I’ve come across a number of different vocal scenarios in my journey as a vocalist and vocal coach. Throughout I have been taught and retaught just how infinitely precious the gift our voices are. We need to make sure we look after them by not abusing them – even accidentally. The vocal cords are tiny (about the size of your pinky’s fingernail) and we put an enormous amount of pressure on them to perform well for us at 100% in the way we communicate, express ourselves, sing, lecture, teach, work and be healthy all at the same time.
My top 10 tips are designed to give you a chance to care for your voice in the best way possible:
- Warm up the voice before use – even on days where you might have a large amount of talking, it is wise to spend a few minutes warming up. Find resources that work within your vocal range and learn how to do them correctly. There is no point training your muscles incorrectly in the pursuit of warming up.
- Stretch and warm up the body – the voice is a muscle group and like an athlete it needs warming up. As everything is connected look at how to stretch your entire body. Find exercises like a yoga pose: half moon to help open up the chest and lungs. Stretch your jaw and move your tongue around your mouth to wake up all those little muscles. Roll your shoulders forward then backward. Avoid rolling your neck in a full circle – go from shoulder to shoulder. Stretch to the sky and then touch your toes and slowly roll back up. All this will get the circulation flowing and your body ready to engage its support network.
- Drink plenty of water – hydration is the key when singing. You want the vocal folds to be plump and moist. Avoid extra aggravation when the voice is fatigued and use a few of my favourite throat healers: Gargling with warm salty water; a large mug of freshly cut lemon and honey in hot water. Herbal teas are also great to help warmup the voice before singing – its like a warm bath for your throat, particularly in the colder months when our muscles tend to seize up in an effort to keep the body warm.
- Avoid dairy and caffeine on the vocal demanding weeks – particularly prior to singing avoid these completely. Dairy builds extra mucus layer in the throat causing extra strain on the vocal cords to produce a fully connected sound; and caffeine strips the natural lubricants as well as drying out the muscles internally. Drink plenty of water before, during and after. I’ll tend to avoid both of these in a week leading up to a large event and have found my voice is far greater on the day of a performance.
- Avoid prolonged shouting – learn how to project correctly by investing in some vocal technique lessons. Equally avoid whispering, it forces the vocal folds to remain apart whilst being used at full strength and tires already exhausted flaps. Loud environments are also a no go where possible, as you will over compensate by raising your voice to be heard, find some where quieter in those moments or simply nod or use non-verbal cues. This is a learned art and can feel a bit challenging for the one who loves to be at parties, clubs or busy cafes but worth it if your voice is particularly strained or fatigued.
- Sing within your range and within your skill set – if you’re unsure what your range is, it’s helpful to get vocal coaching to work on finding, developing and strengthening your vocal range. This is important as the vocal folds thin out and expand in length to reach higher notes which places larger strain on them when done incorrectly. Making sure you have adequate abdominal support to maintain work in the higher registers of your voice so you don’t tire out or do any damage. Prolonged incorrectly supported vocal work in a high register will leave you strapped and frustrated. Work within and build slowly. If your voice breaks at any point, immediately stop and begin the exercise again, with less pressure and engagement of the throat muscles.
- Be aware of vocal abusive habits – Many singers are unaware of these habits like coughing persistently, clearing of the throat, and tension in the throat. These things form from muscle memory and are aggressive to the vocal cords. When this is a repeated behavioural pattern it is hard to break. Try sipping small amounts of water to clear your throat; if you are coughing persistently try to rest your voice and seek medical attention if you are ill. Tension in the jaw, neck and tongue can be relieved through various stretches, seek help from a physio or trained vocal coach to assist in releasing this tension to ease pressure off the larynx.
- Sing in a posture and an environment that enhances vocal production: correct fold-backs and reverb. Not singing over a band or projecting verbally in rehearsal space without the aid of a microphone/amplification. Allowing the space you perform in to set you up for a win by not using chairs/stools that don’t allow you to sit properly. Stand with feet parallel to hips width apart and relax hips, knees and feet. Chest up but not too far out and shoulder rolled back. Chin parallel to the floor and a nice wide open mouth from a relaxed jaw allowing for correct vowel construction will all help to ensure the singing posture is supporting the vocal cords and not allowing tension to put strain on them.
- If you’re sick – don’t sing. Pretty straight forward. Also if you have lost your voice or is very difficult to create sound in speech form avoid talking all together to allow the vocal cords to reset and heal.
- Rest is by far the most important habit. One I have struggled with as a mum and also within work arenas. Where possible have vocal rest days – particularly in the lead up to and post a large vocal output. Rest is often underrated when it comes to singers particularly post performance or large vocally demanding days. The voice is a group of muscles, and muscle use maintains strength to a degree. But just as someone working out physically needs to give those muscle groups a break day, so does the singer.
I hope this has been really helpful for you.
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