How can you tell if you're using your diaphgram correctly?

^^^
'cause I've been working on my singing/vocals, and but I'm not sure if I'm using my diaphgram correctly..
and help?

Place your hand where the top of your rib cages meet. When you breathe you should feel this expand.

Also try laying on the floor with books on your diaphragm (while practicing), it'll make you more aware of your diaphragm and the books should rise and fall significantly.

xox
Sika

I'm a brass player (trombone) but I assume the process is the same.

Most people are instinctive chest breathers, when they take what they think is a big breath they throw their shoulders back and puff up their chest while drawing in their abdomen. Chest breathing doesn't use all of your lungs. If your abdomen goes out with your ribs so you fill the bottom of your lungs with air as well you should be able to draw more air in. The best way to visualize this is to imagine your lungs as a baloon that expands in all directions.

There's some weird technique where you breath through a straw and if you're using your diaphragm right the breath feels warm and if you're doing it wrong it feels cold. Or maybe it's the other way around!!! Sorry I can't help you but I learned this in a French choir and I hardly spoke French at the time, so I never worked out which way it was meant to be. But maybe you could Google 'diaphragm breathing straw' or something like that and find out the answer. I'd like to know myself!

try blowing in a balloon--but blow on it in a focused manner, and not spreading to your inner cheeks that may hurt your ears and stuff.
inhale fast and deep, you'll then feel your lungs fill up for the job.
exhale in one steady stream of air into the balloon.
do it several times and you will feel the resistance of the air getting in the balloon being pushed by the diaphragm. then stop and release the air.
then try doing the same thing without the balloon this time. as you exhale do a SSS sound with the air escaping at the space between your upper front teeth. (this teaches you FOCUS).
then do the samne thing but this time making an MMM sound

the key points are
1. inhale fast and deep.
2. exhale the air in one FOCUSED steady stream
3. make it your daily habit (not only when singing) every time you breathe.

sika has the best answer hers is most presice