I was lucky enough to see James Reyne perform in Sydney in a recent trip across the ditch. He gave a superb 150% performance, AND all with a ‘shot’ voice (having been prescribed Steroids to keep him going). The good news is, there are alternatives to extreme chemical medication.
The expression ‘the show must go on’ is particularly applicable when, as professional vocalists, we have to gig and record when our physical (and mental) health isn’t entirely optimal. The rule of thumb is: never sing with laryngitis! (That is, when you have ‘lost your voice’). And never, ever push the voice! Anything else though, becomes an opportunity to experiment and learn how to safely place, support and project sound.
Singing with a cold or sore throat can actually be an amazing education, and a great sound, once you’ve unblocked your nose. Try using nasal sprays ‘one nostril at a time’ as your body heals the infection. Those sprays are brutal and dry up a mechanism that doesn’t like being ‘dry’ (note how uncomfortable it gets when you have a dry mouth?) The vocal cords vibrate very delicately and fast and want to be kept supple and moist at all times. Inhaling steam is a must.
Sing from the forehead and support with the whole body. Most problems arise because we’re using the throat to sing with instead of letting the head (and sinus cavities in the mask of the face) steer, control and fully resonate the sound. To expect a tiny vibrating 1cm ligament to do the work of the whole body is crazy.
Put some back into it! Allow the throat to be completely bypassed/open when you sing. Do this by silently giggling to drop the larynx and create ample space in the throat. Then, you can safely employ the rocket boosters of your lower back muscles, shoulders and pectoral muscles to stabilize and support.
Align your posture. Feel a two-way stretch – pull the base of the skull ‘up and back’ to grow taller and draw the jaw down (imagine you’re a kitten being picked up by the scruff of your neck by your mama cat!) Then, pull everything downwards from the shoulders. Give in to gravity and a strong sense of weightiness. Feel the ribcage floating upwards but grounded by the yoke of heavy shoulders.
Twang!!! It will save your voice! Instead of trying to be loud, try to be as piercing, light and twangy as possible. Create as much space to amplify the sound within your body as you can. Open-ness eradicates tension.
Use: Ester C, Goldenseal Root & Echinacea, Olive Leaf, Acupuncture. Manuka Honey to suppress coughing.
Check the following lists to keep you on track. There’s no need to fear singing high and avoid your upper register. It is amazing how rough, gritty and beautiful your voice can sound when you’re not feeling well by using good technique.
I believe in the healing power of sound, of music and of singing. Use this ‘ultra-sound’ to make you feel better (especially if you start the gig feeling like crap).
THINGS THAT ARE BAD FOR THE VOICE:
- Alcohol and caffeine – which dehydrate the throat. They’re fine in moderation but only accompanied by lots of water.
- Any medicated lozenges or sprays which numb the vocal folds or pharynx (ie. Difflam, Strepsils)
- Smoking (especially dope which burns at a higher temperature than tobacco) …don’t even think about P!
- Talking over loud background noise (e.g. nightclubs) without using any twang-quality
- Lack of sleep
- Lack of water
- Excess worry about the voice or being frightened to make sound for fear of damage
- Expecting too much out of the voice: too demanding a touring, recording or gigging schedule without adequate preparation: expecting a perfect or clear sound out of the voice first thing in the morning or without warm-ups: expecting power in falsetto or a very low register.
- Stress
- Emotional ‘energy suckers’ like ‘hate’: of band members, your voice, a system which doesn’t support your talent, Jealousy, Regret, Helplessness, Victimization
- Pushing or forcing the voice
THINGS THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE VOICE: (tend to be good for general health also…)
- Steaming: inhale through the mouth using a funnel made of cardboard over a thermos flask – 2 to 3 times a day for at least 10 minutes each time. Mouth breathing over hot drinks or in the shower
- Eradicating any substances you might be allergic to: eg. Dairy products, chocolate, dust which may produce excess mucous
- Plenty of sleep and creative time
- Modulating the voice over the full range – lifting and lightening its pitch.(ie. not ‘low and mono-tonal’)
- Using good voice production principles on the spoken voice as taught within a ‘singing’ context: ‘ng’, forward placement of the voice, twang, openness, facial anchoring and expression, aligned posture
- Daily warm-ups and warm-downs regardless of singing commitments (e.g. even when you don’t have gigs or rehearsals)
- Soft dog whimper sounding sirens, starting as cleanly as possible and using as little air as possible on ‘ng’
- Honestly communicating with people
- Energizing your voice with – genuine excitement, herbs or vitamins that assist in supporting the adrenal system