What about losing your voice?

What about losing your voice?

You notice something wrong with your voice. What could you do?

This lady, Diana Yampolsky, has some answers:

https://vocalscience.blogspot.ca/search?q=Non-Surgical+Voice+Repair:++Change+what+you+can;+manage+what+you+cannot

She gives examples of professional singers who’ve dealt with problems.

Sometimes the vocal cords must get a rest.

A friend of mine is a school teacher and a singer with a lovely tenor voice.  A few years back he injured his vocal cords.  On doctor’s orders he could only whisper and not sing at all for several months until he healed.  Now his voice is back to normal.  Sometimes the vocal cords must get a rest.

“The smallest irritation and swelling of the surface of the vocal chords can cause the sound produced to change. Silence for a few days is a small price to pay for protecting an instrument that must last an artist a lifetime.”

What if you fall among cutthroats like Spencer W. Kimball did?

Spencer W. Kimball former apostle and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.  In early 1950, at age 55, Kimball, who had never smoked or used tobacco, began experiencing persistent hoarseness and, after a physical examination, underwent abiopsy of a white spot in his throat. The biopsy caused some brief voice impairment, and indicated that Kimball had a throat infection but not cancer.[53] In late 1956, Kimball’s hoarseness returned, coupled with occasional bleeding in the back of his throat.   Kimball’s physician sent him to New York City to meet with Dr. Hayes Martin (1892–1977), an expert on cancers of the head and neck.[54] Martin performed another biopsy, which indicated “borderline malignancy“, and in early 1957 Martin recommended immediate surgery.[55] Kimball had neglected to seek approval from church president David O. McKay regarding his 1957 biopsy, a procedure which in the 1950s could itself cause permanent vocal damage. He felt that as an apostle he should have sought McKay’s approval before undergoing surgical procedures which could render him incapable of fulfilling apostolic duties.[56] McKay stated that he believed Kimball could still serve as an apostle even if he underwent a complete laryngectomy, and advised him to go forward with the procedure. Martin subsequently surgically removed one of Kimball’s vocal cords and half of the other, leaving him barely able to speak above a hoarse whisper.[57] After several weeks of enforced silence, Kimball slowly recovered, and by November 1957 was allowed by his physician to resume speaking in public.[58] Kimball’s voice remained raspy throughout the rest of his life, and he usually wore an ear-mounted microphone to help magnify his voice, even when speaking at normal microphone-equipped pulpits.

Kimball had a beautiful voice before the surgery but a raspy voice afterwards.   He said he noticed that people paid attention more to what he said when his voice became raspy and low.

(see poem: “Of Blessings Disguised” in the poetry anthology “Under Red Cliffs”  Under Red Cliffs-a Poetry Anthology – Payhip  )

Diana tells of a (singer) woman’s surgery and the results:

https://vocalscience.blogspot.ca/2017/07/embarking-on-your-vocal-drive.html

She ends her article by saying, “Don’t treat it lightly if the vocal injury has already occurred. And don’t fool yourself thinking that it will go away by itself or will miraculously get better. Try to solve your vocal problems non-surgically first. If it is too late for that, embark on that surgery, but definitely address the post-surgical care and change your voice application from the one existing before the injury.”

And that you should take control to regain your voice.

And all this so you can keep singing.

 

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One thought on “What about losing your voice?

  1. jaybeacham Post author

    Hey Jay, I realized as an actor and a voice talent since I started out in 1996, the most important thing is to understand how breath, body and finally speaking is linked together. This is absolutely crucial. But it takes a while till you get a feeling for that and then can effortlessly control it.

    that is what a vocal coach should teach you. But the vocal coach can only show you the technique not how it feels. So you have to practice till you feel it yourself. And this is process and takes time and will not work in a minute.

    If you have come to that point, you will hardly have issues with your voice anymore ’cause you will feel it before and react.

    And then it’s also all about training your voice like an athlete will prepare for a marathon, he will train his condition to get there and to have the power. Same with your voice, you can train it as the runner does your voice condition. So you can speak for 5 hours and more without any issues. How you do that ? Well, just speak everyday.

    Start in the first month with a recording of 15 Min in a row till you really feel comfortable.
    And when you really feel comfortable, then give another week with 15 Minutes.

    Following week add 5 Minutes and so on. Build up slowly but consistently strength in your voice. It goes without saying drink a lot while speaking. Pure water without gas will do the trick. Better then liquids with gas and also avoid black tea or coffee. This my personal experience. I will better perform with pure water or herbal tea.
    -Richard Heinrich

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