Singers are often instructed to 'do less'. When a singer finds themselves pushing, singing too chesty, or generally producing an out of balance sound, it is very possible that they hear the generic words of wisdom 'less is more'. Sing more gently, try to sing lighter, keep it small, is all advice belonging to the same category.
Extremely often, the result is singers sitting frustrated in front of a piano trying to do less or achieve a kind of 'lighter' texture by engaging in new ways of constriction. The reason for that is that pedagogically, it is much easier to add something in terms of activity than trying to take something away.
In that case, more is actually less. What is it that when a singer does more of, the trouble area gets alleviated? How can we express technical feedback in terms of doing rather than not doing?
This may also lead to a much more representative experience of the physical sensation of having a more balanced sound, as the singer will more often than not have a very pronounced experience of the thing they are doing more of.
These are some common examples:
Singers who 'hold onto their sound' by overly filtering and tensing the throat often describe their freer sound feeling like screaming to the inner ear.
Singers who push air against a tense throat often describe experiencing their sound as being expremely breathy (which is very often not the case to the listener) once they start allowing for airflow.
In both cases, the experience is described as more of something, not less. That is because in both cases there is more release, the production is more uncontained. and an event that had previously been hindered by the trouble area is allowed to unleash itself.
Did they end up having less tension around the larynx or less resistence to the exhale? Yes, but that was the result, not the pedagogical means. Doing more of something is actually what allowed the overworked element to ease.
Now, the listener may interpret what they are hearing as 'less' because they are picking up on the ease, especially if they have a comparative point of previous, less efficient singing. But a voice teacher should not be your average listener, and asking for 'less' is similar to asking a student 'could you improve your technique please?' without offering actual, physical means to do that.
Less is more is a concept associated with the unproductive idea of generalized tension. Singing is never a big tense mess. It is a collection of specific physiological behaviors that interact with each other.
So when a singer or teacher is able to name and describe the problem areas, they should be able to recognize what the limited area is hindering from happening and what doing more of can help alleviate it.
Eventually, both ends of the physiological equation of more is less should be acknowledged.
For example:
A bolder/louder sound inspires a more open throat.
More airflow usually results in less contriction.
Engaging my abdomen in a certain way tricks my body into thinking that it's not running out of air.
Staying more casual in the body, as if having coffee, makes my sound more discreet but everything feels loose around it.
When something is not working, don't try to stop it. Try doing something different instead.
Less is more is a myth.
More is less.
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