even more serious in
its bearing on practical instruction. Not only have all investigators
failed to define exactly what the correct laryngeal action is. Even if
this were determined it would still be necessary to find means for
imparting command of this correct action to the student of singing.
Knowing how the vocal cords should act does not help the singer in the
least to govern their action. What the vocal student wishes to know is
how to cause the vocal cords to assume the correct position for each
register. On this, the most important topic of mechanical Voice Culture,
Vocal Science has shed no light whatever. A student may hear
descriptions of the laryngeal action, and study the highly interesting
laryngoscopic photographs of the vocal cords, until thoroughly familiar
with the theoretical side of the subject. Even then, the student is no
better able to control the vocal cord action than when profoundly
ignorant of the whole matter.

This deficiency of Vocal Science is frankly recognized by one of the
latest authoritative writers on the subject, Dr. Wesley Mills. On page
173 of his work just quoted, he advises students to _hear the great
singers_, to note carefully the _quality of tone_ which characterizes
each register, and to _imitate these qualities_ with their own voices.
This advice may almost be described as revolutionary. Vocal theorists
have always assumed that the correct action cannot be acquired by
imitation. In this advice to rely on the imitative faculty for acquiring
control of the laryngeal action, Dr. Mills abandons the basic principle
of modern methods. Without exception, all instruction in singing is
to-day based on the idea of mechanical tone-production. An entirely new
theory of Voice Culture is involved in this advice of Dr. Mills.

Turning to practical methods of instruction, it is found that the
subject of registers is very seldom treated in the manner suggested by
the theoretical works on the voice. This would be, to make the "placing"
of the voice in the different registers the exclusive subject of
instruction for a certain number of lessons;--to train each register of
the voice separately;--when the correct vocal cord action had been
established in each register, to unite the different registers, and to
correct any "breaks" which might have developed. Comparatively few
teachers attempt to follow this course. The great majority treat the
registers in a much less systematic fashion. A sing