Biting
winds and piles of snow keep potential audiences at
home and make things difficult for load-ins. Then
there’s the additional burden of protecting your
voice while everyone around is coughing and sneezing.
As a singer, you can’t afford to succumb to the
average two colds a year. Even if you’re a
trooper and refuse to cancel, your instrument will be
compromised and susceptible to harm. Not to panic,
injury to the vocal folds is reversible, but taking
time off to recover will put the brakes on your bands
momentum. Prevention is the answer. The good news is,
for every cold-forming scenario, there is a counter
measure. The bad news is, by the time the first
symptoms show, it’s too late.
The germs which cause colds are always around.
Constantly washing your hands and avoiding contact
with others is not enough. The best defence is to
keep your immune system strong by eating right (fruit
and veggies), hydrating (two litres of water per
day), sleeping (around six hours), and exercising for
better circulation. Staying warm is also an important
factor. In frigid conditions, your body works hard to
retain heat. Dressing in layers, with a hat,
water-proof boots and a scarf allows your body to
focus energy on fighting off incoming infections. Use
your brain. Wait until you stop sweating before going
outside after rehearsal, and, leave a coat stage-side
if a club requires a load-out directly after the set.
The winter is a notorious time for coming down with
something. Heavier foods and less physical activity
increases the amount of toxins in our system. After a
while, our bodies will clean house by producing
mucus. However, an abrupt change in lifestyle can
also bring on a similar cleanse reaction. People who
quit smoking cold-turkey or dramatically change their
diet can expect cold-like symptoms to follow. Stress,
of all the causes of illness, is number one. Juggling
work or school with rehearsals and gigs, eating on
the run with zero sleep, disrupts metabolism and
forces the body to run on adrenaline. Anxiety saps
vitamins, dehydrates, and leaves you vulnerable to
whatever is around. That’s why colds always
arrive right as you're preparing for the big
recording or showcase. Yes, you should be well
rehearsed, but there comes a point where the push
becomes counter-productive. Rest, like hydration, is
an inseparable component of vocal ability.
I know it’s seems uncool to worry about health,
but ask anyone who's toured for a length of time --
getting sick on the road is no fun. It's not
inevitable that you'll catch a cold every winter.
Adopting healthy habits now will pay off in spades in
the future when you’re in demand. There's no
remedy as effective as prevention. I’m sure your
mother already told you most of these things, but
that was so you wouldn’t miss school. I’m
telling you so you won’t miss a gig. Big
difference.
Okay, now let’s pretend that, despite your best
efforts, you’ve come down with a nasty, aching,
head clogging cold three days before an important
gig. Is there anything you can do besides crack open
a bottle of Jack Daniel's? The answer is yes, but
they aren’t nearly as much fun. To minimize the
effect a cold has on the voice you’ve got to act
quickly. Keep in mind that mucus, is what your body
produces to flush out toxins. Over-the-counter
medications (anti-histamines) dry up congestion but
prohibit the necessary house cleaning. They also dry
mucous membranes, like your vocal folds, which will
cause you to lose your voice. So, reach for the
decongestants as an absolute last resort. However,
it's better to experiment with medications at
rehearsals, rather then waiting until gig day. You
should always know the effect something will have on
your voice before you use it under the spotlights.
If you have time, instead of squashing the symptoms,
help speed up the cleanse. Flood yourself with water
and real juices to thin the congestion, lubricate and
flush your body. The juice should be freshly squeezed
in order to get the most benefit. The best types
during a cold are Orange (vitamin C), Celery (retains
fluids), Cucumber & Cranberry (cleans acid
deposits) and Carrot (vitamin A). If you’re not
into juices, take supplements. The water-based
vitamins like C and B complex are the first to be
depleted when you’re fighting a cold.
An important benefit of hydrating is that it may keep
a cold from reaching your lungs. Throat clearing and
coughing, which normally accompanies a cold, is very
irritating to the vocal folds. The delicate membranes
in and around the larynx become swollen and rigid,
which is why your voice gets so deep and restricted.
Inhaling steam will help loosen congestion in the
lungs as well as soothe the vocal folds. Be careful
when inhaling steam, you can burn your lips and nasal
passages. Gargling with warm salt water will also
help draw phlegm away from your larynx. (If the salt
is collecting at the bottom of the glass, you’ve
put in too much.) This is a good routine to get into
daily, to clean and increase circulation of the mouth
and throat. Tea, honey, or any other coating therapy
may soothe sore muscles but won't heal the vocal
folds. To reduce the swelling and get singing again,
you’ve got to vocalize (warm up).
Low volume, barely audible, humming is a great way to
start. Let your larynx choose the pitches. It’s
better to stay with one single note (whichever is
most comfortable) than to push or force the range.
Allow plenty of time for your voice to loosen.
Rushing the warm-up when you have a cold will greatly
reduce the longevity of your voice and make
conditions worse the next day. Sleep as much as you
can during the days leading up to your performance,
even if that means skipping rehearsals. But, on gig
day, don’t hibernate. Get up, take a long hot
shower and do some light stretching and exercising to
get your blood circulating. Mentally prepare for the
long day ahead. Yes, it would be much easier to numb
yourself with a bottle of JD, but your condition the
next morning will be twice as bad. The bottom line
is, if you want a career as a performer, you’re
going to have to learn to sing with a cold so you
might as well start now.
