Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 02:22I'm having a little bit of voice trouble, and I'm getting quite nervous.
Remember I posted in October about having that horrible coldthat lasted about a month and I was afraid I'd never be able to sing again? Well, the cold is (obviously) gone, but I think the effects are still lingering two months later, and it's really freaking me out.
When I was sick, I couldn't hit any high notes. I could eventually hit them if I went up the scale, but I could hit many high notes without doing so. Now, the same thing is happening, except with the middle of my range, and I'm starting to get scared that my voice will always be like this. Why can't I hit notes in the middle of my range without going up the scale, but I can hit notes around them? My other concern is that, with other notes, I open my mouth and try to sing and it takes awhile for any sound to come out?
Is this normal?Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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blacktearedapril
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 03:52I'll wait and let Kris answer this one for you. She'll know much more about it than I ever will and will be able to explain it better than I could. The only advice I feel comfortable giving right now though is to not freak out yet, especially if you haven't talked to a doctor or vocal coach or both.
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jmslp
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 04:02it's not ethical for me to diagnose anything without having an in person consultation so i can see and hear exactly what is happening. but i would advise, if you are really concerned, to set up an appt w/ an ENT and see if s/he will scope you to see if there are any growths or tears, etc. on your vocal folds. i suggest this b/c you say you open your mouth and no sound comes-- you are trying to phonate but the cords are not adducting, or if they are, they are not making adequate contact for phonation.
besides not hitting certain notes, does your voice fatigue easily? do you talk with a breathy or raspy quality to your voice? is it hard for you to get volume?
do you notice that by the end of the day you are speaking at a pitch much lower than the one you started with? many of us don't speak at our optimal pitch which puts a lot of stress on our vocal mechs. work w/ someone to find your optimal pitch for speaking to lessen the tension on your cords.
on the other hand, maybe you are doing too much. you are younger (14, right?), so maybe you are putting too many demands on your voice? it's possible that there is nothing "wrong" with your vocal cords and that you are just overextending yourself. always remember that the voice is a muscle and works just as much, if not more, than any other muscle in your body (the vocal cords work for breathing, speaking, singing, lifting, etc, etc... and they are SMALL muscles). maybe you haven't damaged anything but your body is telling you to slow down a little. make sure you are getting plenty of both vocal rest and overall physical rest.
do you have a voice teacher? what does s/he say?They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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triplethreat
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 06:42As usual, Jessica has given you some excellent advice. If you are having vocal problems you need to seek assistance from a professional who can see and hear you, which we cannot.
I would add (as I'm sure I mentioned before) that this could (all or in part) be a result of a changing voice. We often forget that female singing voices also change at puberty, as often the symptoms are not noticeable, but they do change and this can cause problems for some people. It is very common for young teenage girls to lose control of their middle range because that is where the break is.
It is also possible that incorrect vocal placement is putting strain on your cords.
The most important thing you can do right now is to a) stop trying to force notes until you have seen a professional and b) go see a professional.
You cannot begin to solve this problem until you know what is causing it, and the only way for you to do that is to get some help.
Good luck!_____________ Kris MTA Admin
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 15:22Thanks so much for the quick replies!
Well, when I was sick, for the first time in my life I actually asked my mother to bring me to the doctor. I was so scared that I'd never be able to sing again. While I was there, the doctor closely examined my throat and I made sure to ask him if I'd damaged my vocal chords in any way, and he said no. Of course, he was just a doctor, not a vocal specialist.
In answer to your questions: no, my voice doesn't fatigue easily- I haven't had that troulbe with my singing or speaking voice- and I've always had trouble getting volume, so I'm not noticing any difference on that front.
It is certainly possible that I'm doing too much. I'm in Les Mis right now, and we're getting close to our tech week and show week, so we're rehearsing a lot, and I sing the songs every day even if we don't have rehearsal. I'm sixteen- I don't know if that two years makes any difference
I'm definitely going to start drinking tea again, as I did when and after I wa sick. It didn't really seem to help much, but you never know. I know the cold/whatever it was was long lasting because pretty much everyone had it.
