ed, and ready to respond to any demand that may be made
upon it. To try to make the tongue lie in the bottom of the mouth by
direct effort while it is filled with tension is like trying to sweep
back the tide with a broom. The only way to keep the tide from flowing
is to find out what causes it to flow and remove the cause. The only way
to correct faulty action of any part of the vocal mechanism is to go
back into mentality and remove the cause. It will always be found there.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT CONTROL

In view of the generally understood nature of involuntary action and the
extent to which it obtains in all good singing it is difficult to
understand why any teacher should work from the basis of direct control.
It is a fact, however, that teachers who have not the psychological
vision find it difficult to work with a thing they cannot see. To such,
direct control seems to be the normal and scientific method of
procedure.

Let me illustrate: A student comes for his first lesson. I "try his
voice." His tone is harsh, white, throaty and unsympathetic. It is not
the singing tone and I tell him it is "all wrong." He does not
contradict me but places himself on the defensive and awaits
developments. I question him to find out what he thinks of his own
voice, how it impresses him, etc. I find it makes no impression on him
because he has no standard. He says he doesn't know whether he ought to
like his voice or not, but rather supposes he should not. As I watch him
I discover many things that are wrong and I make a mental note of them.
Suppose I say to him as a very celebrated European teacher once said to
me: "Take a breath, and concentrate your mind on the nine little muscles
in the throat that control the tone." This is asking a good deal when he
does not know the name or the exact location of a single one of them,
but he seems impressed, although a little perplexed, and to make it
easier for him I say as another famous teacher once said to me: "Open
your mouth, put two fingers and a thumb between your teeth, yawn, now
sing _ah_." He makes a convulsive effort and the tone is a trifle worse
than it was before. I say to him, "Your larynx is too high, and it jumps
up at the beginning of each tone. You must keep it down. It is
impossible to produce good tone with a high larynx. When the larynx
rises, the throat closes and you must always have your throat open.
Don't forget, your throat must be _open_ and you can get it ope