!Book - Vocal health for singers - Berklee, WOKALISTÓW folder
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The Contemporary Singer
Anne Peckham
Chapter 8
Maintaining Vocal Health
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Chapter 8: Maintaining Vocal Health
91
F SINGERS WERE to sing only when they feel completely healthy and
stress free, many of us would never be able to make a living performing. That
is why it is important to prevent problems by knowing yourself, your voice,
your limits, and how to take care of yourself.
VOCAL HEALTH GUIDELINES
If singing hurts, don’t sing.
As simple as this sounds many singers get caught up in the moment and don’t listen
to their bodies when they are tired and should rest vocally. Disregard for your own
vocal health, combined with pressure from a music director or bandleader to
rehearse songs repeatedly, can tire or strain your voice.
Pain in your larynx can be a sign of a problem. Singers experiencing pain, huskiness, or
hoarseness and loss of high range should see a throat specialist (laryngologist) experi-
enced in working with singers. Performing arts venues, music colleges, conservatories,
I
PART 2 MASTERING THE SKILLS
and other singers can usually refer you to such a doctor. Often, general “ear, nose, and
throat” doctors (otolaryngologists) do not have the specialized expertise in perform-
ing-arts medicine to optimally help vocalists.
Singers should watch for signs of vocal cord swelling, characterized by slight hoarse-
ness or raspiness, a speaking voice that feels higher and huskier than normal, and a
vocal quality that sounds coarse and less than clean. Frequently, there is a loss of high
range, the upper passaggio (chapter 5) feels unstable, and you need more breath sup-
port than normal because of inefficient vocal cord vibrations due to swelling. A virus
can cause this type of problem, as can overuse of your voice.
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If you have what seems to be more than a simple cold, consult a qualified special-
ist for advice and treatment.
Sometimes, when singers suspect a problem beyond a cold, they delay going to a
doctor because they don’t want a serious vocal problem to be confirmed. Don’t
delay! Go to a laryngologist who works with singers. A skilled specialist will be more
sensitive to your personal feelings about your singing. They can offer advice regard-
ing any upcoming singing engagements.
Singing over a cold.
There are times when you can sing with a cold and times when you should
absolutely rest your voice. When an occasional cold comes on, you can rely on
breath support and body awareness to get through rehearsals and concerts with-
out exacerbating fatigue or doing permanent damage.
You can usually sing over a cold if you have nasal congestion but no throat symp-
toms. You might have a bit of nasality to your tone, but in general, congestion can be
sung over (or through). The first line of treatment for your singing voice is moisture.
Drink a lot of water to keep your vocal tract mucus thin. Inhaling steam seems to be
helpful for the same reason. Cough drops can keep you from coughing to the point
of hoarseness, but the sugar and menthol in them can dry you out. Caffeine, alco-
MAINTAINING VOCAL HEALTH CHAPTER 8
hol, and smoking should be avoided because these are all drying to your voice and
body. Herbal teas (caffeine-free) can be soothing and add moisture back to your sys-
tem as well.
Sprays that numb throat pain are usually not recommended for singers. Throat pain
indicates that you should not be singing. Singing while you are numbing your throat
pain with sprays, aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or anything else, can be a recipe
for problems. Consult your doctor for advice about the use of any medication.
When you have a cold, focus on your breath support, and pay close attention to your
voice for any signs of fatigue.
93
Choose your repertoire carefully, and avoid music that is unusually taxing in range
or intensity.
If you need to change the key of a song, do it. It is not an artistic compromise to
transpose pop songs into a comfortable range. Many contemporary singers are men
with unusually high ranges, such as Stevie Wonder and Sting, or women with high
belt voices, such as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Work to extend your range
with scale patterns and exercises. But remember that some songs may not be right
for your voice, no matter how much you like them.
Develop your own unique voice.
You should listen to great singers, study them, transcribe and sing great solos, listen
to phrasing, and try to figure out what makes these singers unique. But remember
that it is not vocally healthy to continually imitate others to the exclusion of develop-
ing your own voice. Voices often don’t fully mature until singers are in their mid-twen-
ties or even into their thirties, so be patient and don’t force your voice.
Pay attention to the way you speak.
Over the course of a day, most of us speak far more than we sing, and as singers,
we need to be aware of how we use our voices in speech. Beyond being a means of
PART 2 MASTERING THE SKILLS
communication, your voice is a vital part of your personality and psyche, and you
should treat it with care.
Singers can be gregarious, outgoing, and emotional people. Because your instrument
produces both your speaking and singing voice, it follows that your singing can be neg-
atively affected by poor speaking habits. To prevent this, employ touch-distance talking.
4
Only speak to those who are within an arm’s length, or touching distance, away. This will
help you control the urge to shout and prevent unnecessary strain on your voice.
94
In American culture, people tend to speak in lower pitched, less resonant voices, perhaps
because they are associated with strength, seriousness, and intelligence. While this char-
acterization of a low or husky voice especially affects the way women speak, many men
also speak in a lower voice than is comfortable in order to command respect or convey a
businesslike seriousness. This can be detrimental to singing, dragging down your voice
and making your muscles work harder than necessary to produce sound.
Singers who habitually speak too low can adversely affect their tone production. The
tendency to speak too low can make a singer timid about singing high notes. You can
benefit from observing yourself and your speech habits for patterns that may be wear-
ing to your voice.
Check where you tend to pitch your voice by speaking a phrase and finding its approx-
imate pitch on the piano. Try to elongate a syllable and find a range where your speak-
ing voice lies. If you speak much lower than you sing, imagine that you are elevating
the focus of your speaking voice from chest resonance to more nasal resonance rather
than raising your pitch. You may find that this results in a slight pitch change, but that
it feels and sounds more natural than actually trying to speak at a higher pitch. Make
sure you are phonating clearly. In addition, support your speaking voice as if you were
singing, using a steady flow of breath. Avoid making unusual sounds.
Whispering is tiring to your vocal cords, so don’t make the mistake of thinking it con-
4
Burk, K. “Reducing Vocal Abuse: ‘I’ve Got to Be Me.’” Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, vol. 22
(Rockville, MD: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), pp. 173–178.
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