Good article.. important.. all vocalists should read..

[Tranman66]

I found a good article, some of you might already read it , but. Check it out.

http://www.voiceteacher.com/damaging.html

[Tranman66]

especially this part

Code: Select all

Causes of Vocal Fatigue 
In closing, I think it is crucial that I list the causes of vocal fatigue. Because singing is such a coordinated function, the list of causes might seem repetitive. However, I feel it is important to review the causes of vocal fatigue. Allow me to say emphatically, a singer should NEVER experience vocal fatigue. If he/she is singing correctly, the voice should not tire. I speak and teach 7 to 8 hours per day 6 days per week and I never experience vocal fatigue in my voice studio. Never should a singer feel fatigue after a lesson. I have heard so many singers tell me that their last teacher told them that the 'muscles had to get used to the new technique'. This is irresponsible for any instructor not to take vocal fatigue as a red light for future vocal damage. Hoarseness should NEVER occur after any voice lesson unless the singer is executing the instruction incorrectly. 
Causes: 
(1) Smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. 
(2) Belting: using too much chest voice pushed up to high in the scale. 
(3) Using a technique with a tight solar plexus during singing. 
(4) Singing with a high larynx. 
(5) Singing with a low soft palate. 
(6) Singing with a forward jaw position. 
(7) Singing with the vocal cords too far apart or too squeezed together. 
(8) Pushing too much breath pressure through the larynx. 
(9) Incorrect posture; dropped chest or hyper-extended chest. 
(10) Singing with the head posture pushed forward from the spine. 
(11) Use of mouth vowels instead of pharyngeal vowels. 
(12) Unsupported singing; lack of connection to the resistance of breath pressure in the lower back and abdominal muscles. 

[dmbguitar718]

Jaw Forward Technique
I remember the first time I had a singer who had been taught to place or relax the jaw forward. The resulting sound was that of a small child; extremely breathy and throaty. The throat was completely closed and the vocal cords would not approximate properly. The voice lacked any kind of color or warmth and would fatigue very quickly. When the jaw is forward, there are several negative results: (1) the vocal cords do not approximate correctly. (2) The tongue usually goes back into the pharynx, filling the primary resonator with tongue mass. (3) The larynx functions in a high position allowing only a thin immature sound to be produced. (4) The soft palate assumes a low position, often resulting in nasal or thin tone. (5) Legato line is impossible because the tongue is so tense that there cannot be a healthy separation between the jaw and tongue function. (6) There cannot be a healthy breath line because the breath is choked off by the root of the tongue. (7) It is impossible to create a musical phrase because the singer cannot crescendo or decrescendo healthily. (8) The vowels are usually distorted because of a large of amount of tension at the tongue root. (9) Since the back wall of the pharynx is closed, there cannot be healthy resonance present in the voice.

I have that. (ha, I say it like it's a disease)

But really, how can I go about fixing it?

[jaroben]

everything in the article is good and all, telling what not to do... but what is the right way?

[dmbguitar718]

everything in the article is good and all, telling what not to do... but what is the right way?

hahaha, yeah i know.

[HCHaikuWarrior]

the right way is not doing any of those.

[Tranman66]

i guess technique is very important, but we're not gonna be opera singers... so is it necesary to be so technical?