JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum How do you prepare your voice for recording?

Sometimes when I record vocals I can hear a little "gravelly" sound in my voice (it sounds like I need to clear my throat, but that only helps for a short period). It could correlate with the time of day or what I ate or drank that day, but I don't have proof.

This isn't too big of a problem when recording at home, because I can just try it later in the day or the next morning. However, if I'm paying for studio time at some point I won't have that luxury.

Does anyone have some "remedies" for this type of thing? For example, I've heard of drinking a mixture of brandy, honey, and lemon juice before you sing (I didn't have much success with that one).

Thanks for any suggestions,
Andy

Krutzy,
Before any singing whether it be for recording purposes or singing to a live audience, I always practise my vocal scales.
It may sound funny, but remember your vocal cords are an instrument too and they need tuning. Do a few ah's, la's, I think you get what I am trying to say.And of course, stay away from caffene, soda and the like. Drink water instead.

Have fun and keep on singing...

Andy,

Avoid dairy products (milk, cheese, mayo) and soda as they can produce phleghm (one of our vocabulary's ugliest words!)

I also avoid beer so I don't have to belch!

Water with a few drops of lemon juice and a drop or two of vinegar can help. And I'm told that potato chips (the combo of salt & grease) can help!

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Marian Mastrorilli
mastrose@aol.com
http://www.projectmercury.net

i've heard of the old hot tea with honey can do wonders. someone once told me it was like a cure all for laringitis. i've tried it once when my voice was weak and really cracky and it seemed to help alot. avoid like everyone has said pop and coffee and milk. basically anything that builds up phleghm.

also a good warm up will do wonders it make take longer in different situations.
keep pickin'
jt

Two words: Jack Daniels!

No, I'm just kidding (booze makes you think you are sounding better than you really are...a dangerous thing when you are recording.)

I warm up with an old exercise. I sing the word MING stressing the M and the ng sounds. I try to make this buzz in the mask area of my head...the area Zorro covers. I start with easy tones then I move progressively higher and lower.

For stubborn cases, one might try a favorite warm up of the opera singers. Simply stand on your head, or, lacking this skill, lay stomach down on a couch or bed and hang your head down (tom dooley) until the blood rushes to your head. This bathes the vocal folds in healing, cleansing blood. It's a pretty good warm up. I've used it several times.

Our voices aren't supposed to sound gravelly? Darn.


JeanB

Thanks for all of the tips. I haven't been a member long, but I feel like the JPF membership fee has already paid for itself!

Thanks,
Andy

Hi Kruzty, well I might be able to provide some help on this one. Why? I have the same problem from time to time. Time of day has a lot to do with the way your voice will sound. In the morning, you will be a bit wheezy, dry sounding and probably have trouble with tones. The key here is to sing, gently at first, humming is also great. Another good exercise for warming up vocals is to purr your lips, ie: make a horse noise (yes the pony kind with the tail) with your lips. This is good for the throat, then move onto some gentle humming. At some stage about 5-10mins later you should be able to sing quietly with some tone quality back in your voice. Scales will then help you, start low and work your way up your range, again gently at first we don't want to tear anything in there if we are paying for a recording session. Fluid, there is an old saying, pee pale and sing clear. Water! There I've said it, and it is all you need really. People wonder to themselves, what is the good of drinking water, your vocal chords don't get wet or you would choke...this is true, you could breath in steam if you wanted, pain in the neck. Or you could use a vaporiser as well. The key to drinking water is simple, it keeps the entire body well lubricated, given that vocal chords are part of the body they remain moist and flexible. Other great drinks are 100% juices, honey and lemon drinks are good as well. I drink cordial (green is my favourite) and I drink it at close to the same temperature that most would drink coffee. Yep I boil the kettle put a generous helping of cordial in it and mix it up. Why? Well for one its wet, its thin, it gets rid of the need to drink coffee / tea which are diuretics (have a drying effect on the body), and the sugar in it keeps me alert to what I am doing. The heat ensure that the throat remains warm which is great for keeping vocal chords warmed up. Never drink Milk or milk products before singing, they tend to coat the back of the throat with a thin layer of mucus and can make you sound like your singing bubbles. Phew!! there I hope this is of some help, what qualifications do I have??? NONE, qualified by experience QBE. I am totally open to anyone who feels my processess are wrong or misleading and I do apologise if there are any. I think they are pretty good points some may disagree and I am all ears, court is not in session here!


Thanks all keep singing

Adam McCarthy


http://home.iprimus.com.au/matese/music/itstoolate.mp3

http://home.iprimus.com.au/matese/music/loneliness.mp3

Andy,

Vocal warm-ups and good vocal care are the
best way to keep your voice in shape, in my opinion!

First and foremost, REST ( or lack of it) can really impact your vocal quality, and
many singers get hoarse easliy when they start out fatigued.

You might try checking out a book and tape
by the famous vocal coach, Seth Riggs called, "Singing for the Stars." ( SethRiggs has trained many of the great singers - too many to list here!) The book has
lots of practical inofrmation about the
physical structure of the voice, preventative care, interesting stories, and lots of vocal warm- ups. I have been doing these exercises for years; I studied voice with one of Seth Riggs' Associates many years ago, and it saved my voice. I teach, record and perform a lot and almost
never get hoarse.

