3 minute read
Looking after your voice
The one article to read before you need it.
Voice training is safe as long as it stays comfortable. When it stops being comfortable, it stops being safe, and people really do hurt themselves doing this. One figure in the research suggests that up to 30% of transfeminine people arriving for voice therapy already have a voice problem, usually from pushing too hard on their own.
The warning signs are easy to spot once you know them, and the rules are short.
Stop if it hurts
Don't just ease off. Stop. Pain is never part of this. Voice work should feel like very little, and if it feels like effort, you're probably overdoing something.
Don't push through hoarseness
If your voice is rough, tired or croaky, it needs rest, not more practice. Practising on a hoarse voice is how one bad day turns into a bad fortnight. Take the day off. Missing a session costs you nothing, and your longest run stays yours whatever happens to the current one.
What strain feels like
Tightness in your throat. Needing more effort than usual for the same sound. Your voice giving out towards the end of the day. A tickle, or wanting to clear your throat all the time. Losing the top of your range. If you notice any of these, back off for a few days.
Some practical things
- Drink water. Vocal folds work badly when you're dehydrated, and this is the easiest thing on the list.
- Don't whisper. It feels gentle, but whispering is harder on your folds than speaking normally.
- Don't practise over noise. Talking over the TV or a busy room makes you push without noticing.
- Don't clear your throat. It's rough on your folds. Swallow or take a sip instead.
- Keep sessions short. Ten minutes is the recommendation for a reason. An hour isn't ten times better.
When to see someone
If your voice is sore, hoarse or tired for more than a few days, or you lose it completely, stop practising and talk to a speech and language therapist or your GP. That's what a singer would do too, and voice problems caught early are usually simple to sort out.