Vocal lessons are a great way to improve your singing skills, but only if you do them correctly. If you don’t follow these rules while taking voice lessons, it could be counterproductive to the process. Voice lessons should help make your voice better and stronger, not worse.
Keeping your vocal health in check is important, even if you don’t perform on stage or speak for a living.
The vocal folds are an integral part of speech that vibrates to create sound when air passes through them; they’re located inside the larynx which sits right next door within our windpipe—the trachea (also known as “windpipe”).
Here are some tips for making sure you get the most out of your voice lessons:
1. Do keep yourself hydrated.
Keeping the vocal folds covered with enough moisture is key to ensuring healthy speech production. Drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day will help thin out any fluids that may be present, which are ideal for your voice’s health because it helps maintain optimal mucosal lubrication levels.
Herbal tea and fruits high in fluid content also make good beverage options; however caffeinated drinks like coffee should be avoided as they can dehydrate you slightly (and thus reduce this natural protective layer).
2. Don’t traumatise your voice.
Shouting and yelling can be very damaging to your voice. When in a loud environment, minimise talking by using the microphone or megaphone when appropriate and position yourself near other people so that you do not have to be far away from them when talking.
Even whispering can be damaging sometimes. It’s because if we want our words to be audible then there must go through narrow vocal cords which means taking more effort into producing less sound.
3. Do take a rest.
When you’re tired, your voice sounds more like a robot’s than singer-actor extraordinaire. Take some time to recharge your voice to maintain its top shape.
Resting will make any vocalist sound better by giving them an opportunity for healthy recovery and restoration before going back out there on stage or onto that phone call all day long. Restorative napping provides nourishment necessary both physically as well emotionally which helps keep those pipes from getting exhausted in the long run.
4. Don’t make a habit out of clearing your throat.
Coughing to clear your throat can be a bad habit, but luckily there are plenty of other ways to get rid of that pesky irritation. Try coughing once or swallowing hard- whichever works for you!
You could also sip water while taking deep breaths until the sensation goes away instead; this will help stop the flow of saliva onto vocal cords so they don’t swell up too much more than necessary without causing further damage.
5. Do take warm-ups before using your voice.
Singing exercises will help you to warm up your voice before singing or speaking for an extended period of time. You can do this by humming, trilling (produced by turning syllables on their sides), and/or singing scales.
6. Don’t smoke.
People often smoke because they think it’s a casual thing to do. They don’t realise the damage that comes from smoking cigarettes, such as irritating your throat and vocal folds or developing polyps on either side which can lead towards cancer.
