By E. Perryman #akintsucrooner 1.30.2025
DAILY VOCAL USAGE: We use our voices for the majority of our teaching hours. Once we have lost our voice, we realize even as non singers how important it is to keep our throat as healthy as possible. In order to gauge my vocal condition, I use a percentage system so I best know how to circumvent challenges as they arise.
VOCAL HEALTHY PERCENTAGES:
Why are percentages an important consideration? Due to weather, illnesses, emotional challenges, sleep schedule, acid reflux and so on, we can wake up with various throat conditions. Edema (swelling) happens on different parts of our vocal folds/different parts of our range and the result can be frustration inducing; perhaps why singers can be neurotic?;-)
The civilian gist is the following:
Vocal folds vibrate; sideways as you can see on the image. If we aren’t supported with our diaphragmatic breath and/or mis-using our heavy and light registers (chest/head/falsetto etc), our voice can become breathy and lose strength from vibrating on swollen cords. Nodules (calluses on the cords) are a result of overuse of the voice when the cords are swollen. Nodules can go away with rest and hydration but those most pronounced are hard to reverse.
100%-clear, easy, smooth, flexible, strong, no effort needed, expanded ability
80%-accessible, reliable, predicable, warm up/technique makes it stronger
60%-warmup crucial, uneven, breathy, less strong/technique helps
40%-cords swollen, weak, speaking difficult, breathy, hard to make sound
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Barometric pressure
Lack of sleep
Aging (our muscles of our youth eventually get tired)
Eating too late at night
Colds/Respiratory illnesses
GERD/Acid Reflux
High stress
Significant emotional experiences
Vocal misuse (unsupported/speak with too much low or too much high)
Inauthentic production: we may like a certain sound but we need to speak with our authentic sound; affected speech can produce vocal health issues
PREVENTION/STRATEGIES
Be cognizant of the following:
Eating/drinking foods especially acidic/high carb at night/alcohol is dehydrating
H20 You can never be too hydrated imo
If you don’t sleep, your body will react. Find a way to rest.
Be aware of how you speak. Are you raspy and breathy?
To find your core speaking voice, find where you live on a pitched instrument. Most people have a basic range once they can audiate their speaking voice. Not all people have healthy access to their low and high range/where they should healthfully speak. If you find yourself losing your voice often, experiment through a vocal siren (think owl) and humming to find your natural tone on the breath.
Avoid starting sound with your throat; the good ole American glottal is hard on the voice. When you speak a word and touch your throat and feel a glottal stroke, you’re speaking with your throat which aides swelling. Practice putting a silent f before the word. Notice how it connects you to your breath support. Learn how this feels to avoid future dysphonia brought on by habits.
HOW TO FIX
Alexander technique (body-inhibiting drains all of us)
Non caffeinated tea with local honey and lemon
Steaming
Try Mucinex/Zyrtec/robitussin/allergy shots (I’ve had mixed results)
Gargle with apple cider vinegar
Use ginger
Use a neti pot
Speak at the level of your fatigue/be gentle with swollen cords
Speak on your interest not principal sound
Use signals in class/be aware of how much you speak
Record yourself at different percentages; its fascinating
Sleep elevated
Use a humidifier
Pace yourself when you speak even when healthy
Find your best vowel (F with ee vowel helps me out when I am at 60%)
A little motrin is helpful in the short term
Get a scope if voice doesn’t heal after a week
If you have to use your voice, last resort is prednisone (ask me about the MET)
——-
And sometimes, we just need to not speak and rest for a few days. EAP
akintsucrooner 