I am not in the world of music but you are correct. Inhalation is done with the diaphragm and accessory muscles as needed. I would guess that breathing with your diaphragm is more of a cue to take a solid expanded chest, stomach out breath as opposed to a weak, chest only inhalation. Again, basically a cue to get maximal amount of air in your lungs.And yeah I think it would be a stretch to say that exercising can increase total lung capacity. Maybe, but I cant imagine it is in any appreciable way.
How does diaphragmatic breathing differ from typical respiration in an individual without underlying respiratory conditions?To my understanding, the lungs expand and contract as a function of the diaphragm/transverse abdominals contracting, as well as the contracting of the inner/outer intercostal muscles. As a musician who plays brass instruments, there is this phrase, "Breathe with your diaphragm" that gets passed around quite often, but I never really felt like I fully understood what that means from an anatomical standpoint, because wouldn't that imply that it's possible to breathe without the diaphragm, or that an otherwise normal breath is done without the diaphragm?I am aware of diaphragmatic breathing as a form of physical therapy for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but what benefits, if any, would it offer for an individual without such medical issues?Follow-up, would such exercises expand an individual's vital capacity/is it possible? I believe a person's TLC cannot be changed. All in all, there is a lot of information about breathing in the world of music education that is shared and taught without citation or concrete scientific basis and I wanted to get to the bottom of it all. Thanks!