Vocal Care - Part 1

When a guitarist, or a saxophonist, or any type of musician, is serious about his or her craft, you'll notice a certain reverence towards their instrument: tuning, re-stringing, oiling, polishing, and consciousness of protecting it from harm.

For singers, our body is our instrument, yet we don't always give our instrument the care we should. We scream at a loud concert, we smoke, we drink, we don't exercise, and we eat badly, not to mention that studies have shown that most Americans don't get enough sleep.

(For more on "Sleep Debt", check out:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0224_050224_sleep.html )

Let's start with how we use our voices in day to day life: The word to remember is SUPPORT. If you're at a concert, a baseball game, or at a loud party, chances are you're yelling, screaming, or at least talking over other background noise... that's okay, provided you use breath support. Make sure you're breathing deeply, and feel your diaphragm push out the air, as opposed to your throat muscles.

Smoking... where should I start? By now we should all know the dangers of smoking, so I'm going to skip that and focus on the effects on a singer. Although some singers claim to need a smoke before a performance, the reality is that smoking can alter the quality of your voice, reduce your range, and drastically reduce your lung capacity. Less lung capacity = less air. Less air really affects singing.

Drinking alcohol dehydrates your voice, which can cause irritation and damage. Personally, I've noticed that even a glass of wine, or a beer, will affect my voice the next day, making my voice less powerful, and reducing my range.

If you want to use your voice to the best of it's potential, it may be time to honestly evaluate how your lifestyle may be negatively affecting your instrument.