Singing Health Tips
If you plan on having a voice for more than a short period of time, you have to practice singing health awareness. Like any other muscle or part of your body, your voice requires rest, warm ups and must be taken care of properly.
You should be aware that the type of music that you sing will also influence how much rest that your voice needs. Someone that sings soprano or opera music uses much more effort to reach some of those impossible notes than someone who sings songs solely in one smaller range. However, an individual singing pop music may hold and bend their notes more so only you can decide exactly how hard you work your voice and how much rest that it needs to practice proper singing health.
Warm Up
Regardless of what type of music that you sing, a solid warm up is important. This involves warming up your body, voice and diaphragm. Deep breathing and vocal exercises are necessary to preserve your vocal health. Singing scales in different octaves is always helpful. If you are a bit unsure of your warm up routine, try using a program such as “Easy Singing Lessons” that can guide you through an entire singing lesson, just as a teacher would.
Be Aware of Your Breath
If you are gasping for air when you start singing, this is not good for your singing health. You have to be aware of your breath and that you are not trying to force more air than you need out when you sing. The idea is to try to breathe as natural as possible so that you don’t turn blue. Learning how to fully be aware of your breath will ultimately help you control your vibrato, voice pitch and volume.
Drink Water
This may seem basic but many people just do not realize how important water is to their singing health. Your voice box is situated right below your tonsils. When you do not drink enough water while singing, it quickly dries out. You have to take the time to lubricate your voice prior to singing, during and after. Most people forget about the after part. This is just like doing a cool down after your workout. You may want to try warm water rather than cold water. A lot of singers find it much more soothing.
Do Not Strain
Whether you are warming up or actually singing, never strain your voice. Although you want to challenge yourself to hit a few notes that are out of your comfort zone, it should never hurt. If you do not have a professional vocal coach to help you learn how to properly transition between notes, you should use a program such as “Vocal Release” that can instruct you on proper and safe techniques. This program will teach you to effortlessly transition between notes with proper breathing to avoid injury.
Also, never sing when you are sick. If you don’t feel well or you have a sore throat, your body is telling you that it needs rest.
Do Not Smoke
You cannot smoke cigarettes and preserve your singing health. Smoking drastically decreases your lung capacity. Studies have shown that singers who quit smoking had nearly double their lung capacity in six weeks. Nicotine is a sedative that deadens the important nerves that control the support musculature which does not allow your lungs to be properly used.
The tar kills the cilia that is in your bronchial passages so that they are now able to be coated with phlegm. The congestion also decreases lung capacity. In the morning, after you haven’t smoked for a few hours, the cilia wakes up and attempts to sway as it should and moves around all that phlegm that is stored up. This causes the “smoker’s cough” that you are very familiar with if you are a smoker. Of course, another cigarette is the only thing that will deaden the cilia again to make the cough stop. It is a viscous cycle that destroys your voice and your lungs.