putting out the fire

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Permalink Reply by TripDave on May 6, 2009 at 4:37pm

Simple Vocal Tips
First off, if you are experiencing chronic soreness or upper respiratory problems, see an EENT doctor.
Cough medicines with only the expectorant, GUAIFENESIN are good. They will clear mucus off of the chords.
But not any cough suppressants containing anti-histamines, those will dry out the chords and cause soreness.

Vocalist checklist
#1 - Drink lots of water
#2 - No Dairy 24hrs prior to performance
#3 - No Alcohol day of and during performance. Alcohol dehydrates even in small quantities.
The chords need to be hydrated to produce clean, on pitch sound.
#4 - Don't smoke, if you do, start thinking about quitting.
We all know Nat King Cole smoked 3 packs a day and he thought it gave his voice that smooth edge.
He was simply blessed with chords that weren't dramatically affected by smoke.
The vast majority of us are not so lucky. Oh, and don't forget, Ol' Nat died in his mid 40's.....of cancer.
#5 - Think of singing like an athlete thinks of their sport or a musician thinks of their instrument.
They train/practice 10+ hours for every 1 hour of performance. Your voice is your instrument.
Take two basketball players at a game with equal, God given talent. One of them merely shoots a few hoops in the driveway couple times a week while the other spends hours practicing drills daily and honing new skills. Who do you think will have a better game?
The same can be said of two equal vocalists. It's the difference between just singing along with the radio in the car and perhaps crooning in the shower to practicing scales/drills daily, developing new methods and honing new skills.
Who do you think will get the next gig?
.....Drink lots of water, can not be stressed enough.
Lastly, warm your voice up before you sing. Do some scales, vocal exercises etc.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Desmond on May 7, 2009 at 10:07am

Thanks for the tips,i dont have any breathing probs just a bit of soreness towards the end of the gig, maybe just getting lazy in my old age.

cheers
Des

TripDave said:

Simple Vocal Tips
First off, if you are experiencing chronic soreness or upper respiratory problems, see an EENT doctor.
Cough medicines with only the expectorant, GUAIFENESIN are good. They will clear mucus off of the chords.
But not any cough suppressants containing anti-histamines, those will dry out the chords and cause soreness.

Vocalist checklist
#1 - Drink lots of water
#2 - No Dairy 24hrs prior to performance
#3 - No Alcohol day of and during performance. Alcohol dehydrates even in small quantities.
The chords need to be hydrated to produce clean, on pitch sound.
#4 - Don't smoke, if you do, start thinking about quitting.
We all know Nat King Cole smoked 3 packs a day and he thought it gave his voice that smooth edge.
He was simply blessed with chords that weren't dramatically affected by smoke.
The vast majority of us are not so lucky. Oh, and don't forget, Ol' Nat died in his mid 40's.....of cancer.
#5 - Think of singing like an athlete thinks of their sport or a musician thinks of their instrument.
They train/practice 10+ hours for every 1 hour of performance. Your voice is your instrument.
Take two basketball players at a game with equal, God given talent. One of them merely shoots a few hoops in the driveway couple times a week while the other spends hours practicing drills daily and honing new skills. Who do you think will have a better game?
The same can be said of two equal vocalists. It's the difference between just singing along with the radio in the car and perhaps crooning in the shower to practicing scales/drills daily, developing new methods and honing new skills.
Who do you think will get the next gig?
.....Drink lots of water, can not be stressed enough.
Lastly, warm your voice up before you sing. Do some scales, vocal exercises etc.

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Permalink Reply by Colin Gillman on May 7, 2009 at 10:33am

These are great tips - thanks. I am not a 'proper' singer, just a rock hollerer and I have all sorts of problems - not physically though. I have discovered Vocalzone lozenges. I rate them highly. But no dairy? Wow. Drink lots of water, OK. No booze, OMG! I will have a go with these and see if they work for me. I need to find soem vocal excesices to warm up with before singing. I am finding that I only sing once a week adn when I do it is gettign tight and I choke a bit. It's getting on my wick. The throat seems to tighten. I am trying to be more relaxed and sing within myself more.

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Permalink Reply by Gray Dourman on May 8, 2009 at 2:25pm

There are certain aspects of aging in the vocal mechanism that can be mitigated. The gradual ossicifcation of cartilage can be retarded by constant "exercise" of the voice. Technical "exercises" performed in early morning can be as useful to an aging singer as brisk walking to a fatso.

Best
Gray Dourman
www.magichelix.com

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Permalink Reply by Kirsty Pollock on September 17, 2009 at 8:21am

As TripDave says. Water water water. Oh, and sleep is a great healer - really aids the recovery no end. Most of us dont get enough!

Exercises - singing is physical exercise - particularly important to keep up the training as we get older (the muscles naturally decline if not exercised - like everything else!!!)

Do you do the proper 'diaphragm' support thing? really spares the throat.

For those medium-high notes - top of chest voice where you may be straining or exerting a lot of effort - I thouroughly recommend a book called "Set Your Voice Free" by Roger Love, who has a bit of a different take on it to most and some really cool exercises. I havn't mastered it myself yet, but I keep trying and I keep getting better!

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Permalink Reply by Alcuin Edwards on October 19, 2009 at 12:41am

I use mentholyptus extra strong and (if I can) a single Irish without ice before the gig. Then again, I don't have a sore throat, just overactive sinuses.

I find drinking beer or milk beforehand, or eating chocolate or cheese tends to mess my vocals up badly. In fact, I tend to stick to whisky, water and mentholyptus until the gig's over... and then look around for something to eat after all the pubs have closed.

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