Kate's Voice

One of the most popular posts on this blog is Who Let the Frogs Out? 3 Quick Remedies for Voice Malfunctions. The other most popular post is “How to Create a Sexy Voice.” You’ll find part two of the latter in February, but here is part two on the frogs! The original article was triggered by a question on Twitter.   This one was triggered by considering what other vocal nightmares can happen to speakers.  Here are three more:  the flip, no voice in the moment, and no voice at all.  (I am sure there are more, so please let me know about your vocal nightmares.)

If your voice breaks or flips:

• This can be caused by a high larynx or shallow breathing.  When this happens, take a low breath letting the abdominal muscles expand and your throat relax.  Then be sure to actively use the air in the sound when you speak.
• For some men, this is an ongoing problem, not just one that occurs in teenage boys.  If you are one of those people, be sure to breathe low and learn to use your abdominal muscles to support your sound. It may be helpful to take singing lessons or a voice class to strengthen your vocal mechanism.
• Here is an exercise program you can try on your own on the terrific blog, Six Minutes.

If you open your mouth and nothing comes out (and you are NOT sick):

• It could be phlegm covering the cords.  In that case, try a little gravely sound like you are lightly clearing your throat.
• It could be nerves, in that case, breathe.  Don’t panic.  Try laughing instead as this will also get your air moving.
• You may not be breathing or using air in your voice.  Tank up and then speak more loudly to jump start your voice.

If you wake up in the morning and you do not HAVE a voice but you HAVE to give a talk (or sing):

• First understand that most laryngitis in the morning is temporary, caused by inflammation of the vocal folds due to post nasal drip or coughing or even acid reflux (too much Italian food late at night??).  This causes the folds to swell over night.  The problem with swelling of the vocal folds is that in order to make a sound, they need to vibrate cleanly and quickly just like two razor blades.  Swollen folds cannot do that.  However, if you drink some warm liquids and give them time, you can often get them working again, even if it’s not at their best.  So give yourself a little time to wake up.
• Next, try to make a sound.  There is probably some part of your voice that still makes pitch, even if it’s not where you’re most comfortable speaking.  Usually, you can make very low sounds. (It’s not a good idea to speak very low if you don’t have to because you can damage your voice, but we are assuming this is an emergency situation.
• Next, about an hour and a half before you are to speak, make “mmm” sounds throughout your range (high and low and in between, kind of like a siren or like someone who really enjoys their meal!)
• Then, most importantly, once you have started using your voice, don’t stop until you have finished your talk. If you stop for any length of time, your cords may become more swollen as the blood collects in them for healing.  Then you really will lose your voice.  And during the talk, make the mic work for you, but also make the audience help.  Get them asking questions and also answering some so that you don’t have to talk as much.   Afterwards, rest, rest, rest!!!  Yu only get one voice and it is precious!

Further suggestions:

• Always make sure you are hydrated before speaking and that you have some water on hand.
• Make a joke about it if you feel comfortable with your voice acting strangely, but above all know that frogs happen!
• When anything goes wrong, give yourself a moment to get a grip, but do move on! The others don’t care nearly as much as you do.

Related articles:

Feed Your Voice!  A voice user’s guide to diet

Ten Surefire Ways to Destroy Your Voice

Not too long ago, someone called me asking for help with his voice.  He wanted to sound like Rod Stewart.  Without batting an eye, I said, “You don’t need a lesson.  Just yell a lot, smoke a couple packs a day and don’t get any sleep.”  He thanked me and hung up.  How about that?  I actually like Rod Stewart, but I wouldn’t want to sound like him, and I don’t usually coach people to ruin their voices.  However, I believe that a person has the right to sound the way they want to sound.  So, with that in mind, here is a list of ten things you can do to ruin your voice, or make it sound like someone who has ruined their voice, however you see it. (By the way, if you DON’T want to ruin your voice, take this as a list of things NOT to do!)

1. Smoke. Smoking does terrible things to your voice and your body.  It’s certain that it will make your voice less flexible, dry and crackly, lower than it used to be, and may even cause laryngeal cancer, in which case your voice will be eliminated.  Perfect!
2. Scream. My kids used to assure me that there were secrets that their favorite “Screamo” artists used to keep their voices completely healthy in spite of screaming every night on stage.  If you know any of these secrets, please let me know, because screaming is still high on my list of guaranteed voice wreckers.
3. Avoid drinking water. Since water is the lubrication for your vocal folds, without it you will need to clear your throat all the time, which will irritate the cords and make them more likely to become red and puffy, which may eventually lead to nodules or other permanent damage.
4. Pitch your voice as low as you can get it and force the sound out.  To help you with this, there are several websites that promote a sexy low voice, so you can even get some help from someone who is not a vocal practitioner
5. Get help with your voice from someone who is not a vocal practitioner.
6. And if you use one of those on-line solutions, ignore the notice that says you may hurt yourself doing this!
7. Push that sound out until it hurts. Don’t take breaks when your voice starts to feel tired. Instead, push it to the limit and then more.  As we say in the voice world, “no pain, no strain.”
8. Eat a big meal just before going to sleep. Acid reflux is one of the best ways to destroy an otherwise healthy voice, and if you do this night after night,  you may even develop esophageal cancer.
9. Attend parties and try to speak over all the noise.  You cannot produce a sound you cannot hear, so you are sure to strain your voice trying to speak loud enough to hear yourself.
10. The next time you get laryngitis, go to the doctor and get some steroids.  Then continue to speak as though there were nothing wrong.  In fact go out and sing karaoke, and impress all your friends with your low sexy sound.  A few days of this, and you may ruin your voice for a good several months, or even permanently!!

If you have more suggestions, I’d love to hear them.  What’s going on with your voice?