We’re back with the eighth episode of the VocalWisdom.com Masterclass Podcast series.
I apologize for the hiatus, I moved my office into a new room and it took some time getting that situated.
Then for much of the Spring I dealt with seasonal allergies that kept my voice out of commission.
So I’m back with our next class discussing the key element we need to practice to recover our voice after dealing with allergies or illness.
If you are ready to get your voice working the way you want it to, let’s do some work together!
My recorded consultation will get you moving in the right direction and help you understand the issues that are holding you back. And they are only $19!
[youtube]https://youtu.be/uU8NzbzPalc[/youtube]
Helpful as always, Michael. Good to see you back here again.
I’m one of those singers who has a deeply ingrained habit of over-singing and engaging extra muscles. Comes from years of belting rock songs and overreaching for high notes. It’s very hard for me to find and sustain that delicate balance between air pressure and gentle vibration, so I end up sacrificing flexibility and agility for power.
For me, the barometer for elasticity is vibrato. When my vibrato disappears, I know I am over-singing. The only way for me to sustain vibrato is if I “relax” into a note. When the conditions are perfectly balanced, the vibrato flows naturally anywhere in my registers.
Over-singing creates conditions very similar to those you described after an allergy or infection: a feeling of thick, inflexible, unresponsive cords. But I find that I can regain elasticity by bringing my voice back to “normal” after heavy singing. I do this by gently warming down the voice with head voice scales and arpeggios.
Just thought it was interesting to note that the vocal cords, like any muscle in the human body, respond to both under- and overuse. I’m always amazed at the resiliency and muscle memory, though. Doesn’t take much to get you back in good form when you know what you’re doing.