Every singer has a fear of losing their voice while on tour. For a smooth and better vocal range, we need to keep practicing regularly. If you are a singer, you already know how important it is to follow a daily warm-up routine. However, sometimes you can lose your voice on tour for several reasons such as dehydration, tiredness, high alcohol consumption, and smoking.
Being a singer is not as easy as it seems. If you are a regular performer, you need to take care of your throat. You can only improve the quality of your voice by improving your lifestyle. If you are not eating the right foods and not focusing on your health, it would be hard for you to have a smooth voice. In this article, we will discuss five essential tips that will prevent you from losing your voice on tour:
Food and Beverages Intake
Take time to consider the foods and beverages you are consuming. To maintain your vocal health, you need to avoid the following items:
- Fried food, which causes extreme phlegm and coughing, making it difficult for you to have a smooth vocal range
- Another thing to avoid is carbonated drinks. Whether it is a soft drink, beer, or champagne, if you need to improve your vocals’ quality, you have to stop consuming them!
- This goes without saying that how harmful smoking can be to your throat and lungs. Smoking cigarettes cause dryness and irritation to your throat, causing your vocal cords to function improperly.
If you need to have a healthy singing life, it is essential to incorporate healthy foods such as greens and fresh juices. Finally, make sure you are taking multivitamins as your body needs vital nutrients and vitamins.
Warming up
Another important and one of the most obvious tips that every singer knows about is warming up. The key is to choose the right warm-up routine for yourself. Every person has a different singing style and voice; therefore, it is important to know the right warm-up exercises. If you have a habit of skipping your warm-ups, you can’t expect your voice to be perfect. A warm-up routine is significant for your vocal health, just like physical exercises are essential for your body. Make sure you are prepared before your performance by warming up your voice with vocal exercises such as “Ahs,” “Mas,” and lip rolls.
Stretching
Some singers do not take this step seriously. Stretching is very important for you to release tension from your neck, shoulders, and back. It is significant to take a few minutes to stretch out before going into a vocal warm-up exercise. For beginners, practice basic yoga poses such as cat-cow, cobra, yoga forward fold, and long spine drill.
Breathing Exercises
Do not skip this step, no matter what. If you do not want to lose your voice on tour, make sure you are doing regular breathing exercises. You can ask successful musicians and singing experts, and they will all tell you how breathing exercises play an essential role in improving your voice’s quality and strength. Through breathing exercises, you train your diaphragm, lungs, throats, and chest. There are several types of breathing techniques that you can incorporate into your warm-ups, such as:
- Rhythmic Breath: For starters, take a deep breath in four beats and then exhale fully for seven beats. Do this technique in reps of ten each, and you will instantly feel your body relaxed.
- The Hissing Breath: Take a deep breath in and make light “sss” sounds by placing your hand on your diaphragm. You will feel your diaphragm bouncing a little.
- Paper Bag: Take a paper bag and use it for breathing in and out by sealing it around your mouth and nose. This way, you will be able to increase the strength of your lungs and muscles.
Natural Remedies
There are many natural remedies that you can try, especially on your tour. Have a cup of warm water with honey in it. It will soothe your throat and prevent irritation. You can also keep a vocal throat spray with you on your tours. It instantly moisturizes your throat and prevents dryness. Last but not least, do not forget to hydrate your throat.