Questions and answers about voice training & 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.

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.

Lubricating the throat—how important is that for a 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.

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.

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.

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.