You’ve heard the comment, “I’m not in good voice today.” What does that mean? It could mean his/her: 1) tone is not clear; 2) range is limited; 3) air is not flowing; 4) pitch is not accurate, etc. The voice is affected by the day-to-day things we encounter and experience in life. Here is a list of circumstances and activities that can affect tonal quality and accuracy, range, air flow and many vocal problems.
Vocal Influences:
- Time of day – Sometimes it’s hard to even talk in the morning so generally, singing in the morning is difficult, before the voice has been used much in that day. If you need to sing in the morning, warm up, warm up, warm up!
- Hours of sleep you’ve had – The voice, like the body, needs a rest. If you have not had enough sleep, you can become hoarse.
- Your energy level – Are you physically tired? Stressed out? Relaxed? Just as energy level affects any kind of physical exercise, the voice is affected as well.
- Are you alert and able to focus, or able to let go? If you are distracted by something emotional, your singing will be affected if you are not able to concentrate on your singing technique.
- How much exercise have you had? Are you feeling lethargic or tight from lack of exercise, or physically tired from exercise?
- What kind of exercise have you had? Some forms of exercise will energize you (wake you up) and others will exhaust you.
- Your diet – How you eat can affect how you sing. Do you eat a lot of dairy? Do you eat a lot of rich, heavy food? Creaminess can cause phlegm. Your diet affects your energy level and your energy level affects your singing.
- How much you eat – Are you full? Hungry? Everyone has to determine the best time to eat before a performance. Some people are not bothered by certain foods, but if you are someone who is unable to sing your best on a full stomach, or after eating a fettuccini Alfredo, plan your food carefully.
- What have you drunk? Have you had enough water? Have you had a lot of alcohol? Have you had a lot of caffeine? Alcohol and Caffeine dehydrate people and make it more difficult to sing. Drink lots of water!
- Are you warmed up? Is your body loose? Have you woken up your vocal range?
- Have you recently flown in an airplane? – Flying dehydrates people.
- Are you sitting or standing? Spend some rehearsal time in the position/posture you’ll have when performing.
- Posture – How are you standing or sitting? Are you standing in a way that allows you to breathe freely and unrestricted? Avoid sinking into your hips and slumping your shoulders whether sitting or standing.
- Weather – Allergies. Need I say more? Are your sinuses clear? But it’s not just allergies that are affected by weather. Temperature affects how well one can sing. Are you cold? Warm? Is it damp? Is it dry?
- What is the environment like? Is it smoky? Is it loud? Is it too bright? Is it too dark?
- How loose are you in your body? – With the Effortless Singing Technique, it’s best for your body to be loose, head to toe.
- Stress level – What muscles are you tightening on a particular day? Where are you holding tension in your body? Are you feeling rushed?
- How are you feeling emotionally? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you angry? Are you grateful? 😉
- How much have you used your voice on a particular day? How much have you spoken? How much have you sung? Maybe you could sing the song better the day before because you had used your voice more on that day.
- How have you used your voice recently? Have you been at a ballgame cheering? Have you been calling for your dog all morning? Have you been speaking/singing a character voice for some reason?
- What are you wearing? Are your clothes constricting your body? Do you feel comfortable in what you are wearing? Are your shoes comfortable?
- Are you feeling good about yourself? The better you feel about yourself, the better you’ll sing.
- Do you like the song? Does the song inspire you?
- Can you hear yourself?
You get the idea. Many factors can affect how well you can sing on a given day. That is why having a singing technique is so important! With Brenda’s Effortless Singing Technique (BEST), singers are less affected by many of these factors. The BEST singers learn what to do to be able to sing through many vocal issues and environmental influences.
My next blog will focus on healthy vocal maintenance according to BEST – Brenda’s Effortless Singing Technique.
© 2015 Moondance Treasures Music Publishing