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Blowing Out Your Ears…Again.


Blowing Out Your Ears Part II: Protection

What is the most effective protection for the vocalist’s ears? Three experts share their views…

From Dr. Anthony F. Jahn:

This week the focus of our discussion will be ear protection.

There are special musician’s ear plugs that give a flat frequency response and can be custom made for you; they are unobtrusive and used by many professional musicians, whether at a rock concert or in the pit at a Broadway show.

Use these whenever you are in an excessively noisy environment. Keep them with you at all times and wear them every time—no exceptions.

Think of the plugs as safe sex for your ears! As a professional musician, this measure is the single most valuable investment you can make to protect your hearing. > read more

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Blowing Out Your Ears?


How can vocalists surrounded by loud music maintain good hearing for life? A physician, producer and vocal coach share crucial wisdom.

From Dr. Anthony F. Jahn:

Many books have been written on noise-associated hearing loss but let me just highlight a couple of important points, specifically for singers, from the medical perspective.

There is a normal age-related deterioration in high frequency hearing that affects all of us.

At birth, we can hear up to 20,000 Hertz, well beyond the dog whistle frequencies. By our fifties, this has usually dropped down to 8,000 Hertz, still more than adequate (a Pavarotti high “C” is 1024 Hertz) but clearly heading south!

The rate and degree of hearing deterioration is partly hereditary and partly due to your environment. For most of us, however, taking a few simple measures will ensure that your hearing will be adequate until “the final curtain”.

My first suggestion is to calculate your total exposure to loud sounds, both in their duration and intensity. > read more

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When Smoke Gets In Your…Throat


How can singers avoid vocal set-backs from second-hand smoke?

Dear Doctor Jahn,

Is there any way to protect the voice in smoky bars? You see, I often perform in smoky places such as bars. I was wondering, what steps I can take to protect my voice, and to help me perform my best in such smoky situations?

-Ray

Dear Ray:

The problem you describe used to be much more common before the increasingly universal smoking ban was introduced in the North America, as well as in many parts of Europe.

Nonetheless, smoking continues, often in confined and poorly ventilated venues.

Most singers who believe they are “allergic to tobacco” are not so much allergic as > read more

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Why Singers Need Their Dentist


Not only does Dr. Amir Kamburov have essential knowledge for singers, his patients—many of whom are performing vocalists—actually enjoy their visits.

We might think that going to the dentist is just a necessary evil to avoid the greater pain of tooth decay.

Amir Kamburov, however, believes that the health of the mouth and jaw often hold the key to a healthier life, not to mention a better vocal performance.

In fact, there are three important reasons performing vocalists need to consider a check-up…

1. Better Singing

A habitual (relaxed and comfortable) tongue position is ideal for singers; however, tensions resulting from a misaligned jaw can push the larynx down, leading to very inefficient vocalizing, not to mention > read more

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Can You Always Sing Full Out?


Emma Sewell reveals that vocal stamina has its own technique.

Stamina. Stamina. Stamina. This is the challenge facing those of us with multiple vocal gigs each week.

You can’t always sing full out— and it’s very important to know when you can take it easy.

By this I don’t mean “marking”, singing with half your voice; nor am I speaking about the concept of a “silent rehearsal”, just going through the motions without producing sound.

It’s important to work songs into the voice and get the voice used to singing them—but how to do this without wearing yourself out?

When I rehearse I always sing slightly under the very top of my voice; by this I mean “not on full power” or at top volume.

Here’s one way of thinking about it: imagine your voice works on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 is very, very easy singing—no effort at all. 10 is as far as your voice will go in terms of power (this has nothing to do with pitch, that’s something else altogether).

When I’m in rehearsals I sing at about 4 or 5. For a first night or a press night I might sing at 7 or 8 maybe touching 9. On a long run I would be set to a steady 6 to 8 and for a really important one-off I may touch 10 once in a performance.

