Vocal Myths & Bad Advice
Common advice that's misleading, incomplete, or outright harmful. If someone tells you any of these, be skeptical.
"Sing from your diaphragm" You can't directly control your diaphragm — it's an involuntary muscle on the inhale. What people mean is: use your abdominal and intercostal muscles to control exhalation. Saying "sing from your diaphragm" is like saying "digest from your stomach." Technically involved, but not how you'd teach it.
"Drink tea with honey to fix your voice" Tea and honey never touch your vocal folds — they go down your esophagus, not your trachea. They can soothe throat irritation and feel nice, but they don't "fix" or "coat" your cords. What actually helps: steam inhalation and systemic hydration (water, hours in advance).
"Chest voice means singing from your chest" The sound isn't produced in your chest. "Chest voice" refers to the thick vocal fold vibration pattern that creates sympathetic resonance you feel in your upper torso. The sound is always made at the vocal folds in your larynx.
"Falsetto is only for men" Everyone with vocal folds can produce falsetto — it's a mode of vibration where the folds don't fully close. Women use it too, though the timbral difference from head voice may be less dramatic.
"Whiskey and cigarettes give you a raspy voice" They give you a damaged voice. The "rasp" from smoking and alcohol comes from swollen, irritated, dehydrated folds. Healthy vocal distortion uses the false folds and arytenoids — structures above the true cords. One is controlled art, the other is permanent damage.
"Push harder for high notes" The exact opposite. High notes require less air, not more. Pushing more air at higher pitches forces the folds apart and creates strain. Think "less air, more compression" — let the folds do the work.
"Vibrato should be added artificially" Artificial vibrato (jaw wobble, diaphragm pulse) sounds unnatural and creates tension. Real vibrato emerges naturally when breath support is solid and the throat is relaxed. If you don't have vibrato yet, the fix is better technique — not manufacturing it.
"You're either born with it or you're not" Singing is a motor skill. Some people have natural advantages (vocal fold length, resonance cavity size), but technique, pitch accuracy, tone quality, and range are all trainable. Most "natural" singers practiced obsessively as children.
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