I'll have to ask my voice teacher. I'm sure she'll have somethign to say about it.
I know that I sometimes sing incorrectly, but I can catch it now since I was in Titanic with the same company that's doing Les Mis. And if I feel my throat or whatever start to hurt, I stop singing. (Unfortunately, I think I'm getting sick again, which majorly sucks).Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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jmslp
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/17 17:17just be careful-- protect your voice like you say you are doing. Les Mis is definitely demanding, so treat your voice right!
what kind of tea are you drinking? throat coat is good to soothe the singer's throat, but watch out for teas w/ "too much" caffeine. the amount is minimal, but caffeine is a drying agent. caffeine is also in alot of [cold] medications. drink water along w/ the tea to hydrate yourself. (also watch out for sucking candies and cough drops. certain cough drops are better than others, but they can still cause you to feel dry in your mouth and throat. just counter it by drinking water.)
like kris said, [your] voice is changing and will go through changes for many years to come! this could be one of those times!
definitely talk to your voice teacher-- she might want you to consult w/ a vocal coach. but, since you are saying you don't have issues w/ your speaking voice and it is only when you sing, it could be a matter of technique. i think even the best of us fall into bad technical patterns and do the wrong thing for our voices, so it always helps to take it to someone else. it's good that you are using the boards for advice, but it always helps to be w/ someone face to face so they can see you.
sorry i thought you were 14! don't know where i got that. take it easy. try to stay healthy. don't know what the weather's doing in your part of the country, but on the eastern coast, it's been CRAZY! it's 60 degrees today. last friday it was 20....... i know that does a number on me and i have been battling head colds for a while now.
you'll be fine. keep us updated on how you are doing!! oh, and when should i be watching SVU? They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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you said the doctor closely looked at your throat-- did he actually look at your vocal cords? he can't say you didn't damage them if he didn't look at them. if you really want to rule that out, you need to see an ENT or a voice specialist or speech language pathologist who has the equipment to scope you and assess the quality of your cords.
again, since you say that your speaking voice isn't experiencing the same issues, it could just be a matter of technique or too much stress or changing voice, etc, etc...
relax. it's all good!
They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/18 04:13It's okay, I'm fine with being called younger, LOL.
Well, I don't have rehearsal for ten days. I think I'm going to go crazy, but this is probably good for my voice.
I'm not sure what tea I'm drinking exactly... no idea what the name is. My mom likes to try to put honey in it... I know it's good for your voice, but it tastes gross.
I did gargle with epsom (sp?) salt when I was sick as well.
I'm on the east coast as well- the weather is so crazy!
About SVU- we thought the episode would air last Tuesday, but apparently, they're not airing new episodes until January, because of the holiday season- so I have no idea of the exact date. It was a little embarrassing, we told all my relatives to watch it on Tuesday and it was a re-run. Oops. Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2006/12/22 01:05Well, I asked my voice teacher about today and she said it's most likely breath control issues, which I'm not surprised at. She also suggested that it's that I don't know what the note sounds like, if that makes any sense.Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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chouettissimamaureen
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Re:Voice Trouble - 2007/01/07 18:21Are you working with your teacher on the breath control? If not, you probably should, because if you're not using your abdominal muscles to properly control your breath, you'll begin to sing from your throat. To clarify, your throat will pick up the task to compensate for the work that your abdominal muscles aren't doing.
In short, definitely work on this if it's been determined that breath control is your issue.Caitlin
Credits:
Opera: Rusalka (Dancing Chorus)
Non-Musical: Pygmalion (Mrs. Pearce) Three Tales from Japan (Kimi-chan, Fish, Ogre) Keeper of the Tales (Parrot, Seema)
this could be one of those times!
