5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Singing Voice Healthy

Top 5 des conseils pour prendre soin de sa voix chantée

Whether you sing in a choir, a rock band or your bedroom, it’s crucial that you keep your vocal cords in good shape, even if you’re singing just for fun. Guest-blogger Fabienne Kervella shares five simple tips for good vocal health.

#1. Drink Water

Staying hydrated throughout the day is a simple way to keep your singing voice in shape, especially during gigs and studio sessions. Besides water, you can also drink herbal tea, just be sure to avoid cold drinks. Go for warm drinks or room-temperature drinks, and always bring a bottle of water to rehearsals. Also, don’t wait until you feel thirsty to take a few sips — dehydrated vocal cords are easily irritated which has an immediate effect on your vocals.

#2. Warm Up Your Voice

Developing a healthy routine is something every singer should do. Just like athletes do pre-match stretches, singers should do ten minutes of pre-gig warm-up exercises. It’s a simple habit that not only helps keep vocal cord disorders at bay, but prepares you both mentally and physically for a performance. There are countless exercises for all levels and vocal ranges, but the most important thing is that you warm up at medium volume so that you don’t tire yourself out too much. Going back to the athlete analogy, once the show is over, it’s just as important to do some cooling-down exercises.

#3. Give Your Vocal Cords a Break

Fatigued vocal cords are more prone to injuries, so make sure to get enough sleep and give your voice as much rest as possible. In other words, look for moments when you don’t have to sing, talk or even whisper. When you have a cold, an allergic reaction or a sore throat, it’s obviously even more important that you put as little load on your vocal cords as possible. If you don’t take enough breaks, you risk vocal cord polyps, or worse if you keep it up long enough.

#4. Watch What You Eat and Drink

Singers often forget how much of an effect their diet has on their voice. Caffeine and alcohol, for instance, dehydrate the body, including the vocal cords. This is why you’ll want to avoid drinking coffee or beer before a gig. When you do drink coffee or alcohol, at least drink a glass of water with every cuppa or pint. Spicy food and sweetened beverages are also bad for your voice, so keep that in mind while you’re on tour.

#5. Quit Smoking

If you really care about your vocal health, you’ll want to seriously consider quitting smoking. It’s detrimental for your vocal cords, and what’s worse, increases the risk of throat and lung cancer in the long run. Smoking irritates the vocal cords, deepens your voice and affects your lung capacity, making it harder to carry a note for longer and reducing your ability to make it through long gigs. If you don’t smoke but the rest of the band does, you’ll want to avoid breathing in secondhand smoke because that also affects your vocals.

Got any more tips for good vocal health? Share them below!