Quick Voice Cures - Quick Fix Voice Enhancements
It's highly important to be mindful of your voice at all times. Keeping your vocal chords lubricated, your nasal passage open and your ears in great condition are integral to having a voice in tip top shape. Vocal folds or vocal chords especially really require attention before, during and after singing. One important tip for taking care of you voice is to always warm up before you sing. The longer you warm up, the longer you'll have a strong voice. Keep a vocal warmup on hand in your car or on your phone or iPod.
1. Hot Tea with honey:
Nothing will get your chords like warmed up and ready like some hot/warm water and adding a tea that coats the throat will give you extra comfort while singing. My favorite is Throat Coat from Yogi. I always carry honey with me, but at home I will use Agave. It's very similar but you need less of it to sweeten and some of the flavors are really nice. Savory!
2. Warm Lemon Water:
I always grab a water with a bit of lemon while I'm performing. It is a refreshing kick I need to lubricate my vocal folds and keep my mouth from getting dry. I never get it cold because it sends a shock to my chords and it takes a second for them to get back into the swing of things. It doesn't have to be hot either, just room temperature is fine.
3. Vocal Spray:
When I'm on the go and I don't want to chug my bottle of honey down, I'll spray some Vocal Eze. It is great for lubricating your vocals while you are in the middle of a session or during your break / intermission. You will see improvements when you start to feel hoarsed. You can still overdo singing when you take the spray though since it is only a reliever.
4. Personal Humidifier:
Humidifiers will really open up your nasal passage so your breathing improves along with your ability to hit certain notes, especially in your upper register. A good substitute for in home is a steam shower. Plus for an extra kick, I may on occasion add a Claritin.
If you are singing and your problems persist, you should see your doctor and see if something else is going on. It could be a number of things and even something like a nasal infection, specially if it hurts. Your doctor may refer you to a specialist in the area, an ENT if it's needed. Either way, it is something you will want to get checked out as soon as possible so you can get back to singing your heart out.