he Internet, rarely called the "information superhighway" anymore, is the world's newest encyclopedia. It's handy for any information you need, which means it can be the place to go if you want to become versed in how to keep your voice in shape. The thing to keep in mind is that along with abundantly accessible information, there can also be a good deal of misinformation.
Aware of such pitfalls, I went online to see what I might come across about the voice and—only scratching the surface—found all sorts of advice that felt reliable. At www.vocalist.org.uk/ vocal_techniques.html, singer and voice coach Tracey Howard-Baker introduces a list of "Simple Tips" by suggesting, "Every singer has their own unique style, sound, and tone which is worth studying." Among those tips—apart from a few dubious ones about whispering and practicing a cat's meow and growl—is this: "Visualize the notes hitting the ceiling to get those high notes and the floor to get the low ones." In a succeeding section called "Expression," this paragraph appears: "When you read the lyrics of a song, do they come alive for you? Can you relate to the theme or story? Speak the lyrics aloud; imagine you are talking to a close friend: How would you say the words to them? If it is a love song or ballad, envisage the person you would like to express those emotions to."
Howard-Baker also posits, "A bright, confident sound in your voice can be achieved by smiling!" But voice coach David L. Jones deems this supposed helpful hint most unhelpful at www.voiceteacher.com/damaging.html. "So many teachers and singers think that it is important to smile at the mouth opening while singing," he writes. "This absolutely is destructive to the throat. The Italian School teaches the inner smile, which is actually a high and wide soft palate, lifted cheeks under the eyes, sunken cheeks at the back teeth (this creates more acoustical space in the pharynx), and all this with an oval mouth shape. The smile is actually in the eyes, not the mouth."
As you can see, Jones gets very anatomical in his clues to proper singing. He argues against employing the "flat-tongued technique" because this forces the back of the tongue into the pharynx: "The root of the tongue places direct pressure or stress at the vocal cords or glottis." He writes about the problems of singing with the jaw thrust forward, noting that for one singer, the voice consequently "lacked any kind of color or warmth and would fatigue very quickly"; he goes on to list nine unfortunate results of jaw-forward singing. Another problem he probes is "breathy" singing, writing from personal experience. He reports being told by a doctor conducting vocal research that "after singing with a breathy tone, the vocal cords turned more and more red and the vocal lips swelled [to] almost twice their normal thickness."
Closing his remarks, Jones considers 12 causes of vocal fatigue, including "smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages," "belting: using too much chest voice pushed up too high in the scale," "using a technique with a tight solar plexus," "singing with a high larynx," "pushing too much breath pressure through the larynx," "incorrect posture; dropped chest or hyperextended chest," "singing with the head posture pushed forward from the spine," and "unsupported singing; lack of connection to the resistance of breath pressure in the lower back and abdominal muscles." Jones also writes, "Recently I had the experience of hearing a cabaret performance in New York City. The singer used a lot of breathy tone for dramatic effect. This was a huge mistake. After only about three songs, vocal fatigue began to develop."
At www.ent-consult.com/voiceproblems.html, Illinois-based voice teacher Rosalie Loeding weighs in, writing, "Be very vigilant! If the voice is already under stress—hoarse, tired, fatigued, gravelly—a physical condition such as asthma, sore throat, and allergies may escalate the vocal problems, but it does not cause them. You may unconsciously compensate by replacing correct vocal technique with incorrect technique. For example, nodules do not form if the voice is used sensibly and correctly." Loeding covers many of the facets Jones does but also insists, "Learn your correct optimal pitch and use it all the time. If your voice is gravelly and hoarse, it is probably too low. When the optimal pitch is used, the quality of the voice is clear and does not tire as quickly." She's also concerned about "glottal initiation of words," which occurs in a staccato, disjointed delivery in which "the glottis closes firmly before breath pressure is applied." The damage to the vocal folds "causes trauma, irritation, and swelling."
The advice is more alphabetical at www.a2z-singing-tips.com. Vocal coach Yvonne DeBandi says that A is for "Airflow. Never hold your breath while singing." C is for "Communicate the music's message. During performance it is very important to communicate the message of the song. If you make a 'mistake,' don't point it out to your audience. It is most likely they did not even notice." G is for "Guessing games. Never guess the pitch you are about to sing. Hear the note in your head before you open your mouth." M is for "Mirror. Training in front of a mirror can help a singer discover many things about their instrument, as well as confirm that other actions are being done correctly. Be sure to rely on a mirror during vocal training, but be able to leave the mirror to face an audience." Q is for "Quit smoking. Quit talking too loudly. Quit talking too much." W is for "Water. Water. Water. Drink room-temperature water as often as you can to keep your voice organ hydrated."
On the same site, vocal coach Teri Danz skips through the alphabet differently but just as sincerely. E is for "Eat for energy. Proteins are essential for maintaining energy in singing. Singing takes energy. Many performers lose energy halfway through a set and then end up efforting, pushing, and stressing their vocal cords." G is for "Get out there. The best way to create your own style as a singer is to do it. If you're a beginner, work with nurturing people (and a coach). You can play coffeehouses, open mikes, sing with friends, but just get started." L is for "Less is more. Strive to do justice to the song and your interpretation of it. Just deliver the message. Vocal gymnastics is not a prerequisite for doing a great vocal performance." R is for "Riding the air. Riding the air is a concept and a set of actions that are extremely helpful for singers. Riding the air means holding up the air in your body so that you are supported, then sending/directing the sound up and over in a line to a point (imagine) across the room." T is for "Take feedback and direction. Be teachable.... Learn who to trust and then take what you like and leave the rest."
Not everything I located was super-serious. Some sites are just good for a laugh. At www.songcrossfire.com, two guys, Darryl and Jerry, swap comments as well as insults on the subject of song interpretation after stating, "Remember that art is only art if it lends itself to interpretation." Parsing the intention of Elton John and Bernie Taupin in "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," Darryl begins by remarking, accurately, "It always amazes me how often people can sing along with a song and never have any idea what they're singing," before noting, "What we have here is the cry of an obsessive stalker." And he only gets more bizarre and amusing from there on out.
Perhaps the real lesson is this: You can work on vocal technique even when it's just you home alone with your computer.