Incorporating healthy speech in your singing

Your singing voice is affected by your speaking voice By taking good care of your voice when speaking, you are improving your vocal health. Take heed of the following tips for healthier speaking habits: 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. Noticing the articulation as you speak to prevent tension – not speaking with tension, such as jaw tension or tongue tension. Use your knowledge of breathing and apply it while using the telephone. Avoid talking until your voice hurts from lack of breath.

You are What You Eat

Though it may not be your personal issue, a body that is too lean may have trouble finding the stamina to sing and sustain the higher pitches. To improve your stamina, make sure you’re giving your body the nourishment it needs. Many singers wait until late in the day to eat, but your body needs something to get it started. To prevent snacking late at night, get in the habit of eating earlier in the day.

Keeping yourself hydrated

Your body is 50% to 65% water. Your lungs need water in order to keep its tissues moving as they should. Muscle tissue contains up to 75% water. So keeping your body well hydrated helps your singing voice work better.

Many people find water to be boring to drink. You can balance out your hydration with other liquids as long as you realize that sugar content in most drinks doesn’t help your waistline and that caffeine actually dries you out. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes your body to get rid of excess water which means you can’t rely on that cup of coffee to keep your voice in good shape.

Get Plenty of Shut-Eye

Too little sleep makes it difficult for your throat tissue to heal. Depriving yourself of sleep only makes your voice feel sluggish. You need to allow yourself to regenerate and recoup during the night. Try sleeping a little more for several nights and see the difference it makes in your singing.

Proper Nourishment is Critical

You should always eat a balanced diet. Following guidelines of basic nutrition means getting a balanced amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, meats and dairy products. Within this balanced diet you find proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats. 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.

Preventing a Sore Throat or Infection

Keeping a few basic remedies on hand can make a huge difference for the times you feel a bit of a tickly coming on. My favorite is a bottle of nasal saline spray, which is just salt and water. When you spray the solution up your nose you effectively wash away germs that may be waiting around, ready to attack your immune system.

You can also gargle with warm salt water. You can dislodge any germs from the back of your mouth when you gargle with a half a cup of warm water and a few teaspoons of salt. If you are prone to infections around your tonsils, you will likely discover that saltwater is one of your best friends. When you swish the saltwater around in your mouth, you can stop any painful canker sores in their tracks.

I hope you found this vocal health information helpful. To learn how to sing like a star and discover more about maintaining the best posssible vocal health, I recommend checking out The Singing Zone vocal training program from Per Bristow.