Good and Bad Voice Days

Sometimes we have Good and sometimes we have Bad Voice Days. This simply means that on any given day, regardless of what you do, sometimes your voice sounds better than usual and sometimes it just refuses to cooperate. Some of these factors can contribute to your voice's behavior:


1- Time of the year- Weather changes, precipitation, and certain allergic reactions to mother nature affect our instrument. The dust and bacteria that we breathe in can sit in our vocal cords and affect the way we sound.


2- Lack of sleep- Our vocal cords need rest, too. When they are tired, sound becomes more difficult to produce.


3- What we eat- Certain foods cause acid reflux which burns and irritates our cords-- many times without us knowing. If we know we have to perform, stay away from dairy, red sauces and caffeine, to name a few.


4- Time of the month - PMS, Hormones.. yes that affects your singing, too! Estrogen increases mucus production in the vocal cords which might make singing higher notes more difficult and even cause intonation problems.


5- Fatigue - Using your voice a lot, talking loudly, screaming, and even singing for long periods of time can make your vocal cords tired. When they are fatigued they are harder to manipulate and your sound can seem very weak.


6- Certain medications - Some antibiotics can dry out our vocal cords, making it difficult to produce sound. Also, some medicines can also thin out our blood which actually can make our vocal cords very vulnerable if we are not gentle. To read more, you can check out this ENT website. 


7- Illness - Colds and flus in particular cause congestion, irritation of the vocal cords as well as inflammation of the larynx. Its best to practice vocal rest when you are sick. Unless you are a seasoned professional, its not worth the risk of hurting your voice by trying to sing when you are sick. Also, make sure you are fully recovered from whatever illness you may have before you start singing again. Stay hydrated and drink Throat Coat tea. (my favorite)


8- Dehydration - Drink plenty of fluids! If you don't like the taste of water (my biggest complaint from my students) squirt a couple drops of lemon into the water to improve the taste. Vocal cords naturally have a nice little layer of mucous--when we are dehydrated the mucous dries out and singing can become very tedious! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!


As you can see, being a vocalist is a lot more difficult than most people think! Being that our instrument is a part of our body, we must take into consideration the different factors that come into place when we are asked to perform. So if you ever feel discouraged that you're not sounding as good as you normally can, or if you are having trouble just getting into the groove of practicing, consider the fact that you might just be having a Bad Voice Day.


Also, take advantage of your Good Voice Days--days where singing is effortless and enjoyable. Take advantage of those days and sing your heart out. =)


Till next time Divas,
*Katrina*