Chloe, who is a singing student at Voicewize, was the winner of our 5th Anniversareen Party Lyric Contest. Marianne and Barbara put her words to music and voila!
Hope you enjoy it!
Teaching Your Children About Singing Voice Care
Simon LeBon; by Bolt of Blue (Flikr)
Lately, professional singers have been more open with the public in discussing their vocal injuries and problems. This is a welcome change to me as a singing teacher. In the past, it was considered shameful for a professional singer to have any sort of disorder or injury. Somehow, football players could get away with sitting out half the season with a bum knee, but a singer couldn’t cancel a performance for laryngitis without being accused of “singing wrong”. Finally, the truth is coming to light. Singing, especially high-powered sounds like rock, Broadway and opera, is an athletic activity. Like any athlete, even singers with good technique can have problems from time to time.
The problem in terms of using these stories as teachable moments for your children who love to sing is the fact that historically pop and rock singers have in fact resisted vocal training. There are many more professional and would-be professional singers out there performing with inadequate athletic skill than there are football players. Imagine any other sports star trying to justify that training would somehow spoil the “naturalness” of their game. That would be absurd. It is equally absurd for singers. Fortunately, that is changing as well.
So, how can parents use these stories for help their children learn about singing voice care without frightening them into silence? Below are are few tips to get you started:
- Mention stories that you hear about singers who are recovering from an illness or injury talk about what the artist said about it and wish them well in their recovery. Maybe even make a card and send it to the singer’s management company.
- Ask your kids about their voices when they engage in screaming behaviors or yell themselves hoarse. Many kids don’t even realize the voice can be injured.
- Help your children make the connection between the training that other athletes (such as soccer and baseball players) have to do and the training that is required to have a strong and flexible voice
- If you child is particularly interested in singing as a hobby, enroll them in private technical singing training to ensure that they start off with efficient vocal patterns.
Recently, the list of professional singers who are openly talking about their voice disorders and recovery has been getting longer. Examples I can think of are: Ashlee Simpson, Adele, Simon LeBon, Paul Stanley, Steven Tyler, and Lauren Alaina. A Boston Globe article was just published today (link) that reinforces the importance of athletic vocal training for singers. Speaking to your kids using examples of popular singers struggles to stay healthy can be a good first step in helping them to learn to respect and care for their instrument in the best way they can.
Alternative Approaches to Reflux Treatment
Image by Todd Berman - http://theartdontstop.com/
Reflux is a common source of inflammation in the vocal structures and is therefore a major cause of concern for singers and other heavy voice users. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when stomach contents back up in the esophagus. When the refluxed material makes its way into the throat, it is called laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). This coats the larynx and other structures in the throat with acid. LPR is often called “silent reflux” because it is less likely to cause heartburn than GERD.
The most common medical treatment for chronic acid reflux is prescription medication, usually a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Prilosec, Prevacid or Nexium. An H2 blocker such as Zantac may also be used alone or in combination with a PPI. While these medications are effective for many people, they do not cure reflux and a significant portion of the population experiences side effects or breakthrough reflux.
In an effort to learn more about natural approaches to effective reflux control, I am talking today with Kathleen R. Flewelling, ND (Naturopathic Doctor), owner of A Natural Path Integrated Health Services in Seaside, Oregon. For the sake of brevity on the blog, I have edited the responses here. The full interview with more information can be found in the Voice & Speech Library on my web site at: http://www.voicewize.com/alternative-reflux-control
What are some of the physical problems that can be caused by reflux?
Gastroesophageal reflux can cause problems such as sore throat, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, snoring, shortness of breath, post nasal drip, pain in the center of the chest and a feeling of fullness. Sometimes these symptoms are mistakenly attributed to allergies.
Some of the more serious long-term effects of untreated reflux include gum disease, tooth enamel erosion, vomiting, bloody stools, inflammation, scarring and ulceration of the esophagus and Barrett’s esophagus. A small number of people with Barrett’s esophagus end up with a rare but deadly esophagus cancer.
What causes reflux?
When food is not being chewed or swallowed, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) should be tightly closed. In reflux, the LES relaxes, allowing the contents of the stomach, mixed with acid, to flow back up the esophagus.
What are some of the problems with the typical medications prescribed to control reflux?
Common side effects of medications to control reflux include constipation, diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, fatigue, and dizziness. Rarer side effects include rash, itch, flatulence, anxiety and depression.
