicing difficult rhythms in any specific piece. Rhythmic warm-ups can be vocal, but they can also be done with hands, feet or any rhythmic instrument.

3. Melodic - these are vocal warm-ups with different pitches and syllables to warm up your vocal chords and surrounding tissues as well as your oral cavity. Melodic warm-ups also help your hearing to "warm up." They can also be used as rhythmic warm-ups if different rhythms are used in addition to the different pitches and syllables. Because these warm-ups can include so much and do so much at the same time, they are the most popular and many time the ONLY warm-up used by many teachers.

4. Harmonic - these warm-ups are generally used for vocal groups who need to warm-up their hearing in order to have tight harmonies as they sing. They are also useful for solo singers in order to sing more confidently against background harmonies. Basically, they are very similar in style to the melodic warm-ups except that each person sings a different pitch, rhythm, and sometimes syllable.

5. Breathing - these are exercises specifically designed to allow the singer to intake more air as well as use their breath more efficiently. Breathing warm-ups can be combined with some melodic and rhythmic warm-ups as well. In my experience, this is one of the least used warm-ups, but one of the most helpful to a variety of students.

Students who are serious about singing and really want to better certain aspects of their voice, must use warm-ups before any practice or performance session. Also, remember your WATER - keep yourself well hydrated while practicing or performing. Warm-ups might not show any difference after a few uses, but over time, the more you warm-up, the more you will be able to do vocally. I have had students who over a 6-month period, increased their range by up to 5 whole steps just by focusing on their warm-ups. I have also had students who complained of pain after singing a few songs, but once they put their warm-ups in place, they cured their pains and were able to sing hours without any injury. Most of my students really noticed the difference that breathing warm-ups especially make a difference to them. And in many cases, the breathing warm-ups can help immediately.

If you have any questions or comments, click on the comment link immediately below this post and I will get back to you. I answer questions right here on my blog. No need to specify your whole name, just male or female, your age and single name or initial. Be sure to check back here for your answers.

Introducing.....

You asked for it, here it is: The ultimate virtual vocal coach!

Once I get this site more efficient, you will be able to have access to a wealth of knowledge on curing your vocal woes. I will also be glad to tackle your questions on popular composition, recording studios and performance preparations. While I get this thing underway, feel free to leave your questions and comments on this particular post. I WILL get back to you!

your coach-
r. leite