How Much Should You Care For Your Singing Voice? Try this!

Outlines

·       Foods That Affects the Singing Voice

·       How You Can Keep Your Voice Healthy!

FOODS THAT AFFECT THE SINGING VOICE

There Are Some Foods That May Be Harmful to Our Vocal Health and May Also Cause Unnecessary damage to our singing voice and our vocal cords. In other not to be victimized we need to avoid some or most of these foods and take more of foods that will enhance our singing performance.

Some of these foods are actually the common drinks that we take: caffeinated drinks and alcohol.

These include coffee and tea and few other common soft drinks, which usually contain a high concentration of caffeine that can keep us awake at night.

Unfortunately, these drinks also cause dryness in our throats as well as in our body, and this is not good for our singing voice.

Our vocal cords are very fragile, and they need to be moist in order to avoid the vocal damage that may occur with frequent singing, since the vocal cords vibrate at a very fast rate, and dryness may cause irritation to the cords!

Alcohol also causes constriction in the blood vessels in vocal tissue, causing a reduction in vocal control.

Generally, we should also try to avoid taking too many cold drinks, for health reasons as well as for overall voice care too. Cold drinks cause our throats and our voices to contract and stiffen, and this is not good for singing because we need our vocal cords and throats to be warmed up and flexible in order to be able to hit the various pitches that we sing!

Other bad singing foods include nuts and snack foods. If taken just before a performance, these foods may leave bits and pieces of remnants in the throat, and these bits of nuts or snack foods may cause excessive irritation to our throat when singing! It will also cause us to clear our throats more often, which is another cause of vocal abuse or damage!

For general health of the body, we should avoid fast foods and overly fatty foods. These may cause us to become overweight, putting more strain on our bodies and on our voice. These foods are also high in salt content and cause dryness in our body and throat.

Avoiding these foods will certainly help us to take better care of our voice, and reduce the chances of damage to our singing voices, thus increasing our vocal health! Of course, we would still need to practice great breathing support when singing, as well as do proper vocal warm-ups each time before we sing, so that our voices are well supported and warmed up before each vocal performance or practice! This will go a long way towards preserving our wonderful singing voices!

KEEPING YOUR VOICE HEALTHY

Drink Plenty Of Water.

Moisture is good for your voice. Hydration helps to keep thin secretions flowing to lubricate your vocal cords. Drink plenty (up to eight 8-ounce glasses is a good minimum target) of non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day.

Try Not To Scream Or Yell.

 These are abusive practices for your voice, and put great strain on the lining of your vocal cords.

Warm Up Your Voice During Rehearsals Before Performance.

Most people know that singers warm up their voices before a performance, yet many dont realize the need to warm up the singing voice before intense use. Warm-ups can be simple, such as gently calling out the sol-fa notes and modulating as you take higher degrees of a tone.

Flee From Smoking.

 In addition to being a potent risk factor for laryngeal (voice box) cancer, smoking also causes inflammation and polyps of the vocal cords that can make the voice very husky, hoarse, and weak.

Take As Much Breath As You Can

Breath flow is the power for voice. Take time to fill your lungs before starting to talk, and don’t wait until you are almost out of air before taking another breath to power your voice.

Use Public Address Systems

When giving a speech or presentation, consider using a microphone to lessen the strain on your voice.

Listen To Your Voice.

When your voice is complaining to you, listen to it. Know that you need to modify and decrease your voice use if you become hoarse in order to allow your vocal cords to recover. Pushing your voice when it’s already hoarse can lead to significant problems. If your voice is hoarse frequently, or for an extended period of time, you should be evaluated by an Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat physician.)