My voice randomly sounds fucked up at higher notes, please help.

[Dylstew]

I'm a 17 year old Dutch guy and I love to sing, but I have a big problem.

The longer I sing, the more my voice sounds all messed up at higher notes. Like, I'd be able to sing those high notes just fine before, but then all of a sudden this weird fugly crackle thing keeps happening and it even makes some people laugh at me because of how bad it sounds. The more I keep singing if it happens, the worse it sounds and the more it happens on lower notes. When it happens it also makes it harder for me to sing than usual, even at the notes where it does sound normal. It doesn't really hurt my voice at all though.

Oh, and if it doesn't happen, I can still force it for some reason, in fact, sometimes I do it accidentally, but that's not much of a problem if I just sing correctly. the problem is when that's all that happens.

Why does this happen? What is it? Please help me, it's driving me absolutely nuts and I think it started happening when I was about 16. I've never taken alcohol or drugs or anything, so that's not it.

[Owen Korzec]

Your technique is unhealthy which is causing this problem to show up over time. What ever you are doing when it sounds good, has some kind of small flaws in the way it's produced, that are wearing down the voice over time.

I would say unhealthy technique is probably the most likely cause and is impacting it most, but maybe acid reflux and/or dehydration could also be contributing to the problem.

It has affected your speaking voice as well which is concerning. At this point I think the smartest thing you could do is contact someone to help recover your voice in one-on-one sessions to ensure you are applying vocal exercises correctly in a way that is therapeutic. I will PM you some recommendations.

[Dylstew]

Your technique is unhealthy which is causing this problem to show up over time. What ever you are doing when it sounds good, has some kind of small flaws in the way it's produced, that are wearing down the voice over time.

I would say unhealthy technique is probably the most likely cause and is impacting it most, but maybe acid reflux and/or dehydration could also be contributing to the problem.

It has affected your speaking voice as well which is concerning. At this point I think the smartest thing you could do is contact someone to help recover your voice in one-on-one sessions to ensure you are applying vocal exercises correctly in a way that is therapeutic. I will PM you some recommendations.

I do have a lot of Acid Reflux, and I still can't sing properly from my diaphragm at all. I'm trying to stay hydrated since in the morning right after I wake up my throat is usually so dry it hurts so I try to avoid that now.

I had a vocal coach once, but she was so terrible I left. And yes, it has effected my speaking voice. I once wanted to try to voice act and whenever I did something a bit louder my voice would make that weird sound.

my family(that can also sing) is not taking my problem seriously, and neither is my doctor :/.

[Owen Korzec]

I do have a lot of Acid Reflux, and I still can't sing properly from my diaphragm at all. I'm trying to stay hydrated since in the morning right after I wake up my throat is usually so dry it hurts so I try to avoid that now.

I had a vocal coach once, but she was so terrible I left. And yes, it has effected my speaking voice. I once wanted to try to voice act and whenever I did something a bit louder my voice would make that weird sound.

my family(that can also sing) is not taking my problem seriously, and neither is my doctor :/.

yea it's all about finding a real coach that's not terrible (i've been there and i know what you mean). a lot of locals are like that whereas the right online coaches aren't. see the PM i sent you

as for acid reflux, i don't have it so i can't be of much help, but many forum members have talked about it on here. i recall there was a big tangent about it in a recent thread about arnel pineda. You could try checking that one out.

Luckily, knowing this forum for a while, most of the people talking about acid reflux on here are actually the same guys that are out singing and gigging and really have some experience, so you can trust that they're talking about real life application

[ChumelsVanCogle]

problems can vary. I can come up with three key points for you.

1. if your like me when you began, only TA dominance and nothing else, you may be trying to force only your cords. if that's the case I'll always recommend practicing on an "o" vowel. if you force your cords only, it's not uncommon to get a cracky voice.

2. vocal cord inflammation is a problem, characterized by your phonation falling flat as you speak or sing, with muscle pain. this usually requires two weeks of vocal rest or can compound into worse problems.

3. if you are training your larynx and twang, it's also not uncommon for your voice to act up when your adduction improves, as it takes time to adjust. this usually isn't that bad and only lasts a day or two.

[ronws]

Breath management.

Learn it, gain endurance for the voice.

[Dylstew]

Do tonsil stones effect the voice in any way, just like Acid Reflux?

I'm wondering because I had a sore throat all day, then a big tonsil stone with a terrible smell came out of my throat, and my sore throat hurt less.

[ronws]

I have no idea what a tonsil stone is and have never heard of it until today. And I say that, having suffered a few bouts of tonsilitis as a child. Instead of surgery, my doctor gave me antibiotics. Seems he preferred to treat infections with appropriate medicine rather than a scalpel. Though he was not afraid of that. He removed a cyst in my chest when I was 20.

Anyway, still, I have no idea what a tonsil stone is and I did not know that tonsils could secrete crystalline structures.

[JohnnyL]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith

[ronws]

Thanks, Johnny, I never knew. I have not had the problem and I still have my tonsils and adnoids. I get my bad breath, when I have it, the old fashioned way, either backed-up sinus or something I ate. Normally, I don't have bad breath, though I can creates odors so horrendous from another orifice that I do side jobs with DHS as a tool of enhanced interrogation.

"Don't make me bring Ron in here. He had 3-bean salad yesterday."

[JohnnyL]

:D:D:D

I can relate. Ate too much falafel before my voice lesson yesterday. Wasn't a good idea. :(

[ronws]

:D:D

I can relate. Ate too much falafel before my voice lesson yesterday. Wasn't a good idea.

That poor teacher. Oh well, some days, you "work" for the money.

[ChumelsVanCogle]

aloe vera drinks are always good to have if your voice is acting up. it won't fix your voice but it can speed up recovery

[Owen Korzec]

pineapple juice does the same thing, speeds up recovery

[moneyspills]

You should also practice your flexibility when learning how to sing effectively. Solfege (do re mi) should be done slowly and then quickly and then slowly again, so that your voice becomes flexible as you learn that control with every note. You can also control your volume as you begin softly and then crescendo to a higher volume and then back down again. The key to effective singing is controlling every note and every sound you make, not just in pushing the sound from your throat. If you try these simple exercises and remember these tips, your singing will be the best it can be.

Voice Lessons in Singing