QUOTE (Stevie·Ray·Vaughn @ Jan 23 2008, 04:44 AM)
Alright
Thanks Luciana! Rather than starting a new thread, I'd like to ask a question. How do I do the book trick to see if I'm breathing from my diaphram?
This was in my lesson about breathing.. try it!
How to breathe correctly?
Step one
Good posture:
First, stand up straight, with your feet shoulder width apart. Roll your head around to ease any tension in your neck. Then hold your head level, with your chin parallel to the ground, not tipped up or down. Let your shoulder blades slide toward the centre of your back so that they’re back and down. If you do this, your chest will be open instead of collapsed, which is just what we want.
Slumping, or ever rounding your shoulders forward slightly, partly collapses the upper rib cage and keeps the muscles between the ribs from being able to expand to accommodate the lungs as they fill with air. What we are looking for is the physical ease that comes from good alignment.
Now bend your knees slightly (just relax and unlock them) and tuck your pelvis under. This slight adjustment helps ensure that the diaphragm can function at maximum capacity.
Step two
Inhale:
Put your hand on your stomach, with your middle finger or your belly button. All the action that follows should take place in the space between the base of your ribs and just below your belly button. Keeping your shoulders in that beautiful, open position, back and down, imagine that your stomach is a balloon, and as you inhale, let it fill with air. Concentrate on filling this “balloon” only. And when it’s full, blow the air gently out through your mouth. Don’t feel alarmed if you see only a small movement of your stomach. When you quit pushing breath in and just let it flow.
In a very short time, your inhales should be free on chest and shoulder action, and you ought to be able to inhale without stomach tension. Don’t worry if you get a little light-headed at first. That’s because you’re bringing more air into your system than you’re used to and possibly hyperventilating. This will pass, and your body will appreciate all the life-giving oxygen you’re feeding it.
Step three
Exhale:
This is supposed to be the easy part, the release. As we exhale, the body is designed to allow the stomach to fall easily back to its normal position. It doesn’t take muscle to exhale, just relaxation. But when we exhale, many of us use force. We tighten. We make it a hundred times harder than it’s supposed to be, thinking, mistakenly, that to get the volume we want, and to hit the high notes, the best thing to do is to fire out voices out cannon.
As you exhale, keep your hand resting on your stomach, and be conscious of when your muscles tighten. You can massage your muscles softly as you exhale to remind them to relax. And if need be, as you’re learning, you can also help your stomach in by pushing gently with your hand, which creates less pressure than using your abdominal muscles. Remember, the goal is not to pull anything in. Just let your stomach fall to its neutral position.
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GMC Forum > Discussion Boards > VINTAGE GMC > Community Activities and Tutorials > Ask an Instructor > Luciana Segovia (Singing Instructor)
Gear: Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Gibson '67 RI Flying V, Mesa Boogie F-30 112 combo, crazy pedals.
Then you can start with vowels, only singing note by note. and you can sing the same notes you're playing. It's better practicing with the scales. But..... IMPORTANT: do it SLOWLY! 
ok?
