Are you a singer or aspiring singer having trouble with your range or control? A lack of vocal control, freedom, and range can come from your voice not being in shape. Working out and treating your voice right is the best way to set yourself up for singing success for many years to come!

No matter where you perform, if you’re a singer, it’s important to protect your singing voice. A singer’s voice is their instrument, and just like every other instrument, we need to keep our voices in proper shape so they don’t let us down.

Unlike every other instrument, we only ever get one voice. Proper care means you can sing better and longer, and strain less to avoid injury. In addition to sounding great in a performance, going the extra mile to protect your voice will help keep you singing beautifully for years to come.

Make Healthy Voice Choices

Having a healthy voice to start with is the best foundation to improving and protecting your voice. The goal is to avoid anything that might be causing inflammation. Inflammation of the vocal cords can make you sound hoarse, feel a constant urge to clear your throat (which can make it worse!), and feel a general strain just to speak.

Inflammation in your voice box affects your ability to sing. It can lead you to feel like you’re straining to hit notes you normally can, reduce the length of time you can sing comfortably, or just flat out make it impossible without pain. If any of these are happening, don’t press it!

Generally, laryngitis (inflammation of your voice box) is pretty short-lived. It can be caused by a viral infection or just from general strain. However, if it becomes chronic, it can be a symptom of something else going on. A history of acid reflux, otherwise known as heartburn or GERD, can be at the root. Smoke inhalation is another major contributor.

If you have history of either smoking, quitting has a number of health benefits that you can notice right away. In addition to helping your voice, quitting can help you improve your lung capacity in just a couple months. The money you don’t spend on smoking is also added bonus too!

Warm Up

When you start singing, heading straight for the stratosphere can lead to vocal injury. Warming up is a strategy you can use to ease your way into getting to the reaches of your range. As singers, our voices are like the muscles of an athlete. When working out, athletes do warm ups to make sure their muscles are in the proper condition to perform, and to avoid hurting themselves. We can do the same thing with our voices. This is true no matter when genre you’re singing.

How should you warm up? There are a number of exercises you can do, and it’s important to pace yourself as you do. Take anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes to practice singing scales, sigh musically, or hum across the range of your voice. When you’re warming up, practice singing notes with different vowel sounds. Just like with every other kind of singing, nothing you do should be painful. If it is, stop immediately.

Stay Hydrated

Just drinking good old fashioned water is great for your voice. No matter what marketers might try to say to you, nothing that you drink goes directly onto your vocal cords. That means the only way to make sure your voice is hydrated is to make sure your whole body is. That comes from drinking plenty of water.

Alcohol and caffeine can have a negative impact on your body’s hydration, so you should moderate these. If you choose to drink either of these, make sure to balance them out by drinking plenty of water, too.

Another great way to help avoid dryness is to humidify your space. A humidity-controlled room can help you from drying out and irritating your voice as well when you’re singing.

Don’t Overdo It

If whatever you’re singing as you’re practicing starts to hurt, stop immediately. Strain and pain in your voice is a sign that continuing to do so may injure you.

Pushing too hard to reach a note or hit a certain volume level can cause your vocal cords to collide with each other. When that happens repeatedly, eventually they can become irritated and swollen. This can also come from anything that might cause a similar impact, like an urge to clear your throat or cough heavily. Remember: if you feel like you might need a microphone, you probably do. Don’t try to push it.

Whenever you feel like you might be pushing too hard, stop. Just like with your muscles, rest for your voice is just as important as exercise for better growth and performance over time. Make sure to take breaks, practice vocal rest (not using your voice at all for an extended period of time), and pace yourself as you learn to use your voice.

Becoming a great singer is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll get there with time. Don’t compare yourself to others.

Get a Coach

Taking care of your voice is vital to your success as a singer, but it’s only one piece in the puzzle for performing well. If you’re feeling stuck, trying to figure out how to warm up properly, finding the correct pitch, or just learning the nuances of performing while singing, vocal lessons can help.

We offer virtual lessons you can take from the comfort of home right here at The Lesson Foundry. Leave a comment or reach out to us to learn how we can help you protect your singing voice and reach your performing goals this year!