Canadian Musician November / December 2019 | Page 32

PHOTO: JEN SQUIRES VOCALS Aphrose is a singer/songwriter in the R&B/soul genre and vocal coach based in Toronto. www.aphrose.com. By Aphrose Tips on Vocal Maintenance with Some Easy Exercises for the Novice Singer Part 1 S inging. It is one of the most freeing and primal forms of human expression. It is divine. It is the first instrument we learn to utilize from birth. So why is it that we shy away from singing and “leave it to the pros,” instead of immersing ourselves in the joy it provides? As a vocal coach who teaches predominantly adult students, I come across a lot of people who have been told from childhood that they had a bad voice or shouldn’t sing and that experience, as one can imagine, is very scarring. My clients come to me having always loved the idea of singing but they really have a hard time opening up over the first few lessons and allowing themselves to truly hear their own voices in front of another human being. I’m going to share some tips that I give my novice voice clients over the first few lessons with the hopes that it will encourage you to want to explore your voice further and hopefully find the courage to sign up for some lessons with a professional vocal coach! Rest & Hydration Are Key New singers often tend to want to overdo it with vocalizing. That means they find warmups online and start doing them non-stop for a few hours and then the next day they wonder why their throat hurts and is feeling “tight” and perhaps a bit sore. You have to remember the vocal muscles are very delicate and like any muscle that you want to build upon, you have to ease your way into it in order to build up endurance and prevent damage. Think of it this way: if you’ve never set foot in a gym before but you want amazing arm muscles, would it be wise to pump 50-lb. weights upon those initial few gym visits? Probably not. You would hurt yourself, pull muscle tissue, and probably not want to step foot in the gym again! The voice is similar in that overuse right off the bat can do more harm than good. The vocal muscles need time to adapt to this new form of exercise and slow, short workouts of 10-15 minutes per session to start is really all the vocalizing you need to do to get it going. In between your warmups (which we’ll get to in part two), give your- self a day or two to rest the voice. This also means avoiding shouting or loud talking in a bar or other noisy environments as the increased air pressure against your chords can fatigue the voice and make it hoarse and harder to work with, especially if you’re trying to vocalize/sing the following day. 32 CANADIAN MUSICIAN Drink lots of water. Room temperature is the best as ice cold water con- stricts the muscles in the throat. Water helps to keep the mouth and throat lubricated and prevents drying, which can be harsh and detrimental to the cords. Staying hydrated throughout the whole day is extremely important to proper vocal function – not just 30 minutes before you have to sing! Also, be sure to get enough sleep. Sleep directly affects your vocal health. A “tired voice” tends to have decreased flexibility and a lack of clarity and volume. What You Eat & Drink Impacts Your Voice This is a tough one to stay persistent with, but what you eat – especially on a day that you are going to be singing – can directly impact how your throat feels. Here are a few food/drink items to avoid when you are about to sing: • Dairy & sugary foods/drinks: Milk products and sugary foods and drinks create excess thickened phlegm in the throat that can leave you wanting to constantly clear your throat or cough, which is not ideal. • Spicy/deep fried foods: These can cause acid reflux or heartburn, which can make stomach acids splash up into the esophagus and make you constantly need to clear your throat because the throat creates excess mucous to protect itself. • Caffeine/Alcohol: If you need some liquid courage to get you up on stage at an open mic or karaoke, do so with caution and moderation and always replenish with lots of water! Caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics and can be extremely drying and irritating to the vocal cords. It’s best to avoid both if you are going to be singing. Here are some foods/drinks that you should go for instead: • Fresh fruits and veggies: These help you stay full along with a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals that will boost vocal endurance. • Lean protein: Chicken and fish (that is not fried) are great for filling you up and boosting energy. • Honey/Lemon/Ginger Tea: Avoid caffeinated teas and opt for this concoction of ingredients or an herbal tea that has licorice root in it.