Good luck!

Emily

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Emily Sanders:
[B]Andy,


>> I studied voice with one of Seth Riggs' Associates many years ago, and it saved my voice. I teach, record and perform a lot and almost
never get hoarse.<<

I second that! After 20 yrs away from lessons(originally having used Stanley method), I decided I wanted a clearer sound and started studying with a Riggs teacher (Randy Buescher) here in Chicago. He immediately suspected a bowed vocal fold and sent me to the Lyric Opera's ENT, who scoped my cords and confirmed the diagnosis. After only 3 months of revised exercises, the cloudiness is disappearing and I have been able to take my middle voice half an octave higher before head voice kicks in.


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Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com
www.cdbaby.com/sandina
www.mp3.com/SandyAndina
www.waterdogmusic.com

Sandy,

Thanks for your reply --
I think the Seth Riggs method is a healthy way to take care of one's voice, and I am glad to hear that you corrected the problem in your vocal cords before it caused damage.

I find it very challenging at times to be proactive when it comes to my voice.
It takes a lot of energy on my part to
make sure I warm up and pay attention to the way I talk and sing, but the reward of having a healthy voice makes it worth the trouble!

keep singing!

Emily

i do a lot of musical theatre which gets pretty hard on the voice but somebody told me about this vaporizer thing you can find at cvs and i swear by it! i've had laryngitis (sp?) opening nights and used this thing and been allright. it's kind of like a personal humidifier. maybe vicks makes it? (i'd check but it's in ny and i'm in dc right now). anyway, you just fill it with water, plug it in, and breathe in the steam for about 15 minutes. it moistens those chords right up. a quick fix in desperate times (unless you're going for that gravelly sound which i kinda like in singer/songwriting stuff) ciao, flo

Sorry to be so late on this post, but...

Yes...the humidifier works very well, but more as an after-performance boost. Before a show, it's best to do two or three different scale exercises. These should be done *every day*, though! The muscles in the neck also contribute to strength, and they can atrophy, in addition to the vocal chords losing their tuning.

I have actually gone on with the beginnings of laryngitis (I wouldn't recommend it, but I *had* to!). I first gargled with vinegar, and that broke up the phlegm really well - enough for me to get through about three songs, which is all I needed. The vinegar is truly tough on the vocal chords, since it tightens them and makes them denser, thus limiting the range down to about half of what normally exists. However, as in my case, if you absolutely must....

Okay - I'm late in posting, but I agree with Mike on the warmups and Adam on the water. I very rarely get hoarse, and I drink tons of water and ALWAYS do warmups before singing at all. Hope it helps! (I don't know much about the Riggs method, but I've heard a lot of people swear by it.)

Chris
www.ChrisYoungCountry.com

Interesting old topic.

HEY, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF TEA AND HONEY DID YOU USE, YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT OFAKIND22003@YAHOO.COM

Throat Coat Tea is used by Mariah Carey and a host of other professional singers.
Available at most health food stores.

Jerry

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Jerry Jakala

Keeping the throat healthy is key. Giving it enough rest (!!!), not straining and singing beyond one's own range (higher OR lower). HEARING yourself when you sing is important, so if needed, get a monitor. You don't wanna strain!
I avoid milk products (some avoid caffine too but I drink coffee on the job) and drink mostly water or something acidic (O.J., lemonade) before and during performing (stage or studio). Be REAL about you vocal health and the pipe'll treat you right!

Peace, Slick

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There are two kinds of music... good music and bad music. - Duke Ellington

http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?songs=25457&T=6380

http://groups.msn.com/SwampYankeeBlues

Cut acids from the diet, at least for a day. Acids consist of protiens, sugar, refined grains, coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes.. Acids cause mucus formation.
Drink lots of water, hydration is very important.Lemon or lime in water is fine, lemon (although thought of as an acid) is actually alkaline in the body.
An old trick from years ago was to down a shot of vegetable or olive oil before singing.
A cup of fresh warm parsley or ginger tea is also good.
Best, Liz

Smoke several packs of Turkish cigarettes, drink a lot of whiskey, and get no sleep for 48 hours.

Joe Cocker
London

lots of good tips here... especially about vocalizing every day so your pipes are in good shape... get a good night's sleep the day before recording... avoid coffee in the morning.. know your body, try to schedule sessions, if possible, when you are typically at your best.

I find drinking hot water from the kettle (as opposed to tea or coffee) helps warm my throat and clear the tickles. Coughing and clearning the throat are not good...

take care
Vikki

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Vikki Flawith, Canadian Singer/Songwriter & Voice Teacher

This bird sings at:
http://www.soundclick.com/vikkiflawith
http://www.mixposure.com/freya

Free resources for singers: http://www.theshysinger.com
& http://www.soundclick.com/theshysinger

Blog: http://theshysinger-songwriter.blogspot.com/

Bumping some useful older posts