The voice went...COMPLETELY!!!!

You have to look after the voice Vic! I know this might hurt but maybe you could try drinking some water before you start :shock:

You know if Liverpool hadn't beaten West Ham on Saturday :twisted: I might have been a bit more sympathetic (and yes I know they won fair and square)

Hey, cheers Vic for being up there and singing in public. I'm no singer so I always respect guys who do it. I had a similar thing happen in a club onee night long ago. I'm basically a baritone but our band had gone through some changes and I had to do a few songs the (now missing) other guitarist used to do. I think it was Smart Dressed Man where I noticed that 'parts' of my voice was totally gone. Just air would come out. It was sorta funny in a way. And this was singing into a mic and all.

I've heard that certain liquids aren't the greatest for the vocal cords - milk, coffee and alcohol. I don't know why that is; you'd think a drink would loosen everything up. Maybe it's just one of those singer superstitions that aren't really true, but for me it wasn't drink it was just singing out of my range for too long.

Anyhow, sounds like you had fun - cheers again.

Best

milk causes a buildup of mucus, and alcohol and coffee both will dehydrate you and cause your vocal cords to dry up. water and lemon tea are what i've heard reccommended for singers.

The lead singer for the band I ran around with used to drink a honey/water mixture between songs/sets.

That's what my wife is hopeing will happen to me , I can't play the guitar so I sing really loud to cover up my inability to play the guitar ..........

Ever heard a accustic version of She shook me all night long - AC/DC

Well I don't know the chords I don't know the strum pattern BUT I KNOW THE WORDS ....

I rock in my own little world ... ( pity no-one else thinks so ...)

Vic

Oh yeah, you have to protect your voice at all times. Drink lots of water. Don't go to clubs with loud music where you have to shout at the person next to you. The next day you won't be able to talk.

I try to be very careful the last practice before a gig. We are loud and even with a powerful PA I have to really belt it out. Many times the next day I am a little hoarse and cannot hit high notes whatsoever.

So I try to take it real easy if we have practice on Wednesday and a gig on Friday.

But really, I know better than to strain like this. It should never be done. A few years ago I had great difficulty with my voice for almost a year. It was all from practicing too much at loud volumes. My voice was in a constant state of damage. I do not think it has ever fully recovered.

So drink water, never shout, and yes, use a mic! :D

Wes - was it you who said something like,

"Your vocal chords are muscles....they need a workout regularly, they need exercise just like any other muscles"

Which I take to mean "sing a lot, but don't strain" - with regular exercise, the vocal chords will get stronger?

:D :D :D

Vic

Vic

Yes, you are correct. Your vocal chords are just muscles and need to be treated just like any others.

Here is a funny experience I had. About 20 years ago I was disappointed with the shape I was in. As a teenager I was very active in sports and was always in tip-top condition.

Well, you know what happens when you get married and have kids. You really don't have a lot of extra time for sports and the like. Your marvelous chest falls down to form a huge gut. :D

Well, I didn't like it. And I was determined to do something about it TODAY. So I got down and hammered out 100 pushups. Yeah, I've still got it!

The next day I could not pick my arms up. They were absolutely useless. I actually had to swing my shoulders to swing my arms up to put them on a table. I am not exaggerating either. I laugh now, but at the time I was really concerned.

And it is the same with your voice. If you just go out and sing without regular practice, your vocal chords will shut down completely. You will be lucky if you can whisper for a few days.

And just like physical exercise, your voice builds endurance slowly. When I first joined my current band, I had not sang for about 6 months. I couldn't get through maybe 10 songs before I experienced soreness and hoarseness. But now, after a year of practicing regular once a week, I can sing as many as 40 to 50 songs without problems.

But even still, if you push your voice too hard it will strain.

So, get a mic and practice singing at lower volumes. Learn how to project through the mic.

And stay out of those loud clubs. :D

Over two weeks later, it still isn't back to normal....still a bit croaky. and if I try to raise the volume and really belt one out, it "cracks" - best way I can describe it...all over the place....

On the credit side, I can now do an almost perfect Joe Cocker impression at low volume.....and the Rod Stewart impression's come on by leaps and bounds...

Like I said, one thing I've learned from this is "Never overstrain"..... if I ever get to sing in public again, I want an amp and a mic....

:D :D :D

Vic

Whenever singing I always adhere to the safety first rule. Support is essential if you want to maintain a healthy voice.

If you want to shout to someone across the street on a regular basis then it is possible to do so without damage to your voice, but as I say the key is support. Sing within your limitations and slowly and carefully push yourself to improve. It's like going to the gym - if you keep to the same level you will get better at what you can already do but won't improve drastically, stray carefully outside of your comfort zone.

Vic, it seems quite possible to me that you have strained your vocal chords. The best treatment for this is to not sing and talk little and to keep your throat hydrated and warm.

A strain usually gets better after a few weeks.

Another point is the weather, at this time of year all of your muscles get very cold even if you don't feel it. You can do a great amount of damage to your voice when singing if you don't warm up before hand.

Pete. :)

That's a point, the temperature really has dropped last couple of weeks or so here in the NW.....

:D :D :D

Vic

Great advice from Pete.

Yeah Vic, avoid pushing your voice. A few years back I really pushed my voice too hard. I nearly lost my voice completely. This lasted almost a year. I still think I damaged my voice permanently, I cannot hit high notes at all anymore.

So, never shout, and avoid loud clubs where you have to speak at the top of your voice. And drink lots of water all the time. This will add much flexibility to your vocal chords.