How should throat feel after intense work outs

[buckley6697]

Hi all,

I have started with Brett Manning's singing success program, and have been performing the exercises every day. This is in addition to weekly lessons with a former Australian Opera company soprano.

My throat doesn't feel sore during or after performing exercises, but I do have a sensation in my throat. It isn't unpleasant (and I have experienced vocal soreness/injury in the past, which was totally different). I also haven't lost any range (in fact I can now reach high c quite easily) I think perhaps my vocal cords have just been exercised. Is that possible? I know singing is meant to feel effortless (and it is while I am doing it) but surely daily vocal exercises must cause some sensation in the throat.

[Steven Fraser]

Hi all,

I have started with Brett Manning's singing success program, and have been performing the exercises every day. This is in addition to weekly lessons with a former Australian Opera company soprano.

My throat doesn't feel sore during or after performing exercises, but I do have a sensation in my throat. It isn't unpleasant (and I have experienced vocal soreness/injury in the past, which was totally different). I also haven't lost any range (in fact I can now reach high c quite easily) I think perhaps my vocal cords have just been exercised. Is that possible? I know singing is meant to feel effortless (and it is while I am doing it) but surely daily vocal exercises must cause some sensation in the throat.

buckley6697: 'feeling' is subjective and individual, so there is very little way for us to tell you how _you_ should feel after an intense workout. We can, however, tell you how _we_ as individuals feel.

At the laryngeal level, after a long session of singing, I feel openness and freedom, with a happy sense of having done some work, but not to the point of fatigue. If I have overdone it, then I notice a looser, thicker feeling there, and I know I should shut up after a warm-down.

The warm down is simple, and short.... some light sirens and falsetto into the higher ranges to stretch the vocal bands, and some low pitch, semi-occluded consonants (V, Z, voiced TH) to loosen and stretch the cricothyroids. Maybe 2 mins tops for this, and then quiet, including no talking, for at least 15 minutes of recovery time, and drinking water for hydration.

FYI, This same approach works well for breaks between sets in performance as well.

[chele1000]

What would it mean if you do a bit of coughing the next day? It's like I've worked out...but it's not really sore...but I need to cough the next morning. It's not for long. Like I have to clear my throat. My vocal teacher always told me to cough rather than do 'uhmmm'.

thanks!

[akarawd]

My voice used to sound like an octave lower in the mornings when I overworked myself. That was before I started emphasizing on warming down - Steve has capitalized on this.

I can scream like a banshee for 2 hours and still carry on the next day provided I don't have to talk 12hours a day which is my job and properly warm up and down.

Coughing sounds scary to me but each one of us is an individual case.

Best,

akarawd

[valbastien]

One of the best advice I ever got: if you feel your voice, you're doing something wrong!

[Joanna]

Hi Michele:

In my experience from the voice clinic: morning cough -- especially if it is kind of tickly, starts in the throat or high upper chest, doesn't really bring up much phelgm -- is related either to dryness (mouth-breathing overnight and/or dry climate) or to acid reflux irritation.

Easiest things to try are a vaporizer next to your bed, & Neti pot rinse before bed to help clear your nose (nature's humidifier.) Then see if there's some chemical irritant in the room that might be irritating your throat overnight. [i just repainted some fiberboard shelves in my office that were giving off formaldehyde...]

If this is a phlegmy cough, however, there might be something going on with lungs or allergies that you need to take care of.

If the cough is reflux-related you might notice it at other times of the day; feel generally sensitive to odors like perfume or hairpsray; & feel lump-in-throat on/off.

Also - a light occasional cough is not that harmful to your cords, so don't burden yourself with worry or self-blame that you're ruining your voice. Some people can retrain themselves not to respond to the tickly impulse: replace the cough with a vigorous drink of water ("hard swallow") to distract your throat, or just learn to ignore the signal to cough.

Most important is to figure out why those respiratory surfaces are feeling irritated, & solve the underlying cause.

hope this helps --

Joanna

[ronws]

Joanna, I wish to echo you that a minor cough to clear phlegm is not harmful. I work in construction, exposed to a lot of irritants. So, when I get home and I'm singing a passage that sounds strained or weak, if I cough a little and "clear my throat," everything is clear and easy, afterwards. However, an infection such as cold or flu is another matter. The next time I suffer such an ailment, I am tempted to try the Caiaphas role from "Jesus Christ, Superstar." When I have a cold, it feels like my voice can drop most of an octave. Then I could hit some tones that are normally a strain for me.