Richard Miller presents excellent and very useful information for both singer and teacher, but his language is complex. As someone who has extensively studied the inner workings of the voice, I understood all of his terminology, but the excess of it slowed my overall comprehension. Why say "Enlarge the buccopharyngeal cavity" when you can just say "open the mouth?"

Richard Miller has written a library of works for singers, teachers, coaches, and anyone interested in the science of singing. The one thing that has always been missing, though, is an easy-to-use guide to much of his information, in the form of the Q&A, or to use the computer-literate term, an FAQ.

Well, here it is!

In this book, Miller addresses series of questions (gleaned from master class students and teachers over his many years of teaching) individually and specifically, giving the curious or troubled artists an opportunity to find an answer quickly and easily.

Of course, Miller cannot possibly address every conceivable question; I, for one, have a question about the female secondo passaggio and bridging the lower and upper mechanisms more efficiently; but a good read will glean the answers to many many other questions, plus give the aspiring student with little knowledge of vocal pedagogy a jumping-off point to dive into Miller's other works (The Structure of Singing, Teaching Soprano Voices, Teaching Tenor Voices, just to name a few fine ones).

This library is far cheaper than the Caldwell Publishing series, which is far easier to digest as a student, but simply out of the financial reach of everyone BUT tenured voice teachers (If you're listening, Robert Caldwell, we would love to buy them!, but it isn't possible at $600 for the series), and though it is fairly technical in its language and might require some background in the physiology of the larynx to completely comprehend, Miller's books are the rarest of beasts in voice ped: affordable, comprehensive, and helpful.

This book is not really a manual for voice teaching but a book of oft-asked questions and answers written by Richard Miller, noted voice teacher and author. Miller has written several books on singing and voice teaching, and all of them have been generally well received. This book is no exception.

The questions are grouped in sections of subjects beginning with breath management. Following chapters address posture, laryngeal functions, resonance, nasals and consonants, vibrato, registration, healthy singing, pedagogy issues, and performance concerns. As one can see, this layout of the book ensures that while Miller does skip from question to question, the book does flow similarly to great treatises on singing and voice instruction.

If one has never read a book by Richard Miller, one should know that his books can be technical and perhaps even...er, boring. Miller has certainly taken great care that each question be answered thoroughly and accurately (not with a simple yes or no). This is not the best book for a novice trying to learn about the voice. Try books by Oren Brown or Clifton Ware first, or be prepared to look it up if you don't know exactly where the zygomatic muscles are or how the thyroid cartilage works.

That being said, this book covers so many of the questions that people have about singing, even the questions that most voice teachers do not know. Miller also includes a wonderful repertoire list for younger or beginning singers in the back, and his select bibliography is also as rigorous as I've seen anywhere else. You may have to reread some answers, but it is clear that you are getting a well-researched answer.

I strongly recommend this book to any voice teacher. As long as they are prepared for technical answers, I think they will find it to be an invaluable resource.

Solutions for Singers is like having Richard Miller at your beck and call to answer questions regarding vocalism. In this book, Miller gives sensible solutions to help solve different vocal problems and explains how the vocal apparatus works. Solutions is most helpful when consulted along side the author's other books such as Structure of Singing and Training Tenor Voices. This book is a must have for any vocalist, teacher, coach, conductor and performer!!!