Debunking 5 Common Singing Myths and Misconceptions
Contents
Myth 1 - Singing is a natural talent that you’re born with
Myth 2 - Breathe from your Diaphragm
Myth 3 - Don’t Sing from your Throat
Myth 4 - Caffeine is bad for your voice
Myth 5 - Never sing with a high Larynx
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of information out there when it comes to singing, the voice and what we should and shouldn’t do. Sometimes, it can be really tricky to know what is fact, fiction, or sometimes, a mix of both!
Today, I’m going to address 5 of the most common singing myths and misconceptions that I hear about voice.
1. Singing is a natural talent that you’re born with.
This is one I think most of us will have heard at one point or another, and honestly? It makes me a little sad. I’ve heard “I’d love to sing, but I’ve never had that talent” or a variation of that so many times, but the idea that you have to be born with the “gift” to be a singer is just not true.
Singing is a skill like anything else, and skills can be developed and improved with time and practice.
You wouldn’t expect a professional athlete to just turn up and start winning races or events, would you? Of course not! It’s expected that they put many hours of training and practice in before going for the big competitions.
Singing should be seen in much the same way. Your voice is a muscle and needs the correct form, repetition and a certain level of challenge to develop. Musicality, rhythm, and pitch accuracy are all things that can be improved.
Now, a gentle reality check. Are we all going to be the next Céline Dion or Freddie Mercury?
Sadly not.
As with all things, some people are better at singing than others. Some singers can do things that others just can’t. Sometimes it’s literally down to their physiology and the makeup of their instrument, other times it’s down to how quickly we learn, mimic or absorb certain types of information. There will always be some people out there who find singing easier and more “natural” than others – but that is true in every aspect of life.
Does that mean you can’t improve and become a great singer? Absolutely not!
I am a firm believer that singing is for everybody. We’re not all going to be a huge superstar, but we can all improve and extend our capabilities, so don’t let anyone tell you that you have to be born a singer. It’s a skill that can absolutely be learned!
2. "Breathe from your Diaphragm"
I doubt there is a singer out there who hasn’t at some point come across this one. “Breathe from your diaphragm when singing.” It’s a common turn of phrase, and while well intentioned, it’s actually quite misleading.
The fact is, the diaphragm is always involved in the inhalation phase of the respiratory process. It’s not something that is engaged specifically for singing.
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits underneath the heart and lungs and separates the chest from your abdominal cavity.
When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and flattens, which draws air into the lungs. When we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to rest in the dome-like shape.
So why is this phrase used?
Well, generally speaking, we don’t tend to breathe optimally in our day-to-day lives. If we’re talking or just going about our day, most of us tend to take fairly shallow breaths, but for singing, we want to aim for a full relaxed breath, allowing the lungs to fill up right from the bottom. To do this, the diaphragm needs room to contract more fully and so essentially our insides shift, which causes that protrusion of the abdomen.
So the phrase “breathe from the diaphragm” is more of a colloquial phrase to draw the singer’s attention to a full relaxed breath. But, it’s ultimately somewhat misleading, which can be confusing for singers unfamiliar with the physiology of the respiratory cycle.
3. Don't sing from your Throat
Long story short, we always sing from our throats! In fact, any sound we make with our voice is produced from the throat. The vocal folds which produce sound are housed in the larynx (also known as the voicebox), which sits just above the windpipe, so it’s literally impossible NOT to sing from the throat.
So why do so many singers and even teachers use this phrase?
Essentially, what this refers to is keeping the muscles of the neck and throat relaxed when singing and not straining or forcing the sound.
We have muscles both inside and outside the larynx. When we sing or speak, we only want the muscles inside the larynx to be involved in sound production, but the external (or extrinsic) muscles tend to want to get involved and become active. While those muscles are essential for actions like swallowing and coughing, they’re not needed in singing. Their involvement can lead to tension and strain and inefficient vocal production, which can cause injury in the long term.
4. Caffeine is bad for your voice
There’s an idea that caffeine is bad for the voice because it dehydrates you, and therefore negatively impacts your voice.
But I have good news for the tea and coffee lovers out there!
Research suggests that, in fact, caffeine ingestion has no significant impact on hydration levels. For example, a 2014 study (Killer SC, Blannin AK, Jeukendrup AE.) found that replacing four daily cups of water with coffee had no impact on hydration status. This was consistent with a review in 2021 which concluded there was no support for the idea that caffeine causes fluid loss in excess of what is consumed or that it is associated with poor hydration status.
If you’re interested in hearing some more about this, I’d recommend this video by Nutritionist Duncan Rock, who speaks about this in more detail.
5. You should never sing with a high larynx
A high larynx isn’t necessarily a bad thing! In fact, for some vocal qualities (like belting), a higher larynx position can actually be beneficial, because it encourages a chestier sound and boosts certain harmonics in the soundwave to create a more powerful sound.
The problem with a high larynx comes when it is habitual and occurs without conscious choice.
The larynx tends to rise as we ascend in pitch because the body tends to associate a high larynx with a yell or shout condition.
It’s hard-wired into us as a survival mechanism. But this extreme vocal use leads to excessive use of muscle at the vocal fold level, and they come together very forcefully. The external muscles activate and constrict the throat, which, although it boosts certain frequencies in the soundwave and gives us a brighter, harsher sound, is very limited in range and not designed for sustained use (like when we sing). Over time, this can cause strain, and the excessive force of the vocal folds will eventually lead to some serious vocal issues.
What does this mean?
It essentially means that the key isn’t never allowing the larynx to rise (in fact, that can cause its own issues), but that we break the habit of raising the larynx excessively as we ascend in pitch and triggering that “shout” condition. There is room for the larynx to rise somewhat, which allows us to take advantage of certain vocal qualities without it raising too high and potentially causing us problems.
The key is that we have control and conscious choice over our laryngeal position, and that we can make informed decisions about how we use laryngeal position to sing in a healthy and balanced way.
So that’s it for this post! Did any of the vocal myths or misconceptions surprise you? Maybe you have some of your own to share, let me know in the comments!
If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on various singing topics, check out my previous post: Head Voice Vs Falsetto: What’s the Difference?
If you’re interested in working with me one-on-one I offer private lessons over Zoom. A free consultation is available and new clients recieve their first lesson at a discounted price.
Until next time,
Happy singing!