Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 10/30/2007

Question
Hello I am a senior in high school and love to sing I am in the advanced choir and in theater.  I have never actually taken a voice lesson and don't want to however I have been told that I need to work on not singing in my throat.  I have started noticing it more and more.  I sound fine but I want to involve my diaphragm more and have better breath control.  Do you have any tips for me and improving that part of my voice?

Answer
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for writing.  A few things come to mind:

1.  Why are you not interested in taking voice lessons?  A voice coach or teacher would be able to help you with your technique in a personal and a professional manner.  Your sound would get better and you would be able to take care of your own voice with some knowledge and expertise.  And having someone to talk with about your voice is a really valuable gift.  I learned so much about my body and my skill just by being with someone who watched me and critiqued me and helped me along.  And anyone that I have taught about singing has felt the same way.  I would really encourage you to rethink this.  

2.  Singing in the throat is something that is very common for people who have not had the training to sing any other way.  This is another reason to take voice lessons.  If you continue to sing in your throat, you will either damage your voice, lose your voice, or you will find it almost impossible for you to continue to sing.  In some cases, people have been known to need surgery due to their lack of care of their throat.  Pushing your voice through your throat is a risky idea.

3.  If you are singing in your throat, you probably have an ok sound but you are most likely not getting the sound that you were created to sing.  Learning to sing from the diaphragm will not only help you sound better and you will be able to sing more freely and with more skill.  Your range will most likely increase as well.  

4.  So the above tips are the most important in terms of moving to a place where you are singing freely and easily.  Throat singing is constrained and not loose.  Diaphragm singing is smooth and free.

The key is to breathe deeply not using your chest muscles but to breathe down into the bottom of your belly each time you breathe.  Your diaphragm then takes the breath and pushes it through your cords to create the sound.  

A voice professional could help you gain this very important and necessary technique.  

I hope this helps you.

Wanda