Improve Your Singing with Healthy Speech

Your speaking voice directly affects your singing By taking good care of your voice while speaking, you ensure better vocal health. You can improve your speaking habits by: Talk at full volume when you want to be heard, but don’t scream. Anytime you speak, use a reasonable volume, not a loud one. Speak with no tension, for example in the tongue or jaw – pay attention to articulation to prevent tension. When talking on the telephone, apply your knowledge of breathing. Don’t talk so long that your voice hurts from lack of breath support.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

It’s not a problem for everyone, but being too lean may lead to problems with stamina while singing and sustaining higher pitches. Make sure you’re nourishing your body on a regular basis for stamina. While some singers like to eat late in the day, this isn’t a good idea since your body needs fuel to get started. Try to get yourself into a routine where you eat something early in the day so you don’t find yourself snacking late at night because your body feels hungry.

Keep Yourself Properly Hydrated

Your body is made of 50-60% water. The lungs need water to keep tissues moving easily. Muscle tissue is made up of 75% water. Therefore, keeping your body properly hydrated helps your singing voice.

Many people find water to be boring to drink. You can drink other liquids to keep yourself hydrated, but remember that drinks that are high in sugar won’t help your waistline and caffeine can really dry you out. Because caffeine is diuretic, which means that it makes your body get rid of water, you can’t rely on that morning cup of coffee to keep your voice in good working order.

Getting plenty of shut-eye

Not getting enough sleep doesn’t give the tissue in your throat enough time to heal. If you continually deprive yourself of sleep, you voice begins to feel sluggish. You have to give your voice a chance to regenerate and recoup at night. Try getting more sleep for a few nights and see if it makes a difference in your singing.

Proper Nourishment is Critical

Always maintain a balanced diet. Adhering to the guidelines of basic nutrition means your getting the right amounts of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats. A balanced diet also includes the proper amounts of fats, carbohydrates, and protein Because singing often requires extra energy, you may want to add some extra protein to your diet to enhance your ability to last through long rehearsals.

Prevention of Sore Throat or Infection

A few simple little remedies to keep on hand for those times when you feel that tickle coming on can make all the difference in the world. One item to keep on hand is a bottle of saline nasal spray which is a solution of water and salt. You can wash out any germs that may be lingering, waiting to make an attack on your immune system by spraying the solution up your nose.

It also helps to gargle with warm salt water. Adding a few teaspoons of salt to a half cup of warm water and then gargling helps wash away any germs that can lodge in the back of your mouth. Simply mix about a half cup of warm water with a few teaspoons of salt and gargle, washing away germs that are lodged in the back of your mouth. People that get frequent infections around their tonsils find that saltwater is a good friend. If you want to stop canker sores in their tracks, just swish the saltwater around in your mouth.

I hope these vocal health tips were helpful to you. To learn to sing like a star and discover more about maintaining the best posssible vocal health, I recommend checking out the Sing With Freedom vocal training program from Per Bristow.