All the time I’m using all the technique and support I’ve learnt, especially support – check out these words from a few weeks ago

A firm knowledge of the level my voice can operate at and not give out that means I no longer ‘overstretch’ my voice.

Drinking teas, honey and lemon or steaming may be your “thing” (I like them all!) but these should never be a substitute for firm and solid technique.

On Tuesday I have the perfect opportunity to test it out: Maria-cover-rehearsals all day (this’ll be a “5” I should think, might go to “6” for “Lonely Goatherd” ‘cause I love singing it). Only an hour for lunch, then a 45-minute vocal call (a “6” or “7” as I’m singing the songs into my voice and it’s with the Musical Director!). An hour for dinner and then a show (I’ll be at an “8” here—it’s my job after all and we like to give it our all)!!

Wow: what a technique test!

If you have a question for Emma Sewell (who is currently covering for Maria – Connie Fisher – in The Sound of Music) you can email her via the VoiceCouncil editor: editor@voicecouncil.com

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Your Voice’s Early Warning System: Part III


You want to play career-changing gigs without vocal trouble. Dane Chalfin shows the way. Part I of this series. Part II of this series.

As we close this series, I’d like you to remember a key insight in our first week:

If one’s technique is solid, then one should have no acute signs of trauma or loss—no matter how heavy one’s vocal “loading”.

Often rock and pop singers may think that if they don’t feel a sensation of pushing or straining when they’re singing, they are not committing emotionally to their material; the “pain sound” is often the desired aesthetic—but it should be produced painlessly!

Today I invite you to be aware of our last two very serious early warning systems.

Warning System no. 4: Losing Your Sound

When voices become inflamed, they often “cut-out” intermittently. The technical name for this is intermittent aphonia—literally meaning “without sound”.

If you make an effort to produce a note and you get a second of sound without a noise, this is a 100% guarantee that the vocal folds are not happy.

> read more

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To Smoke Or Not To Smoke…


Chris kicks the habit after one final fling…

I knew it was time to give up smoking when I went out on tour this year; I wanted to have the strongest possible lung power to make it through such a grueling musical endeavor.

As any smoker who has quit smoking knows, it was far from easy—in the Metal circuit, it’s hard to find someone who DOESN’T smoke!

Not only that, smoking has been a regular aspect of my existence: I started smoking at fourteen and I’m just about to turn twenty-four.

No matter how difficult I knew it would be, I knew I needed to kick this habit, not just for the sake of my voice but also for the sake of my general wellbeing and the health of my body.

I was constantly subjected to temptation at every turn but I resisted and reasoned to myself that if I made it until the end of the tour, I would reward myself by enjoying my old habit!

So, when the tour was over, I got home and the first thing I did was fire up!

For two days I was my “old self”, smoking with no end in sight.

Then, I had a gig…

When I sang, I felt a negative impact just from those two days of smoking…it’s hard to describe the feeling but the best way I can put it is to say that I wasn’t vocally “connected”.

When I was on tour and not smoking, my voice felt fresh and vibrant; when I was doing that gig, I felt “burnt” and constricted.

Even though the gig went well, I walked off stage knowing that I had to throw in the towel on smoking–for good.

The feeling of my throat being burned to a crisp was enough to convince me that this was the right way to go. After all, I’d much rather give up something small like smoking than give up something I love—singing.

So, I’ve continued to stay away from smoking; I have the urge every now and then, but generally, I feel great about not smoking.

I’ve replaced my bad old habit with running and exercise and so far, it’s been a great substitute.

To appreciate air!! Simply wonderful hahaha!

I think that one has to do what is best for them and if something like smoking is bringing you down, and you know it, then it’s time to let it go.

If it works for you, then god-speed my friend! In my case, it was necessary to let it go.

More on Chris Barretto and Periphery

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Your Voice’s Early Warning System: Part II


Are you putting your vocal effort in the right places? Dane Chalfin identifies two clues that can lead a singer to some important changes. Click here to see Part I in this series.

