You love
singing, right? You want to be a star or at least perform at your best? I am constantly amazed at how badly many singers treat their voices. If you are serious about being a great
singer, you should be concerned with your
vocal health 7 days a week / 24 hours a day.
Here are some rules to sing by (pun intended):
Sleep: Make sure you get your 8 hours of sleep a day. However, you should rise 2 to 3 hours before vocalizing.
Eat & Drink Right: Eat before warming up the
voice. Adequate nutrients/lubrication is vital for good vocal production. Caffeine, alcohol, drugs and artificial sweeteners all are dehydrators and should be avoided whenever possible. If you must ingest a dehydrator, drink extra water. Chocolate, spicy and fatty foods and carbonated drinks also can irritate the voice. Eat a balanced diet and keep blood sugar levels steady.
Warm up: Always warm up the voice before performing, and vocalize daily.
Support: Support the speaking voice the same as the singing voice. Avoid screaming and trying to talk over loud music and other background noise.
Don’t Smoke: Cigarettes, cigars, pipes and marijuana are terrible for your voice. Smoking hurts vocal fold tissues and limits a person''s ability to breathe deeply to provide good support for speaking and singing.
Avoid Stress & Tension: Emotional and physical stress both can hurt your vocal quality. Exercise regularly. (However, extreme power weight lifting can damage vocal folds.) Jogging is great! If you are often tense in your shoulders and
throat, make a point to stretch shoulder and neck muscles throughout the day.
Hydrate: Drink lots of water! Vocal folds work best when their surfaces are kept moist and the mucus in the vocal system is thin. Keep an eye on your urine. If it’s clear you are hydrating well. If it’s yellow, you need to drink more water. Juice and herbal teas are also good. However, drinks with caffeine and alcohol will DEHYDRATE you.
More summaries about the Tips on Maintaining Good Vocal Health