How do I know if I'm singing properly?!
Question: I know you're supposed to sing through your "diaphragm." But, I'm not really sure what a diaphrahm is. It's the area right above your stomach, correct? So how will I know if I'm singing from it or not? Sometimes (usually in my middle range) I feel tension in my throat and I know I shouldn't. When this happens I don't know how to switch to singing right so my throat won't keep hurting. At other times I must be singing properly because I don't get any tension. So , how do i know which is which?
Answers: I know you're supposed to sing through your "diaphragm." But, I'm not really sure what a diaphrahm is. It's the area right above your stomach, correct? So how will I know if I'm singing from it or not? Sometimes (usually in my middle range) I feel tension in my throat and I know I shouldn't. When this happens I don't know how to switch to singing right so my throat won't keep hurting. At other times I must be singing properly because I don't get any tension. So , how do i know which is which?
These answers so far kind of suck..
The diaphragm is located just underneath your ribcage and it is supposed to support the air you take while singing. When you breathe from it, you should feel your back, sides and stomach expanding and slowly deflate as you release the air to sing. You shouldn't feel tense and most of all you shouldn't flex your stomach area (abs). Tension is your enemy here.
When you sing from your diaphragm, it helps your tone become more richer, and louder. That's its purpose.
Also, you may also be able to tell when your breathing from your diaphragm if your chest/shoulder raises . If it is, you are possibly not breathing correctly.
Oh, and another thing. Do not "force" your stomach to expand. It should expand on it's own because of the air. Think of your stomach as a balloon!
You can try an exersize: put your hand over your chest, and another over your stomach right above your belly button. Close your eyes, and relax. Focus all the air to the hand above your belly button and when you have enough air.. slowly let out a "ssss" sound (like a snake). Your goal is to see how long the "sss" can go on long for. When you get the hang of it, do it over and over again untill you get use to it.
You may also try doing crunches to get in tact with the muscles around your diaphragm. Since the muscles around your diaphragm are the ones who make the diaphragmatic breathing work, I'd say it's important to strengthen them.
Now, you also said about the tension in your throat. Like I said before, do not force anything at all. Forcing is also another enemy in singing. You should feel comfortable and you are correct, you should NOT feel tenstion in your throat.
Relax. Relaxing is the key to get your singing loud. What you want is to have your throat area open so that the air can flow out. The diaphragmtic breathing should have the air coming up like a fountain and basiccally, spraying out to make a beautiful singing sound.
To help the tension in your throat, try this: Place your tongue just behind your upper teeth and pull it further back on the cieling of your mouth area. It should be hard. That is called your hard pallete. Now draw it further back untill you feel is soften .That is your soft pallete. Now with this soft pallete, I want you to pretend your yawning. Do you feel your soft pallete raise with your tongue pushing down? That is what you can do to open up your throat and to eliminate the tension. Try this! Remind yourself to let the air naturally flow out on it's own (with the help of the diaphragm of course!)
xoxo.
Wait for Simon's critique.
Or you just know you got the jazz and that's that.
tape you