• Registered: 2011-09-27
  • Posts: 1

Topic: Few questions: phlegm, tight vocal cords, headphones

Hi all. I've been reading around on this site for a couple days now and finally decided to register and ask some questions I have of my own to those of you seasoned in all things voice.

I'm 21 years old, male, and I've never had any formal lessons or choir/chorus classes in my life. I sing (try to at least) for fun usually accompanied by my guitar. I've got some troubles that I would do anything to overcome.

First and foremost: Phlegm. I feel like I always have to clear my throat of phlegm. Unlike others with mucus problems, the phlegm stuck in my throat seems to restrict my vocal cords and make me talk and sing in a higher uncomfortable register naturally. When I clear my throat, which I feel like I have to do every 5 seconds( and not just a cough I'm talking a look up/neck stretch/deep hacking up of a tiny bit of mucus), my voice is automatically deeper and feels like it's where it should be, but that only lasts a good 5 seconds until my vocal cords feel like they are tightened up again. People have commented on how some days it seems like I have a high voice and out of the blue randomly my voice is deep and normal sounding. I don't know if I have some sort of nasal drip problem that is irritating my vocal cords or if there are exercises I can do to relax them, but it's a problem that goes beyond just singing and in ways affects my confidence to speak up in public or to people around me.

Second: This isn't really a problem, but more of a question. I happen to have at my disposal a decent condensor microphone, a usb interface and some fantastic studio headphones. I've seen singers sing into microphones with the headphones on and some people say that it helps them hear themselves. I tried it out and man did I sound a lot worse than I thought I did. I was wondering if using headphones/microphones would over time help me improve my pitch correction and my overall singing.

Any input on any of this stuff would be outstanding. I'm sure it's too late in my life to ever get decent at singing but it's something that I'd love to improve at as a hobby, something I definitely wish I would've started with earlier in life instead of doing band and piano.

Thank you in advance,
Chris

Last edited by anchoricex (2011-09-27 02:46:31)

  • Registered: 2011-08-30
  • Posts: 40

Re: Few questions: phlegm, tight vocal cords, headphones

You're 21 and it's too late in life to improve? smile I took my first vocal lessons when I was 48 and it helped me a LOT. I've improved my range and accuracy and really enjoy singing now.

A few suggestions. First, consider taking lessons. You need to learn to relax your throat and sing correctly -- at least for me, the techniques that improved my voice were not at all intuitive. Breathing support, balancing your head voice and chest voice, learning to project without screaming, there are so many things...

Also consider looking into how you care for your voice. As soon as you mentioned the phlegm, I wondered what you're drinking. There are many things that irritate vocal cords, including coffee and milk.

Hearing yourself sings helps in two major ways. The reason many of us use headphones or in ear monitors is to help us be on pitch -- if you can hear the rest of the band and your own voice clearly, you can adjust if you're a bit off. And as you noted, hearing yourself can also help you be critically honest. I'd really suggest recording yourself. It can be daunting but you can't really express yourself fully unless you hear what everyone else hears when you sing.

Enjoy -- you have a long time ahead of you to have lots of fun. I've been a musician for [mumble] decades and it's enriched my life more than anything other than my family. smile

  • From: pakistan
  • Registered: 2011-09-27
  • Posts: 1

Re: Few questions: phlegm, tight vocal cords, headphones

Thanks a lot. It’ll help me a lot.