Vocal Advice

From L:
Hi…As said above, I am 25 and sing more for pleasure rather than profession. I have always had a knack for singing in the car, etc. and was part of a performance choir in high school and senior year of college. I’m sure before I entered college I was not using my voice properly (breathing technique, etc.) but that was remedied through a wonderful vocal teacher I had in college. However, over the last few months I have noticed progressive hoarseness as well as slight discomfort when singing. I did have two traumatic episodes in the past few months–one: I woke up screaming ‘bloody murder’ after a nightmare–my throat was soar for a few days after that. And then I had a bout with food poisoning that caused me to throw up–which really burned my throat (sorry for the gross details!). Since then, as I said above, I am becoming more hoarse–even when speaking–along with mild discomfort and shortened ability to sing in long duration. I have tried to rest my voice, but apparently am not doing a very good job? Could this be from prolonged improper use and therefore resulting in permanent damage? Or is there possibly hope? Any advice? Thank you!

From A:
Thanks for taking the time to look at my question! I’m 21 and I enjoy to sing but I have never had vocal training. Lately I’ve been singing more than I ever have in my life and I’ve noticed some problems. After I sing I have a sore throat. It is subtle but my talking voice is slightly hoarse. Now I feel as though there is a giant lump in my throat. This is my second week of soreness and I am terrified! I’ve read about nodules and prenodules and other scary things all over the internet and I’m so scared I’m going to lose my voice! I also have allergies which are especially bad in the winter. I probably have poor singing technique. Do you recommend I stop singing until I learn proper techniques? What I’m most worried about is doing permanent damage to my voice! *deep breath* Haha, I have been very anxious about this. Thank you! I really appreciate any answer you can give me!

Answer: Forgive me “L” and “A” for answering your questions together. Your questions are significantly similar, so, I’m going to take the part of a “teacher” and answer without the normal brevity of 200 words or less. I feel for you both and appreciate that you’ve been unafraid to ask your questions.

Hoarseness is one of the first, most easily discerned audible symptoms presented to a voice teacher that indicates the presence of a “vocal fault” in an otherwise physically healthy singer. The most common cause for vocal hoarseness is “hyper-functional phonation;” demanding too much from the voice, producing a sound that can be described by any one, or  combination of the following adjectives: tight, tense, hard, edgy, strident, rasping, grating, rough, constricted or even strangulated. Hoarseness is a danger signal to you, the singer. If huskiness or soreness is a common result of your singing, then you should

1) stop singing, and if it persists,
2) see an otolaryngologist.

Observations and recommendations:

1. Screaming hard even once can do temporary damage to the voice. The voice has to recover in silence and with more than usual sleep. Give it more time than you think it needs.
2. Vomiting and the burning from stomach acids also require extended time to heal. Give your voice time. You should pay attention to resulting soreness as there are relatively few pain nerve endings in the throat! Give healing more time than you think it needs, and limit your voice use.  Begin establishing the habit (if you don’t already have it) of gargling whenever you brush your teeth and after meals - rinsing out your throat with water.
3. Regularly speaking too high, or too low will often result in hoarseness. Please read my entry on “speaking” to help you find where you should speak without unnecessary tension.
4. Long-term misuse of the voice can permanently damage the voice. So, your concern is legitimate. A voice therapist or qualified voice teacher may be what you need to correct the problem.
5. The feeling of “a giant lump” in your throat is a definite indication of misuse. Stop singing. Give your voice more time than you think it needs to heal and recover. (Go see an E.N.T. soon!)
6. Allergies do tend to exacerbate (aggravate) upper-respiratory and throat edema (swelling). So, allergies compounded with possible misuse of the voice would tend to make things feel worse, faster.
7. While my blog will give you sound advice and may help you to start thinking correctly about singing, you will more likely make the progress you should make toward using your voice healthfully by studying with a reliable voice teacher. If you live in the Northwest Georgia area (NE Alabama or Chattanooga, TN), you can contact me, otherwise, you should do some sleuthing, asking around and find a trustworthy teacher and explain to that person what you’ve shared with me.

IN THE MEANTIME, you can be …

a. Getting more than 8 hours of sleep a night, REGULARLY.
b. Drinking lots of clear (non-caffeinated) liquids.
c. Taking supplements (vitamins, minerals and herbs) to help boost your own immune system … and I would actually recommend the use of a drinkable form of Aloe Vera to have every day until your throat has healed. This can be purchased at most health-food stores.
d. Eating carefully. If you are in the habit of having ice cream or any kind of dairy products (pizza) in the evening before going to bed, change the menu to fresh fruit (e.g., grapefruit), and don’t go to bed on a full stomach, wait a couple of hours after you’ve eaten before lying down to sleep.
e. Sighing lightly on a downward vocal slide just after inhaling as if you’re about to “yawn,” (not ‘singing’).