In addition, blockage of hydrochloric acid may reduce your body’s ability to absorb minerals, especially magnesium, protein and B12. H2 antagonist use is associated with community acquired pneumonia.
Those over the age of 50 who have taken a PPI for over a year have an increased chance of breaking a hip. There may also be a risk of fracture of the spine and wrists. PPI’s may also increase certain heart arrhythmias.
What are some alternative medical approaches to reflux control?
The best approach to reflux control for a given patient depends on the reason why that person has reflux in the first place. I usually work with the patient to implement dietary changes and provide them with appropriate digestive enzymes.
You may want to consider keeping a diet and symptom diary to see if there is any correlation between your symptoms and what you eat. My husband went on a gluten-free diet and his heartburn went away completely. Well, until he ate gluten again.
Consider going on a hypoallergenic diet. Foods to avoid would include dairy, eggs, gluten, citrus, corn, soy, most nuts and nightshade veggies such as potato, tomato, eggplant, green pepper and paprika.
If you have no gastric or duodenal ulcers, I often try giving the patient a pancreatic digestive enzyme with or without hydrochloric acid. These are taken 10 minutes before eating for best results, although some effect if taken within an hour of eating. Dosing is quite individualized, some people need more and some need less. If you get a burning feeling in your stomach after taking hydrochloric acid, you need less. Therefore, I do not recommend implementing this treatment if you are not under the care of an appropriately trained professional.
If the patient is not able to use a digestive enzyme due to pain or ulcers, I often consider using deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). DGL is healing and protective of the lining of the intestinal tract without inhibiting the release of acid. It is important to work with DGL, rather than plain licorice because licorice alone can increase the risk of heart palpitations and increased blood pressure in those who are sensitive to it.
If you suspect or know you have a hiatal hernia, you should be checked out by a surgeon for possible repair. If repair is not needed, consider going to a chiropractor that specializes in adjusting hiatal hernias.
As with many things, try to decrease the stress in your life or at least your response to those stressers.
What’s the difference between a food “allergy” and a “sensitivity” and what’s the best way to go about finding out if you have one of these. Since many of my LPR patients don’t experience heartburn, many don’t know what to look for in terms of symptoms.
A food allergy is an exaggerated response to food and can include anaphylaxis, like when some people have peanuts or shellfish. In a true food allergy, the immune system produces IgE antibodies and histamine in response to the specific food.
A food sensitivity or intolerance is a negative delayed reaction to food such as rashes, constipation or diarrhea, breathing problems, gas, mouth ulcers, etc. This can be due to malabsorption or errors of metabolism, such as lactase deficiency or celiac disease. There can be an antibody reaction, but it is not IgE antibodies. There are blood tests for some of these antibodies. http://www.alcat.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1
How can people go about finding a qualified person to consult for natural medical care? In particular, are then any suggestions for people who live in a state like Massachusetts where there is no licensure for naturopathic MDs?
Start with a national professional association such as American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. http://www.naturopathic.org/index.asp There are several naturopathic clinics in Massachusetts. Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut are all licensed states and close by. Last I knew, Massachusetts does or did have legislation pending on naturopathic licensure.
Make sure the physician went to an accredited four-year residential program. There are only a few schools like that in the United States: NCNM, Bastyr, University of Bridgeport, Southwest College and National University.
I feel it is important to find a natural treatment for reflux because in the long run the medications cause problems and at the same time leaving reflux untreated is also a problem.
For more information on natural health solutions, visit Dr. Flewelling’s blog at http://commonsensekat.blogspot.com/
You Study Piano with a Piano Teacher; You Study Singing with a…
You would be surprised how many people get the end of that analogy wrong. I’ve written before about the perils of listening to unqualified advice in regard to voice disorders. Now I must weigh in on the training of healthy voices.
Maybe it’s because when most people open their mouths sound comes out that everyone thinks they’re a voice expert. Perhaps it’s simple human tunnel vision that makes people think that the singing strategies that are helpful for them will work for everyone. Or…
Maybe it’s just ignorance of the real problems that can be caused when vocal technique is incorrectly applied.
Maybe it’s ignorance that there actually is such a thing as vocal technique – even for pop, rock, country, gospel, etc.
I’m trying to give people the benefit of the doubt here, but it’s difficult to see so many singers led astray by unqualified “teachers”.
