Singers, protect your voices
People love to sing. For some the favoured time is when taking a shower, for others it is at sporting occasions, karaoke nights or with the local choir.
And with the current boom in talent shows for both amateurs and celebrities on television it seems that many people feel that they have a voice that needs to be heard. As a doctor, I sometimes see people when they have a problem with their voice. It is often a case of not nurturing or of mistreating their precious voice boxes.
To keep your singing voice in trim you need to think of it as a fine instrument. It needs to be handled with care, played properly and appropriately. You need to get to know it and how to use it.
The first thing I would suggest a prospective singer do, is to get training. Many people with naturally good voices set about singing with too much gusto. Being taught good singing technique will help to strengthen the voice and allow the singer to keep going for longer, and will help to make the singing louder.
It is also important to get into good habits. Just as you shouldn't suddenly exert yourself without adequately warming up, you should get into the habit of warming the voice up. This is a good idea if you are actually performing, or about to do an audition. The classical way is by doing 'glissandos' or descending scales, and 'staccatos', which are punctuated breathing exercises, and 'messadivoce', where one aims to control the intensity of volume.
The talking voice is worth thinking about. The fact is that people talk at least 99 per cent of the time and sing only one per cent of the time. Trying to develop the talking voice as well as the singing voice is important.
Being adequately hydrated is very important to everyone, but if you are a singer you need to ensure that you drink plenty of pure water. This should be in addition to any caffeinated drink or alcoholic drinks, since they have a diuretic effect upon you. This water will actually thin the mucus you produce and help to lubricate the vocal cords. The problem with thick mucus is that it actually causes friction and ultimately traumatises the vocal cords. Remember that cheese may increase your mucus production.
Smoking is possibly the worst thing a singer can do. Smoke is an irritant to delicate tissues and will cause those delicate vocal cords to swell.
If you are good enough to perform, and if you perform regularly, then it is vital that you listen to your voice. Just as you rest when your body is tired, so you need to let your voice rest with voice naps.
And of course, performers should use the technology available. Use a microphone to reduce straining your voice, and use monitors to make sure that you are not singing too loud, for that also will strain your voice.
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Weather for Wakefield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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