How do I take care of my vocal cord

[Stylez4Christ]

Well, The reason why I ask this question because I do want to know how to take care of my vocal sound.

Also the reason for this is that I join in a real cool gospel choir that most of the people are in my ages like from 16 to 18 I think:embarasse which is in my school because the school gospel teacher left until the good news came in and that this minister liked my school system and he started to applied the job and he wants to teaches a gospel choir in my school and students that are in my ages but more of a black gospel choir but I do want to become a better singer.

My choir teacher or what ever they call it said he going to teach us how to sing better because I think he is a vocalist because the way he showing people how to sing and it was fun to be in it and I am glad that I'm in a gospel choir and I know that I in love with the choir even is 7 of us in the choir but the choir sound greater then 7 people but last Thursday is the first day and that um there are people missing but there should be more then 7 people in the choir but just some are missing that’s all..

But really, any tip on how I can take care of my vocal sound???

 

[stephen]

Stylez! How you doing?

Looking after the vocals eh. Good question bro. Good question.

I enjoy a good sing myself. When the worship drifts into "How Great Thou art" as it did recently, I love to open the vocal chords and rise to the high notes. Then the congregation goes off into worship in tongues. Absolutely divine.

Well I cannot answer your question with any knowledge. As a Christian man I am sure you do not indulge in the weed of any kind? Just my thoughts re the throat etc.

Apart from that......A big God Bless Ya

 

[Chad]

I found this via Google:

Fact Sheet: Tips for Healthy Voices

Voice problems usually are associated with hoarseness (also known as roughness), instability, or problems with voice endurance. If you are unsure if you have an unhealthy voice, ask yourself the following:

Voice problems arise from a variety of sources including voice overuse or misuse, cancer, infection, or injury. Here are steps that can be taken to prevent voice problems and maintain a healthy voice:

Drink water(stay well hydrated): Keeping your body well hydrated by drinking plenty of water each day (6-8 glasses) is essential to maintaining a healthy voice. The vocal cords vibrate extremely fast even with the most simple sound production; remaining hydrated through water consumption optimizes the throat’s mucous production, aiding vocal cord lubrication. To maintain sufficient hydration avoid or moderate substances that cause dehydration. These include alcohol and caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, soda). And always increase hydration when exercising.

Do not smoke: It is well known that smoking leads to lung or throat cancer. Primary and secondhand smoke that is breathed in passes by the vocal cords causing significant irritation and swelling of the vocal cords. This will permanently change voice quality, nature, and capabilities.

Do not abuse or misuse your voice: Your voice is not indestructible. In every day communication, be sure to avoid habitual yelling, screaming, or cheering. Try not to talk loudly in locations with significant background noise or noisy environments. Be aware of your background noise—when it becomes noisy, significant increases in voice volume occur naturally, causing harm to your voice. If you feel like your throat is dry, tired, or your voice is becoming hoarse, stop talking.

To reduce or minimize voice abuse or misuse use non-vocal or visual cues to attract attention, especially with children. Obtain a vocal amplification system if you routinely need to use a “loud” voice especially in an outdoor setting. Try not to speak in an unnatural pitch. Adopting an extremely low pitch or high pitch can cause an injury to the vocal cords with subsequent hoarseness and a variety of problems.

Minimize throat clearing: Clearing your throat can be compared to slapping or slamming the vocal cords together. Consequently, excessive throat clearing can cause vocal cord injury and subsequent hoarseness. An alternative to voice clearing is taking a small sip of water or simply swallowing to clear the secretions from the throat and alleviate the need for throat clearing or coughing. The most common reason for excessive throat clearing is an unrecognized medical condition causing one to clear their throat too much. Common causes of chronic throat clearing include gastroesophageal reflux, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, sinus and/or allergic disease.

Moderate voice use when sick: Reduce your vocal demands as much as possible when your voice is hoarse due to excessive use or an upper respiratory infection (cold). Singers should exhibit extra caution if one’s speaking voice is hoarse because permanent and serious injury to the vocal cords are more likely when the vocal cords are swollen or irritated. It is important to “listen to what your voice is telling you.”

Your voice is an extremely valuable resource and is the most commonly used form of communication. Our voices are invaluable for both our social interaction as well as for most people’s occupation. Proper care and use of your voice will give you the best chance for having a healthy voice for your entire lifetime.

Hoarseness or roughness in your voice is often caused by a medical problem. Contact an otolaryngologist—head and neck surgeon if you have any sustained changes to your voice.



