Help Please! Singers Advice Needed!?

Question

Ok well i went in to yesterday to record my cd, and well i was there from 830pm-1030pm recording and we only got 2 songs recorded. And trust me its a lot of work. But other than that, I noticed that I'm loosing my voice. So what can I do stop making it go away? I'm also going back on Friday to record my other 5 songs. So i need my voice for Friday! Please Help! Thanks I would also apperiacte any other tips and advice! Thanks!

Paula

Answer 1

The fact of losing your voice isn't a good thing.

First, you need to see if you are singing from your throat, or if you are singing from your stomach. That is easy to check.

If you are singing from your throat, which I suspect you will lose your voice much easier, it will be sore.

If you are singing from your stomach, just place your hand along your diaphragm and start singing, the articulations you are singing will be felt at your diaphragm.

If you are throat singing, I'd start getting vocal lessons with a vocal teacher, (preferably someone at an university) who can help you correct your problem.

As for home remedy, drinking tea, sucking on cough drops, not screaming, talking in a low voice, (doing anything to keep any strain off of your vocal cords) putting lemon juice in tea. These things will help soothe your throat.

Also, do not drink anything with caramel coloring before you sing within 2 hours of when you do sing. (Any dark soda, along with other things). This will stick to your vocal cords and cause your projection to suffer, along with enunciation as well.

hope i helped.

Answer 2

Relax. Drink tons of body temperature water. Do not use acidic things like lemon - they irritate vocal chords. Do not use alcohol as it is a histamine and will swell things up for about three days. Obviousy, don't smoke as it is also an irritant. Honey and garlic are good because they'll help prevent illnesses and irritated vocal chords are like little petri dishes. Take warm (not hot) showers with a lot of steam. Some people find good luck with mild ginger tea with honey. Don't drink ANY caffeine as it is a diuretic and will dry things out. Some people also find luck with slippery elm lozenges. Don't use menthol/peppermint/etc. because it is irritating to the vocal chords (this means skip the cough drops). Don't eat spicy foods for the same reason. Don't take anithistamines - they'll dry things out too much. Don't use diuretics for the same reason.

If you are still too hoarse before you record ( you didn't indicate voice type or type of music) you need to take an anti-inflamatory over the counter medication ( you know the ones). Take it one day before you sing to make sure it doesn't give you a negative impact. Figure out how long it takes to take effect, and use it on Friday. If you have phlegm, use a menthol cough drop but only right before you sing and only as long as it takes to clear things out. You should have more than half a cough drop left over when you're done sucking.

Don't stop vocalizing (at least a little bit) as long as you can bring your vocal chords together. If you have a breathy or raspy voice (like you're singing on the fry) it means your chords are too swolen and you need to stay on vocal rest until you absolutely can't.

If two hours of singing leaves you losing your voice you are in desperate need of voice lessons to improve your voice. Find a good teacher to at least show you the basics. If you already have a teacher, you need to find a new one. I've been in the recording studio so I know about the hard work - but you should be able to go for several days straight before you experience vocal fatigue (unless you're getting a cold or fighting allergies).

Answer 3

Between now and Friday do not cough, clear your throat, laugh or whisper. Sounds odd, doesn't it? But it's true. All of those activities can make an irritated set of vocal chords worse. If you need to clear your throat, just make a sustained sound, like a hum. Let it rise in pitch. You'll be surprised how well that works. Talk at a "calm" tone of voice, and no louder. Meanwhile, get lots of rest, drink lots of water (you'll know if it's enough when you pee clear and often, not yellow [sorry to be gross]}. That should give you the best chance at beating this! Good luck! Frank

Answer 4

Unfortunately I get laryngitis two-three times a year, so I completely understand.

One time, right before a show, I was loosing my voice so someone suggested cayenne pepper and orange juice. You put the cayenne pepper in the orange juice and drink it down (eye-ball the mixture ratio. There should be a fair about of cayenne pepper, but not enough that you can't stand it). It's disgusting, but it works.

I take cayenne pepper with me whenever I travel, just in case. I only use it in emergencies though, because I'm not sure how healthy it is. Also, it tends to make you have to go to the bathroom a lot.

Good luck with your voice.

Answer 5

try not to over-sing. When recording my CD in a studio, I noticed that I was getting tired faster than say singing in an auditorium. One of the reasons is that the acoustics in a professional studio are not made necessarily for the singer but the sound equipment. Echo/reverb is added later. The voice does not carry as it does in an acoustically centered room or theatre. It will always sound a little flatter in the studio to your ear, but listen to the recording when they play it back to you and you'll see that you sound just fine.

I guess the main point is try not to overcompensate for the low reverb in the room by straining your voice which could result in potentially losing it.

Answer 6

Hi :) Firstly I would suggest finding out what your range is. This can be done easily if you have a keyboard/piano, find middle C (the note directly to the left of two black notes directly in the middle of the piano) then go up singing each note as you go, stop when it feels uncomfortable- the highest note you can sing comfortably is the top of your range. Go to middle C again and then go down and then the lowest note you can sing is the bottom of your vocal range. Also before you sing anything its ALWAYS important to warm up your voice. Simple exercises include humming at a comfortable pitch or singing ah ee oo and ay in five note scales. (alot of vocal warm ups are avaliable on youtube so just search there if the explaination isn't clear) also, its important not to put any strain on your vocal chords, this is done by breathing using your diaphragm (the muscle just below your ribcage) This can take practise but to help you know how it feels, lie down on the floor and put your hands just below your ribcage- you should feel it rising and falling as you inhale and exhale Hope that helps :)

Answer 7

OK - as for the voice - drink WARM fluids (no cold soda, beer, or ice water - just warm or room temp stuff).

Make sure you are hydrated the night BEFORE you record.

Consume no dairy products for 12-24 hours prior to recording.

Exercise your voice daily by singing, either scales or just singing along to the radio for an hour or so.

Answer 8

NEVER EVER DRINK COLD WATER BEFORE YOU SING! ok, alot of people make this mistake, if they just drank something hot, it would open up the vocal cords. it's easier to reach higher notes, and is not as hard. it like widens your range by 3 notes up and down. trust me it works. dont do anything else straining to your voice until you know the last song has been recorded for good- just to be on the safe side. i know this sounds nasty, but right before you sing, drink one gulp of olive oil. this makes your throat smooth. good luck!

Answer 9

the only advice i can give you is to drink water with lemon in it... not too cold... not soda of any kind, of course... coats your throat and vocal chords with sugar and drinking something cold [like ice water] will only freeze it there, making your voice hoarser longer. i'm not sure, but that's what my choir teacher always says. i have never recorded but i'd loev to everyone sez i sing good o well.. good luck and i hope this helps now and in future instances!

p.s - if u know a few months before time, try to cut down on candy, soda, anything with lots of sugar... it helps!

Answer 10

Just rest your voice. Try not to talk or just whisper. Your voice really shouldn't be going after only two hours of singing though. Make sure you're resonating correctly and not singing in the back of your throat.