It's about support...

Ayush

Hey fellas. Question is about support, how do you know whether you are using diaphragmatic breathing right or not? In a simpler way how does it feel like in the stomach and in the throat?
Mine gets tense after a while of practice. Weirdly I feel more relax when I take a Chest breath, not a full huff more like a combination of stomach and chest.
Any advice would be great. Thanks

Ayush x

Klaus_T

thinning out the note at the top is right, yes. again, this is a big topic, you can look into vowel modifications (there is at least one free video on YT), because this changes for every vowel, and where the modification happens depends on how well you are trained, which range you have etc.

have a browse around the forums for "vowel modifications" as well

Klaus_T

it should feel like you reduce the strain in your throat, especially on high notes, and make you be able to sustain notes for much longer. since you ask for a "simple" explanation, there isn't really one. most people will have to spend a lot of time to get it right, and since these muscles and movements are outside of what we can describe with language, all these "images" you read about on here, are really the only way to describe it, everyone will eventually have to figure it out for themselves. i am not sure what exactly you mean by "chest breath", it could be a bad technique, but then also the ribcage is involved in correct support as well, so maybe that's what you mean. a good example of the shortcoming of "speaking about it" vs. "experiencing it". i suggest you read as much as you can on the forums, and if you aren't training (near-)daily yet, you should start that, if you wantt o really learn about singing, because you can only learn it by regular practice. i know support is one of the "big topics", but there are so many other things you need to be aware of. i suggest you go to my profile page and check out my routine from before i signed up for the course. it is free, and will help you to get started (if you aren't doing a daily routine yet). remember that you should also have 1-2 days of rest per week. unfortunatly, there is no secret i can tell you to get it right, you will need to experience it for yourself, and put in lots and lots of hours of focused practice.

Ayush

Thanks for the explanation @Klaus_T it really helps. One quick question, when we go up in the scale (especially after E and F) the placement of top note should be in nasal cavity(thin voice compared to the bottom of the scale), right?