Do You Sing? Prevent A Vocal Hemorrhage and Keep Your Voice Healthy

Adele fans across the US learned the news this week that her upcoming tour has been canceled, due to a vocal cord hemorrhage. Whether you sing as a career or just as a hobby, this news is a shocking reminder of how important it is to take care of your voice as a singer. Although it may not seem like it at first, singing is just like a sport – it demands warm-up routines, conditioning, and practicing healthy technique.

Whether you’re a teacher preparing for a gig or a student preparing for an audition, TakeLessons knows the importance of health when it comes to music.  Most already know the usual pointers like avoiding smoking and drinking enough water, but the NY Daily News website also reminded us of some less-obvious pointers:

1. Don’t abuse your speaking voice: “Most singers have been trained how to sing for many years. They know the vocal posture, the technique, how to relax their voice and get good strength from their breath support. But as soon as they walk offstage, they have poor speaking posture because they don’t think about it anymore. They are not trained to speak well; they are trained to sing well. Yet even the most professional singer only sings 1% or less of the time. Poor speaking posture will catch up to you in the end, so maintain good vocal technique even when just speaking.”

2. Sing within your vocal range: “Everyone’s instrument is built in a certain way. You have alto saxes, bass saxes and soprano saxes. The same thing goes for singers. If you are asked to sing a song that is out of your natural range you actually have to push a little harder and that can result in strain, especially if you are singing out of your range multiple times a week. That’s a real big strain on your voice because your instrument isn’t built to go to that range.”