• Home
• About
• Contact
• Vocal Resources
• What is SLS
• Lessons

• Articles
  • Talent vs. Training
  • 10 quick tips for beginner
  • If you can speak, you can sing
  • Belting 101: The Life and Times of a Yeller
  • Pre-show check list
  • Managing your nerves Pt.1
  • Managing your nerves Pt.2
  • Lost Your Voice?
• Podcasts
• Links

Lost Your Voice?

Blame it on the flu, your allergies...or the Canucks! But you've lost your voice for one reason or another, and you're desperate to get it back..

The bad news: most likely your vocal cords are swollen from the irritation (from coughing...or cheering.) There are no short-cuts to reducing inflammation: you need to take away the source of the irritation and rest your voice. Stop singing or even speaking for a while and rest! Rent the full Lord of the Rings DVD trilogy if necessary

The good news: if you stop irritating your vocal cords, most inflammation should subside in 2-3 days. At this point, your voice may still be a little scratchy or stiff, but you might be able to begin bringing it back.

1. A vow of silence is good, but not for long.
Strict vocal rest is just that: no talking, singing, nothing. Silence. Years ago, ENT doctors would prescribe several days, sometimes even weeks, of strict vocal rest to those struggling with their voice. The logic was that vocal cord swelling will subside quickly if the person stops using those cords completely.

Sometimes during the acute laryngitis stage, vocal rest can be a good idea for a few days. Total rest will reduce the extreme inflammation of the vocal cords. But like any other muscle group, the laryngeal muscles that surround the vocal cords can weaken and atrophy if they are not used for several days. If the muscles weaken too much, a whole other group of vocal problems can result. So rest your voice, but you need to start recovering vocal function again as soon as your voice can handle it.

2. Drink more water than normal.
If a healthy voice (and body) needs 2 litres of water per day, then you need to drink closer to 3 litres per day while your voice is rebuilding. Your vocal cords are puffy and need the extra hydration and lubrication.

3. If it hurts, stop! 
This sounds like incredibly obvious advice, but you would be amazed how many people think when it comes to singing: "no pain, no gain." They figure they just need to sing through this rough patch, and their voice will get stronger on the other side. Pain and hoarseness is your voice's way of telling you something is wrong. To push through is to invite more lasting injuries like nodules and polyps.

4. Put the songs on ice.
There are so many variables involved in singing a song and the ever-present temptation to "sell the song," no matter the cost. While your voice is recuperating, it would be wise to to stop practicing songs and just do vocal exercises that improve balance and function.

5. Try vocalizing...gently. 
When can you start vocalizing again? The golden rule is "vocalize, as long as there isn't a payment." In other words, you can begin vocalizing gently after the worst of your laryngitis is over, but only if your voice maintains or improves through the vocalizing. If your voice gets weaker every time you touch it, you haven't gotten through the inflammation stage yet...and it's back to vocal rest for you. Always consult a Certified SLS instructor before beginning a vocalizing program, especially if you've just come off a bout of laryngitis.

6. Rolls - your voice's best friend.
When you're healthy, a lip or tongue roll is one of the fastest way to warm up. When you're recuperating, they might be the only way you can vocalize at first. Once you're voice is healthy enough, spend a few minutes several times per day inflecting through your whole vocal range on a lip or tongue roll. These can massage the vocal cord tissue and slowly bring back your voice. Most of us know what a tongue roll is...but what's a lip roll? Say "Brrr, it's cold out there!" The "brrr" lip-bubbling sound is a lip roll.

7. From the top down.
After the lip and tongue rolls, use "hooty" exercises to gently slide from your head voice down into your chest voice. The important thing is that you find some release in your upper voice without pushing or yelling. Hoot like an owl or "whoo whoo" like a freight train. These are very light, hollow sounds that can encourage balance and ease in the top - the first place most people experience voice loss.

8. Seek help.
All these suggestions are only possible solutions to "bringing back" your voice and can not replace the advice of an ENT doctor and a Certified SLS instructor. These professionals can assess the current state of your vocal function and suggest tailored solutions to your particular issues.

-Spencer Welch
*Used with permission