I would be interested in hearing of your progress toward dealing with your situation(s) and the healing process.  I hope this has been helpful to you.

Best wishes.

I’m an older soprano who has decided to attempt to sing again after taking about 30 years off (due to vocal ulcerations I developed in my 20s.) I received my B.M. in Voice Performance, started graduate school, but then had to stop because of chronic vocal discomfort (A laryngologist told me to rest the voice for a few months, but the soreness continued). So I’ve attempted a comeback every few years since then, but still encountered hoarseness and soreness, and have always stopped… fearful that I was doing serious damage.

Now at 59, I’d like to give it one more try, so a few months ago started singing in an excellent, professional-level church choir. This week, while practicing for an upcoming Christmas concert to be performed with a symphony orchestra (I’m one of five assigned first sopranos), I’ve again encountered terrible hoarseness and soreness. We have been rehearsing steadily, and the high soprano parts are sustained in the high treble clef (F5 – C6), a range in which I used to shine (once had a strong E6). But today I am so hoarse and sore (the concert is in two weeks, with more rehearsals upcoming) that I’m fearful I may have to drop out or “lip-sync” to avoid blowing out the cords all together.

This is very discouraging, but I’m resisting the idea that I have to finally give up my dream of singing again. My questions:

I’m not in a financial situation to afford private lessons at the moment, but wondered if you could recommend some gentle exercises I might do to relax the voice and stop damaging it (especially in the high range)? There is obviously some kind of tension that I can’t figure out.. or could it be that I’m just trying to do too much too soon (after 30 years off)?

I guess the real question is — is it even possible for a 59 year old to rebuild a voice to a professional (or good-amateur!) level after taking three decades off? Or maybe I should just get a grip on reality and stop trying for a come-back…?

ANSWER: Let me caution you that my answer will give you what is PROBABLE, not necessarily what is CERTAIN, because I have not heard you sing and have only what you’ve told me as a basis for giving you an answer.

1)  The fact that each time you have recommenced singing there has also been a recurrence of the problem of “hoarseness and soreness” suggests that there may well be some poor usage of the vocal apparatus.  ”Ulcerations” could be caused by bad vocal use … but would be surprising since you were a voice major in college. If this were the case, what specifically it is that you are doing I do not know since I have never heard you sing.

2) There is also the possibility that you suffer from acid reflux - a condition by which stomach acids come up to the esophagus and quite literally “burn” your throat.  What makes me think of this possibility is that “the soreness continued” even after several months of vocal rest.  The fact that there were “ulcerations” may also be an indication of acid reflux.  This would likely happen when you are having to breathe deeply and exhale thoroughly as happens when singing.  It is also possible to have had this condition for a long time without knowing it, and the hoarseness and soreness simply manifests the symptom when you sing.  I think there is a high probability of this second scenario being the cause of the problem.  A medical doctor can help you with this … it may require some alteration in diet, and learning to sleep with your upper-body slightly raised above your waste … at an angle rather than parallel to the floor.  Once this is taken care of … or dealt with in an ongoing way, your ability to sing without hoarseness and soreness is likely to be more probable.

3) At 59 it is also probable that your stamina to stay in the uppermost regions of your range will be less than it was even ten years ago, and definitely less than it was 30 years ago. Assuming that

a) there is no vocal-technical reason for developing a sore throat each time you sing, and

b) any acid reflux is not an issue,

you should be able to regain considerable stamina and enjoy singing in a fine choral setting.

4) One more thing, you should not be surprised if, at 59, your overall range has lowered, and you are more physically comfortable singing second soprano (though initially it may accost your psychological preference for singing soprano 1).  When you sing your highest notes in a choir, at no point should you feel as though you are “pushing” or “muscling” the sound … it should be comfortable just “floating” the notes.  If this is not the case, then beware … you are working too hard vocally, and probably inappropriately.

Regarding the possibility of singing inappropriately, certainly finding a good teacher would be helpful.  Regarding the possibility of acid reflux, a caring medical doctor (E.N.T.) will be able to tell you whether you have that problem … and if you have how to deal with it.

I hope this has been helpful and instructive.