How to Feel the Diaphragm–Abs Link for Singing
- Susanna Barasch
- Dec 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Here are a few singer-friendly explorations that respect both bel canto principles and what we know from physio research. (These are not medical prescriptions—just awareness tools.)
A. 360° Inhalation Check
Stand tall, knees easy, sternum comfortably lifted—not slumped, not military.
Place:
One hand on the lower front ribs
One hand on your low side ribs or back
Inhale quietly through nose or mouth and think:
“Expand around the entire belt line.”
You should feel side and back movement, not just belly or upper chest.
Your front ribs, side ribs, and back should expand evenly at the same rate.
You’re looking for an even expansion pattern—diaphragm descending, rib cage widening, abdominal wall responding like a stretchy cylinder. Physiopedia+2FuncPhysio Physical Therapy+2
B. Appoggio Hiss: Diaphragm + Abs in Slow Motion
Take the same 360° inhalation.
Start a very gentle long hiss (“ssss”), as if letting air out of a balloon slowly.
As you hiss:
Feel the ribs resist collapsing right away. Let them stay gently expanded for as long as they can. Rise Academy ofMusic+1
Let the low belly respond gradually—no violent pulling in. Imagine a wide elastic belt that slowly tightens as the breath leaves.
If the abs lock or the throat tightens, reset—less force, more length of exhale.
This mimics appoggio: the diaphragm is rising, but slowly; the abs modulate the pace; the rib cage and pelvic floor are part of the same pressure system.
C. Add Tone
Once that feels stable:
Do the same inhalation.
Sing a comfortable [ng] glide or a sustained vowel on a mid-range pitch.
Aim for:
Steady tone
Minimal jaw and throat activity
Ongoing feeling of width in the lower ribs and a gently gathering abdomen beneath it
You’re training your system to let the breath pressure come from the coordinated cylinder, not from the throat or a random ab crunch. The result is the sensation of inhalation during singing.
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