Another link: InteliHealth:

 

[ladylovesJesus]

Wow Chad that is some really useful information. It is amazing what we can find by doing google searches.

I thought this would be in the music forum but after reading it further, it does relate to health.

God bless

 

[Stylez4Christ]

Wow Chad that is some really useful information. It is amazing what we can find by doing google searches.

I thought this would be in the music forum but after reading it further, it does relate to health.

God bless

lol I know I made a very interesting question

 

[A_B_laben]

taking care of your vocal cord

My friend for taking care of your vocal cord the choice in fluids to keep your mouth and throat tissues hydrated is important. As with most things, simplest is best. Drink room temperature filtered or spring water. Cold water tightens your throat muscles vocal cords. Want something warm to drink? Try herbal tea. Stay away from regular tea because it contains caffeine, which can tighten things up. Avoid coffee because it can dry you out and has even more caffeine than regular tea.

 

[jean]

Thank you so much for that information. I have recently discovered I suffer from asthma (and I'm over 60!) not a happy bunny, I've never been allergic to anything in my life as far as I'm aware (I am however an ex-smoker, stopped when I became a Christian!). I have belonged to a choir for just over a year now and really enjoy the company and the singing but it concerns me sometimes because it seems to affect my throat, although the doc said singing was good for me! I also had an allergice reaction to the medication I was taking for asthma (how does that work ) however, we plod on and use an inhaler when necessary, also drink lots especially water.

 

[calluna]

:lightbulb There are many law suits going on right now regarding Fosamax. It is being linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw. :lightbulb

I am going to bring this to the attention of Chad. If he has not picked up on this already.

Calluna

 

[bijush.mbcam1]

take care of your spiritual health

As the proverb saying goes " health is wealth" I say that spiritual health is more important than physical health for the christians of today. If we tend to live for this world,we need have to keep up spirituality.And if we want to live for heaven and for God we need to keep God's spiritual standards. The hungry satan is roving here and there to make his citizen for hell. If we are spiritual we must keep some standards. We must obey god's commands and do his will.Praise the lord

 

[seekermeister]

I have never been one to take care of myself very well, but after having a stroke about 4 years ago, I have changed that aspect somewhat, but it is not what I have done that made that much difference.

From the earliest age that I can remember, I always had a desire to be able to sing, but a dying frog would have sounded better than I did. This changed considerably, because when I had that stroke, I was alone unable to reach the telephone to ask for help. Part of me wanted to die, and part wanted to live. Since I couldn't decide which to ask for, I simply placed myself in the hands of God, content to go either way.

From that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit in a way that I could never have imagined, through every inch of my body, from head to toe.

This did not bring instantaneous healing, but it did begin then. For days, I couldn't even swallow my own spit, but I did teach myself to do so slowly. But that isn't the reason that I'm posting this, because one after effect is that I learned to sing...reasonably well, and that alone almost made that experience worthwhile in itself. I go to bed singing praises to God, and wake up with the same songs.

 

[Stylez4Christ]

I have never been one to take care of myself very well, but after having a stroke about 4 years ago, I have changed that aspect somewhat, but it is not what I have done that made that much difference.

From the earliest age that I can remember, I always had a desire to be able to sing, but a dying frog would have sounded better than I did. This changed considerably, because when I had that stroke, I was alone unable to reach the telephone to ask for help. Part of me wanted to die, and part wanted to live. Since I couldn't decide which to ask for, I simply placed myself in the hands of God, content to go either way.

From that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit in a way that I could never have imagined, through every inch of my body, from head to toe.

This did not bring instantaneous healing, but it did begin then. For days, I couldn't even swallow my own spit, but I did teach myself to do so slowly. But that isn't the reason that I'm posting this, because one after effect is that I learned to sing...reasonably well, and that alone almost made that experience worthwhile in itself. I go to bed singing praises to God, and wake up with the same songs.

Praise God!!!

 

[amywhite]

Chad wrote some great stuff!
Besides taking care of your voice you should also do some voice training to increase your abilities beyond what you do at school. This will include breathing excercises to increase the air space of your body, and use of different echo chambers in your body(Like practicing chest voice, head voice and so on)
You can find good excercises online.

Also working out in general, increases your vocal abilities. You are singing for God here and your instrument is your body , it's good that you're thinking about how to take care of it!

God Bless,

Amy

 

[kimandrew]

Thanks Chad for the advice.

 

[LeanaJo]

Don't raise your voice if you don't have to.

Don't smoke.

Don't yell/scream, only if in danger.

Drink lots of water (not too much soda, because it does accumulate mucus to your throat and makes it too scratchy too).