Care of the voice

How and why to warm up, and how to ensure vocal hygiene

Whether you are intending to sing or just speak, warming up your voice is important. The main reason why warming up is essential is that suddenly increasing volume or pitch can cause strain on the larynx (voice box). This can create bad habits which can be the beginning of voice problems (voice disorders).

There is no reason to look for any special warming up exercises. You should be ok to warm your voice starting with a natural speech in your most confident pitch. This should not be too loud initially and you should make sure you keep the right technique with no straining of your neck. The vocal cords act like a guitar string, so you change the pitch of your voice by flexing them. That means that you should not change from speaking to singing, they are effectively the same. Your voice should not be allowed to get tired through over long practice as this can cause strain. Therefore you should take breaks between short sets.

When picking a song for your warm up, it is good to take a piece you know well. Take care not to strain for high notes, perhaps transposing the notes down a degree to avoid this. Your warming up should not finish until you reach your highest notes and volume with a relaxed and confident technique.

Those who are not sure how to open the throat and sing naturally without any tension will need help to realize to develop a good technique. You may be surprised to realize how easy and enjoyable it actually is to sing/speak with a relaxed voice.  

 

A few tips for your voice

Here are a few practical tips for the care of your voice. You should take them even more seriously if you are experiencing a significant voice problem. Generally, what benefits your health is also good for voice, and vice versa

DO  drink water regularly throughout the day. At least 2 litres is recommended

·         DO  keep your room, work space relatively humid. Ideally use a steam inhaler before you go sleep after a harder performance

·         DO  remember to warm up before a rehearsal or performance

·         DO  keep warm and avoid any higher extremes of temperature particularly around your neck

·         DO  be careful about temperature of a drinks even before or during a rehearsal or performance, avoid any extremes

·         DO  treat your voice as something really your own

·         DO  seek a professional  voice coach if you are not sure about your voice technique for speech or singing if you have any problems or even tiredness or pain

 

·         AVOID  smoking or being in smoky atmospheres at least before and during a rehearsal or performance

·         AVOID  habitual clearing of throat, sip water instead

·         AVOID  alcohol at least before or during a rehearsal or performance

·         AVOID  shouting, talking over a noisy background or any other voice abuse

·         AVOID  being in air conditioned space as much as you can

·         AVOID  aspirin unless a doctor prescribed it

·         AVOID  chocolate, coca cola and everything with caffeine at least before or during a rehearsal or performance

·         AVOID  mint, throat sweets and all spicy food which can cause drying out and/or cause a reflux

·         AVOID  any overextending of the voice

·         AVOID  dust, fumes and sprays

·         AVOID  breathing through your mouth if you are not talking

·       AVOID  exposure to the sun - whenever you plan to sing or longer speech. Prolonged stays in the sun, or even sunbathing, should always be avoided

·         AVOID  continuing to speak or sing when you have run out of air - take more breath

Important: Whilst it is important to follow these guidelines, it is imperative that you also get proper voice training to keep your voice healthy.

 

 

When a problem comes up although / an extra page

DO  rest your voice as much as you can

 

AVOID  whispering

 

DO  increase intake of water and sip as often as you can during a day. Use a steam inhaler before you go sleep

 

AVOID  smoking, alcohol and caffeine at least until you get well

 

DO  see your GP, ideally a private ENT if the problem last more than 2 weeks. See an ENT immediately if you are depending on the voice as a professional

 

AVOID  panic. There is very small number of voice problems we are unable cure completely

 

DO  relax as much as you can, take a couple days off

 

 

Therapeutic help with voice problem

Teaching the correct technique for singing or speech comes very close to voice therapy. I work therapeutically to solve my client's voice problems.

I help people who suffer from hoarseness, pain, fatigue or loss of voice; all symptoms of so called 'voice disorders''. Whilst many people suffer from voice disorders', the symptoms listed above often don't come into play until they are required to speak or sing more loudly, higher, or for longer then they usually do. Please feel free to get in touch for advice if you are suffering from a sore throat, or find that you loose your voice after speaking for too long.

A voice is termed "disordered" when the quality is altered in such a way that it is thought to be abnormal to the listener. The vast majority of voice disorders are caused by bad instructions from your brain.

If we catch these bad habits early then they are easy to correct.

However often people don't realise that there is anything wrong, and think that it is normal to have a sore throat after speaking or singing for extended periods of time. They ignore their symptoms until there is a serious problem such as a nasty sore throat or they loose their voice altogether. By working together we can catch any poor vocal technique and correct it before you start learning bad habits. This nips problems in the bud, so that they will never interfere with your life and work.

 

singing lessons bristol | voice training bristol | city of bristol college