water and the vocal chords

Y

yiordanaki

New member
hey fellow vocalists,

Ive been reading a few books recently (and also alot of people say) that if you have to do a performance then drink plenty of water during the day and keep warm and stuff.

So on the weekend i had my first ever 'Payed gig' (yeeeha) and i made sure i drank heaps of water (maybe too much) and i also kept my voice warmed up all day.

I think it was the wrong option. I had been singing too much all day and although my vocal chords should have been nice and moist because of all the liquids i'd drank, it seemed i was a tad raw.

It went pretty well mind you, but i wasnt happy with the way my voice was performing.
next time im gonna try it MY WAY and see if its better.

My question is, is there a RIGHT way to warm up and stay 'lubricated', or should i just do what works for me??

What pre- gig habits do you all have?????

y
 
Ive tried a few methods for warming my vocal chords throughout the day. None of them really helped me out too much. Nowadays I loosen up a little bit backstage before the shows, it works just as well for me.
 
Yiordanaki,

How are you ?


Ive been reading a few books recently (and also alot of people say) that if you have to do a performance then drink plenty of water
Click to expand...

Pretty bad advice !!!

This is why...

1) Drinking lots of water is will certainly not harm anything but as for my own personal experience, no real help either. In my case, cold water causes phlegm to interfere with my singing. I do however, drink cool to room temp water while preforming. This works for me, mind you and may not work for another singer. In fact I get great results from a hot cup of coffee, I know others who have the same good reaction to it but, this is considered a no, no in the world of proper singing technique.

and keep warm and stuff.
Click to expand...

and i also kept my voice warmed up all day.
Click to expand...

2) Assuming that you do not have many voice lessons behind you, voice stamina is not something you will not posses yet. The problem with this is that as your voice gets tired, physical abuse begins on the vocal chords. Thus, eventually this could cause permanent damage, making your voice useless.

As for the way I was taught, a half of an hour of GENTLE singing should warm you up just fine no matter what level of a singer you are.

AND !!!!!

Not to beat a dead horse but, this is a problem I have with books and tapes.

The advice you have received would sound very silly, had you had some years of proper training behind you.

Plus, we are not even touching things like exercises and placement.

However, there is always the possibility that you could take that big step and shell out your hard earned dollars and still get a nut job of a vox teacher.

There are probably more bad voice couches then good ones.

Good Post, Good luck.

Sean
 
voice stamina is not something you will not posses yet
Click to expand...

Oh good, then i DO posses it...........:D

As for singing lessons, I am getting some starting in the next couple of weeks - a couple of local independant musician / teachers who are SUPPOSEDLY great.



There are probably more bad voice couches then good ones.
Click to expand...


Can i get a good one from IKEA?? ;)

btw, hows your pitch power and range kingship going?? have you recorded anything new recently - believe it or not , i still listen to your old recordings occasionally.

y
 
I got myself a tea spoon full of cheap Chinese powder (Cheng sie lung hau fung san) an hour before stage. I got from the drugstore. It's good. Comforts my throat.
 
No kidding fuzz ;) , just take it small amount. Les than tea spoon will do okay. Just like you guys, I crossed my finger on the first time, but then again, it serves me good. Just 2 cents from my personal experience.

;)
Jaymz
 
James,




I'm really not one for stuff like that. Although I'm sure many great singers are.
I'm not saying it doesn't work, if it is working for you then certainly stick with it.
Its just that there is so much Hocus-pocus, superstition & quick fixes when it comes to singing.
Even my singing coach use to tell me hot tea with lemon, but this never worked for me.

In my experience I have found 2 facts and only 2 facts that have been true across the board;

1) No substitute for lessons

2) Some days you can sing great and some days you can't sing at all.

As for the Chinese powder remedy, I personally would never recommend it or
indorse it what so ever, but in all fairness, I would not recommend
lemon & hot tea, although my 70 year old opera singing instructor would.


Sean
 
I sing a lot...every day...water, water, water

If you don't gotta pee you ain't drinking enough.

But if you are looking for a magic elixir that makes your voice instantly smooth as silk there isn't one. As I pointed out in another thread if you look at where the vocal cords are in your throat you'll see that nothing you eat or drink comes in direct contact with the cords.

If you have to sing a gig in the evening then wait 'til then to sing. Do a short warm-up just before you have to go on. Also don't talk a lot if you don't have to. A friend I have who is a vocal coach tells me to consider if what I have to say is important enough to waste my voice on. That advice has kept me out of more than just vocal trouble.

Vocal stamina has to be built up just like any other stamina. Water or warm-ups are just a part of an overall lifestyle.

Don't give up on the water, just don't depend on it to solve all your troubles.:cool:
 
amen about talking before a gig-open mouths=dry chords. i run hoarse just speaking during long intense conversations without water. singing is much more sensitive to that.
 
Thanks OpenD

thats exaclty the sort of thing i wanted to hear.

because thats exactly what i DIDNT do and i suffered for it.


will use my brain next time.

y
 
I was watching american idol (don't laugh) last night and one of their contestants said they drink a shot of olive oil before performing. They said it REALLY moisturizes the vox cords. Might be good for y'all to know.
 
i use one of those fake plastic lemons filled with lemon juice. There great for warming you up. Water after that because you don't want to overdo the lemon juice. It's especially good if you have phlegm in your throat. It burns it right out
 
Mebbe this will help some folks see why there ain't nuthin' you can drink, besides water, that will really help your cords.
 

Attachments

  • vocal cords.bmp
    89.7 KB · Views: 83
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top