Do you feel like your voice hits a ceiling and locks up the harder you try to hit certain pitches. Worse yet, do you experience extreme vocal fatigue, even hoarseness upon attempting certain pitches

Yep! Vocal Tension! The enemy of a transition throughout your range.

Here are a 3 basic starting points to consider.

1. NEVER YELL to force a higher pitch. Back off the volume; keep it light and conversational. ONLY vocalize as high as you comfortably can. Regular, proper training and exercises will result in an expanded vocal range so be patient and diligent.

2. Thoroughly warm up your voice before rehearsals and performances. Your voice is a muscular instrument that needs proper warm up just as any athlete would warm up before a track meet. Lip trills/Lip rolls are hands down one of the most effective ways to warm up the voice with no tension.

3. RELAX your face and neck muscles.  Look in a mirror as you are vocalizing. Is your face relaxed OR is your forehead drawn up and neck visibly tense? Muscle tension = vocal tension.  Gently massage your facial, neck and shoulder muscles prior to warm up and vocalizing.

Keep in mind, there is much more involved in being able to reach desired high notes and build stamina while releasing the tension in your voice.

These three points, however, are very important to get started on a pathway to vocal health and eliminating tension and fatigue.

Remember there is no substitute for a good vocal coach to work with you one on one for your specific vocal needs!

Happy Singing

-Lora

It’s spring and that means allergy season.  A common dilemma for many singers is having to perform with allergy symptoms in full bloom!  A runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and scratchy throat can sabotage a vocal performance.

While there are many allergy symptom meds available over the counter, I have found that most oral meds that relieve severe symptoms have some undesirable effects;  they dry out the mouth, throat tissues and vocal folds and many make you drowsy.  Bad news when you have to perform!

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I have found Flonase Nasal Allergy Spray to be highly effective in controlling sneezing, runny nose, watery itchy eyes, scratchy throat and the plus (for me) has been that it does not dry out my voice, mouth or throat and does not make me drowsy……I was recently able to perform symptom free a rigorous 10 nights in a row in addition to my regular vocal commitments and rehearsals PLUS teach students.

I recommended Flonase to several vocalists I worked with this spring.  Some tried it and experienced relief and were able to perform symptom free.

I want to make it clear that I am not saying that Flonase is the only med that works nor do I guarantee what works for me will work for you .  Everyone’s body and voice responds differently to different meds.  I am simply sharing what has been effective for me and some of the vocalists that I have worked with.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUE for a healthy diet & lifestyle, adequate water and sleep: all are extremely important to vocal and overall health and well-being.

And remember that the tried and true hot teas with honey and a touch of lemon are always soothing on irritated throat tissues.  Zinc throat lozenges work well too.

Always warm up prior to vocal performance and cool down following.  Adequate vocal rest is also necessary.  DO NOT force it!  Remember to listen to your voice.  If you are struggling, hoarse, raspy, coughing, fatigued then STOP!  Rest your voice. For severe allergies and symptoms that over the counter meds don’t seem to help, you may need to consult your physician.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to add some therapeutic exercises to your daily vocal routine.  I would love to hear from you.

Hope this helps!  In the meantime, keep singing!!!

Lora

It’s already January and time for those New Year’s Resolution; among the most popular is to “get in shape” and lose those extra pounds gained during the Holidays, firm up those muscles, quit smoking, get control of your finances, etc.  All very good and healthy decisions to make.

NOW is the time to DETERMINE to develop your skills as a vocalist.  Get your voice into shape as well by committing to consistent practice. Think of yourself as a vocal athlete! If you were training as a gymnast, you wouldn’t just decide a few weeks before competition to start training and hope for the best….NO….you would have invested TIME disciplining your body, developing your style and technique and rehearsing your performance.  Your skill and technique becomes a part of you by forming the good HABIT of consistency and repetition.

Do you want to sing better than you do today?

Here’s good news;  You don’t have to spend hours a day to develop your voice and you can throw the saying “no pain no gain” OUT the window.  You should NEVER feel pain when you exercise your voice or sing. 

WRITE down your goals and post it on your bathroom mirror, the fridge door, your day planner, the dashboard of your car and SAY your goals out loud to yourself.  THEN JUST DO IT!   Find a consistent time every day or every other day to warm up and workout your voice and rehearse songs.  Schedule it in on your calendar just like you would any other important appointment.  Then, no excuses; keep your appointment with yourself.  Pretty soon, your vocal workout time is a normal part of your routine just like taking a shower and brushing your teeth.

TODAY is the day to start fresh and make the commitment to  yourself!  You can do it!

Keep Singing,

Lora

A good rule of thumb that will save your voice from unnecessary wear and tear and eventual damage is “Light and Right is Better than Strong and Wrong”.

What do I mean?  Well, simply this; keep the volume down, especially when just warming up the voice.  Your volume should be light and conversational as you are warming up your voice and beginning your exercises and song rehearsals.

Never dive in full volume thinking this will warm up your voice quicker.  This is the equivalent to an athlete waking up from a sound sleep and immediately running a full speed bursting sprint without warming up the muscles and the body.  That’s a good way to damage muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Prep your voice with the same care as any athlete would prep their muscles.

To begin warming your voice, vocalize with some conversational humming in your lower “talking” range.  If you’re like the rest of us, some days you wake up to a “thick” and husky low voice.  That’s a great time to maximize waking up your chest voice, warming easily into your mix, then head voice.  Then move into Lip Trills on simple scales progressing into longer and more broad range scales.  Lip Trills are hands down the most effective way to provide proper blood flow to the vocal folds and efficiently warm up and stretch out the voice with least resistance.  From there, move into your favorite scales and exercises.

Remember that as your voice developes stamina and strength, your natural resonant volume will begin to increase and you will begin to notice more ease and ability to transition into a powerful, well balanced sound.

Happy Singing!

Lora Hodges