7 Singing Myths Busted

If we got a penny every time we heard seasoned singers and voice teachers present singing myths as fact, we would be super rich. In fact, many professional singers go through life thinking that they know how the voice works, even though they don’t have a clue. Why? Simply because voice science hasn’t been around that long.

Early voice teachers had no way of looking into the body to see what was going on with our breathing, vocal folds, and resonators. So they made assumptions that they presented as facts. And many of those assumptions are still around today, even though we should know better.

Let’s have a look at 7 singing myths that every singer should learn the truth about!

Singing Myth #1 — Breathing is everything

Breathing is great, but the fact is that many singers focus too much on it. The myth about the diaphragm being the single most important part of vocal technique has been around for ages, before modern science could determine how the voice really works.

Here comes the crazy part: you cannot “sing from your diaphragm” like so many teachers will tell you to do. The diaphragm is active when we inhale and relaxes as we exhale!

Did you know it’s actually possible to use too much air when singing? And if you constantly run out of air, chances are that it’s not your breathing that’s the problem, but that your vocal folds are leaking air because they’re not closing properly.

Learn more about breathing here.

Singing Myth #2 — If You Can Sing Opera, You Can Sing Anything

Learning classical singing is certainly helpful in many ways, but if you try to sing rock with a “classical voice”, it’s not going to sound good. Regardless of which genre you want to sing, we want to build a balanced voice where both the chest voice and head voice are developed.

Many classically trained teachers lack the skills needed to train and balance your voice. Trust us, we’ve been there, learning to sing classical, thinking that something is missing.

We always want to ensure we have a balanced chest voice before we start developing the head voice and perfecting the mix between the two. The best way to help beginner singers is to work on exercises that strengthen the right muscles, to give them vocal freedom. When you have a balanced voice in place, you can start fine-tuning to adapt to different styles of music.

Singing Myth #3 — Drinking Tea Is Good For Your Vocal Folds

People are often surprised that this is a myth, but when they stop and think about it, it makes sense. When you drink tea, the liquid never touches your vocal folds. If it did, you would choke, because it would be on its way down to your lungs!

Things we eat and drink go through the oesophagus. They might have a systemic effect, like hydrating the vocal folds (takes a while to kick in), and when we swallow, mucus is redistributed around the vocal folds, which feels good. But there are very few studies that show any effect that food and drink have on our vocal folds, so take any recommendations with a big pinch of salt.

Learn much more about voice care in our course, available to all members! Sign up for the membership.

Singing Myth #4 — Exercises On Vowels Are the Best

Don’t get us wrong, exercises on only vowels are great when used right. What many voice teachers miss is that doing scales on long notes with Ah’s and Oh’s generally speaking should be used for advanced singers that already have a balanced voice and good technique.

Many of the most common exercises used by voice teachers are completely unsuited to beginner singers that may need to improve on muscle imbalances before they move on to more difficult things. Consonants and closed vowels are often much more helpful when you are still developing your voice, as they act as “training wheels” that give you added resistance, making the voice easier to control.

Read about our approach to vocal exercises here.

Singing Myth #5 — Vocal Injuries Are Always Caused by Poor Technique

This myth is harmful, because it puts the blame on singers that might be doing nothing wrong. Whereas it is true that singing with too much sub-glottal pressure (pressure below the vocal folds, same as shouting) definitely can cause nodules etc, it is not the whole truth.

Just like athletes can get injured even if they warmed up and have trained right, singers can sometimes develop vocal injuries through no fault of their own. Vocal injuries can happen to opera singers as well as rock singers. It’s just that we hear about them more often when it’s a famous artist who experiences them.

This doesn’t mean that it’s not important to sing with proper technique (in this case, this just means not using too much air and muscle, as if we are screaming as we go up our range).

Singing Myth #6 — You’re An Alto or Bass if You Can’t Sing High Notes

The number of people in the world thinking that they are altos or basses when they are in fact sopranos or tenors probably numbers in the millions.

(Soprano means high female voices, tenor high male voices. Alto means low female voices, bass low male voices.)

Firstly, your vocal range can be extended. As you work on your voice, you will be able to sing both higher and lower notes than you started out with.

Secondly, the real difference between an alto and a bass doesn’t lie in how low or high they can sing, but where their bridges are. Bridges are the notes where the voice transitions, where you might have a voice crack sometimes.

True altos and basses are very rare. Their speaking voice is usually really low.

Singing Myth #7 — Use More Air and “Breath Support” for High Notes

This myth is so prevalent that even experienced voice teachers with university degrees believe it. But if you’re struggling with high notes, you don’t need to use more air, you need to use less! High notes require less air than low notes, because the vocal folds are thinner since they are stretched out.

Using too much air will make it harder for the folds to stretch and resist the air, giving you less control and a sense of tension. Instead of pushing, try to think that you’re releasing. Experiment with resonance to let the sound bounce around and get amplified.

Ready to learn to sing without all the myths and misinformation?

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