Question and Answers about Voice Training and Singing
How important is the diaphragm in singing?
If the diaphragm had anything to do with the actual voice, how come our athletes, boxers and runners don’t all sing particularly well? How about trumpet players? Never forget this all-important truth: The diaphragm can and will only develop equal to the resistance met at the vocal cords. Trumpet players have very strong diaphragms because their breath meets considerable resistance, yet this does nothing for their singing. The key lies in the vocal organ.
Lubricating the throat—how important is that for singer?
No throat can produce sound unless it is lubricated. Dry vocal cords cannot vibrate very well, and therefore will not produce a good tone. For this reason, many voice teachers have been urging their students for centuries to drink fluids that range from lemon juice to vinegar, to peppermint tea, water and other potions.
Some will even sell special lubricating fluids which are designed to be sprayed into the throat for the purpose of lubricating the vocal cords. Unfortunately all of this is based on complete myth and a total lack of understanding about the most basic voice physiology.
The fact is that if even the tiniest drop or particle should land upon the very sensitive vocal cords, you would be caught up in a coughing spasm. You simply cannot drink or eat anything that will coat or lubricate the vocal cords.
It is an anatomical fact that food and water does not come into contact with the vocal organ, unless by accident—which would result in a coughing fit.
The best effect that taking fluids would have, would be to lubricate the throat alone, making for easier swallowing and great comfort, but doing nothing for the voice itself.
The best way of lubricating the vocal cords would be to drink plenty of water so that the body can lubricate the vocal cords from within and to eat healthy so that the body will be able to coat the vocal cords with a healthy mucous layer which will keep the cords soft and pliable, and resistant to infection.
Is smoking and drinking bad for the voice?
Smoking is bad for the body and terrible for the voice. Smokers are very highly at risk for various types of cancer, among which throat cancer is one of the most significant.
Persons who desire to have perfect voice should never smoke. There are no exceptions.
Drinking in moderation will not harm the voice, but remember that anything done to excess can and will harm the body. And anything that harms the body, will ultimately have a negative effect on the voice as well.
Should a singer do special exercises to strengthen his or her abdominal muscles?
None required, except for reasons of general health. Gymnasts have exceptionally strong abdominal muscles, but the effect on their singing is zero. Ask any doctor.
How important is correct breathing to singers?
The difficulty in learning how to breathe correctly lies, not in knowing how much breath to take or how to inhale or exhale. It lies in knowing how to obtain a sure control over the important abdominal muscles without the interference of the diaphragm, rib or chest muscles. It is true that the diaphragm plays the most important part in all singing tones, for the strongest and highest, as well as the softest, only a nominal contraction of the abdominal muscles should take place, assisted by a slight sinking of the lower part of the back.
Is whispering bad for the voice?
Saying that whispering is bad for the voice is a myth that is sometimes taught. In whispering, the vocal cords are not used. Air is controlled by the lips and the shape of the mouth. No strain is placed on the voice. Clearing the throat, however, causes the vocal cords to rub against each other, and can cause damage which could lead to inflammation.
Is vibrato bad for the voice?
Occasionally there are people who want to make a point that vibrato is bad for the voice. They say that vibrato causes the muscles of the vocal cords to grow slack and “wear out” with age and much use. Of course, this is true of materials such as rubber, steel and plastic, but in the case of living muscle, exactly the opposite happens. The more you exercise a muscle, the stronger it becomes. Saying that vibrato will ruin the vocal muscles is like saying that running will ruin the leg muscles of an athlete. It simply is not true.
What does singing scales do to improve the voice?
Many voice teachers will make their students sing scales until the cows come home. The singing of scales trains the ear, not the voice. Worse still, is that many teachers make their students sing scales wrongly. That does more harm to the voice than good.
What is the age limit for students?
There is none. Any voice can be improved,
and the methods contained in the Perfect Voice
Training Course have been used for decades on persons from 7 to
80-odd years old. If you have the will to have a better voice, and
are prepared to work for it, you can have one.
Does a singer have to lose his or her voice with age?
A singer who uses the right muscles for singing, and who takes care of his or her voice, should have a good voice until an advanced age. When correctly used the voice does not age nearly as much as people generally think. Singers who end up “losing their voice” at age sixty-five or seventy, are usually those who have used the wrong voice techniques over many years. This could have been avoided, and it can be corrected through much hard work and very careful exercising.
How long does it take to complete the course?
Well, how long does it take different people to read a book? How long does it take different people to become fit for a race? It varies. The speed of the progress you will make, depends on the condition of your vocal organ, and the diligence and dedication with which you approach the course.
If you practice the exercises contained in the course seriously and often, you will see faster results. Within a matter of days or weeks, you will notice a difference. Some notice a difference right away. People who practice very seriously generally make their biggest progress in the first three weeks.