Last week I said that it’s time for all singers to recognize that within their body there is an early warning system that can assist them in finding positive ways forward for their voice.

Certainly voices do get tired, but a tired voice is very different from a hoarse, painful or lost voice.

We looked at the first early warning signal: acute pain; this week I am going to introduce you to two more early warning signals that demand an immediate response.

Warning System no. 2: hoarseness or huskiness in either the singing or speaking voice.

Very often singers find that their voice feels hoarse, especially after a gig or recording session.

No matter what sound you are making, you should be able to make those sounds effectively without traumatizing the vocal folds. If you do feel hoarse or husky after singing, it’s a strong indication that you have caused some trauma to the vocal folds.

> read more

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Your Voice’s Early Warning System


Are you a vocalist who simply tolerates pain, hoarseness and even voice loss? Dane Chalfin challenges conventional thinking in this exclusive 3-part series.

It’s time for all singers to recognize that within their body there is an early warning system that can assist them in finding positive ways forward for their voice.

Certainly voices do get tired, but a tired voice is very different from a hoarse, painful or lost voice.

In this article, I am going to introduce you to five early warning signals that demand an immediate response.

Just before we do that, we need to make sure that you are focusing your vocal effort in the right places…

Working Harder than You Need To?

If one’s technique is solid, then one should have no acute signs of trauma or loss—no matter how heavy one’s vocal “loading”.

It’s no secret that human beings like to work harder than they need to—this is especially true of rock and pop singers who may think that if they don’t feel a sensation of pushing or straining when they’re singing, they are not committing emotionally to their material.

The “pain sound” is often the desired aesthetic—but it should be produced painlessly!

> read more

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Singers: Avoid The Common Cold

Dear Dr. Jahn,

I literally can’t afford to catch a cold this time of year! Too many important gigs lined up. So, what are my best chances to avoid catching one – or, if I get one (gasp!), what is my quickest way through it?? I’m wondering if you will tell me anything my mother hasn’t already…

—Kitty

Dear Kitty,

If your mother is like mine, it is unlikely I can do better than her, but here it goes.

First, stay healthy: eat and drink enough, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly and avoid stress as much as possible. Stress can weaken your immune system and make you more vulnerable for the cold virus.

Second, minimize the potential for contagion: wash your hands several times a day, especially before touching your face (monitor that you don’t touch your face unnecessarily or habitually), don’t shake hands with sick people and try to avoid crowded places as much as you can.

At the risk of looking silly, cover your face with a scarf if you need to go on a crowded bus or train during rush hour.

If anyone in your family (or a room mate) gets sick, minimize direct physical contact and don’t share personal items such as toiletries, dishes or cutlery.

On the active side of prevention, take Vitamin C, about 4000 mg a day in divided doses during cold season.

Other remedies such as Echinacea may also be helpful, but Vitamin C clearly is beneficial.

At the first sign of a cold, double your Vitamin C intake, always divided over the course of the day.

Remedies containing Vitamin C, such as Airborne are very useful—don’t know if you have this in the U.K., but it is an effervescent tablet with vitamins and other remedies that you can drink at the onset of a cold.

Zinc lozenges are very useful, as are zinc nasal swabs— not as a preventive, but they do shorten the cold, make the symptoms less severe and make you less contagious. (Avoid zinc nasal spray, since some patients have reported a loss of smell using the spray formulation.)

If you do get sick, stop exercising, stay warm, drink lots of fluids and let your body heal itself. You do not need antibiotics unless the viral cold leads to a secondary bacterial infection, which manifests with mucus that is green or yellow.

Let me know how your season goes!

—Dr. Jahn

Questions for Dr. Jahn can be sent to VoiceCouncil Editor

Note: this discussion is for general information and not to be construed as specific medical advice which you should obtain from your own physician.

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