Just remember, much of the voice
training in this course involves the un-learning of incorrect
habits, and the learning of correct ones. Everyone knows that it takes
a little time to change and correct habits. How quickly you can adopt
the right habits, depends on your perseverance, will and character.
Jaco Pieterse’s experience has been that even if you are of average intelligence, you can master the vocal action within three (3) to four (4) weeks. Once it kicks in correctly, you will learn to make it a habit because you will be taught and you will see and hear Jaco Pieterse explain and demonstrate correct vocal action in the video made available with this manual.
Jaco’s background in the study of voice has made it possible to condense the course to make it easy for students. Experience has shown that students find it acceptable to stand and sing “scales” wrongly for an hour, but to do exercises without sound correctly for ten minutes a day, is too difficult.
This course is for winners! So exercise discipline, which is all that is required to make a success. It does not take ten years if you apply yourself. You can master the lessons in tongue control in ± three weeks and build correct action with sound in ± eight weeks. From this point forward it is up to you.
By how much can the Perfect Voice Training Course improve my voice?
Over the decades of his life, Professor Feuchtinger has always answered: “By at least one hundred percent.” That statement remains true to this day.
What can the Perfect Voice Training Course do for already accomplished singers?
It can help you sing without having to “strain” so much.
It can help you achieve higher notes than before and help you sustain them with less effort.
It can make your voice clear and distinct so that it can be heard even in a fair-sized concert hall.
It can help you to sing longer, without the voice becoming “tired” so quickly.
It can help you to sing in such a way that your voice will not need to have to recover from injury after a very demanding singing session.
If you tire quickly, the exercises in the Perfect Voice Training Course will help you overcome this problem.
Are there people who have been born with a perfect voice?
Yes, but only very, very few. Many people are born with very good voices, but through neglect and lack of knowledge, these often degrade quite soon. Similarly, some people are simply born with weak vocal muscles. But that does not mean that their muscles have to remain weak. By the right kind of diligent and patient exercise even such voices can be trained and developed to become perfect voices.
What role does diet, general exercise, and healthy living play in voice quality?
Anything that helps the body will also help the voice. Just as a healthy body will help a scientist, an athlete or a businessman perform better, so it will help the voice to perform better.
Can the Perfect Voice Training Course help me to achieve far higher and lower notes?
Yes. Basses, baritones and altos, as well as others can enlarge their compass to reach lower tones. Sopranos, tenors, mezzo-sopranos and children’s voices will be able to enlarge their compass very much and quickly by practicing and utilizing all that will be taught about the palate attack and the falsetto. Remember, however, that the middle voice will always be the most important. It is here that your voice will be used the most, and where you should always perform the best.
Are there some voice training methods that work better than yours?
Jaco Pieterse answers: “You can appreciate that I do from time to time receive mail from offended people who would like to prove me wrong. I ask that if, in future, you feel you disagree and can prove your point, do what I did. Make a video of yourself or your student singing with a different vocal action from the one explained in this course. There is no other route.”
Please tell me more about “vocal attack”
The beginning of a vocal sound is called “vocal attack.” All previous methods have failed entirely in this respect. None of them has come anywhere near the exact point of vocal attack.
Some have taught that the attack was a certain contraction of the diaphragm; some claim that the abdomen must be pushed outward while attacking a tone; others claim the abdomen must be drawn inward.
Again, it has been taught that the attack is in the chest; or that it is in the larynx; that the vocal cords close the air passage before the tone; that the attack must be made through the palate or by means of pressing the tongue tip against the teeth. A regular Witches’ Sabbath reigns among the different schools as to the point of the “vocal attack.”
The reason why there is so much confusion on this subject is that the exact facts in regard to the voice were hitherto unknown. Teachers, singers and orators looked for symptoms within their bodies. Each one could notice different symptoms and each would believe himself to be right. Thus we had only “opinions” and guesswork to start from, and one man’s guess is as good as another’s.
Hence, all the misunderstandings, and the illogical, incorrect voice culture methods. The reason why so many persons with naturally good voices do not develop them further, or, worst of all, ruin them, is mainly this, that, not knowing the exact attack, they abuse their voices just as a pianist playing with stiff fingers, hands and arms could never make any great progress and would finally even lose what technique he had by nature.
The vocal attack is made entirely through the action of the tongue, or, more exactly, through the instantaneous and automatic contraction of the “Hyo-Glossus Muscle,” which connects the tongue with the larynx below and the palate above it. The vocal student's entire success depends firstly upon learning to control this muscle, secondly upon training and strengthening the same.
Lasting and permanent results in voice culture, as in anything else, can be attained only at the cost of thought, concentration and persistent effort.