What is prompting me is a recent experience of having one student decide they would not take singing lessons with one of our teachers because the {other instrumental} teacher gives them advice on singing when they are at that lesson. What are the chances that this instrumental teacher knows anything about the vocal mechanism, vocal training strategies or pedagogy, or appreciates the extent to which vocal training is like athletic training? Not likely in my estimation.
It’s my opinion that this student is being mis-served in two ways:
1) They are being denied access to training for higher level singing skills by a qualified person who can help them safely navigate to the highest level of their potential.
2) There is time being wasted “giving advice” on singing in a lesson which primary purpose is to teach the student how to play a different instrument.
Perhaps I’m being too stodgy. I play a little guitar and a little piano. Perhaps I should start telling people they don’t need lessons on these instruments because I can “give them advice” on how to play. Maybe I should just hang my shingle out as a jack-of-all trades, even though I don’t know much about how to design the most efficient fingering patterns or how to adjust the hands and wrists for maximum performance with minimal strain. It’d be fine, right? How much damage could I do? Probably lots.
By necessity, music teachers often end up giving tips here and there on things related to the performance that are not entirely in their domain. It is the nature of the beast that I need to speak with my singers about using a guitar strap and how to hold their posture given the weight of the instrument in the front of their bodies. It is inevitable that I need to work with a singer whose shoulders crunch up and down as they are playing the piano. I have even suggested chord phrasing from time to time when we a problem solving a song we are working on.
What I would never do, however, is give a student the impression that I am able to instruct them in how to develop their playing skills on these instruments. And I also would not spend enough time on that in a singing lesson that the student would get the impression that I was teaching them another instrument. I feel quite strongly that teachers should stick within the scope of their expertise in terms of what they teach.
Perhaps this teacher is a fully qualified singing teacher. Some day, if I find this person on the member list at nats.org then I suppose I will have to post a correction. In the meantime, I stand by my assertion that:
You study piano with a piano teacher.
You study guitar with a guitar teacher.
You study bassoon with a bassoon teacher.
You study singing with a singing teacher.
Contemporary Commercial Music Requires It’s Own Singing Technique
At my Somatic Voiceworks™ Lovetri Method training this summer at Shenandoah University, I had the privilege of connecting with an amazing group of people who are all as committed to the appropriate and authentic teaching of contemporary commercial music as I am.
When most of us were growing up, we were ingrained with the myth that if a singer studies classical technique they will then be prepared to sing anything else. Intrinsically, in our muscles and bodies we knew this was not true as we all struggled to glean the supposed connection between the use of the voice for classical music and the use of the voice for contemporary commercial music. Yet the mythology continued (and to a certain extent continues) to be propagated.
As the scientific and teaching community learns more about the true physiology of the vocal mechanism and how it functions in singing, there is increased evidence that a different method is appropriate for classical and contemporary commercial music. In 2008, the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, an elite group of master voice teachers formally acknowledged this in their publication, In Support of Contemporary Commercial Music (nonclassical) Voice Pedagogy, which was presented at the conference of the National Association of Teachers of Singing that year. This was a big step, considering how contentious the debate has been among singing teachers. The announcement of the publication was met with both celebration and contempt.
Subsequent to my adventures at Shenandoah this year, there was a discussion regarding this topic in the group listserve. A teacher posted regarding some difficulty that she had been having in her institution regarding the teaching of contemporary commercial music as it related to her doctoral studies. She asked for advice in terms of how to best communicate the rationale behind why the teaching method for contemporary commercial music should be different than that for classical music.
Dr. Robinson-Martin
One response came from one of my new best friends Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin. She is Assistant Professor of Music, Jazz Voice, Mercer County Community College, NJ and Adjunct Instructor, CCM Voice, Teachers College Columbia University, NY among other things. I found her post to be both cogent and very useful for explaining the differences between singing training for classical versus contemporary commercial music. She has given me permission to post her response below:
While I solely work as an instructor and performer of CCMstyles, a large majority of my own formal voice training has been with a classical teacher, learning the standard vocal training for classical singing. Due to my training, I can speak on both the benefits and limitations of having a classical-based vocal technique, as a professional CCM performer.
Benefits of Classical based training:
1. Established solid breathing technique for singing at various volumes
2. Established a stable tone production, great for ballads (which is actually my strongest characteristic).
3. Developed my head voice
4. Increased my overall range by an octave or so.
5. My chest voice became smoother.
Limitations of Classical based training:
1. I ended up with two different voices; one that I used in voice lessons, and one that I used to perform.
a. By the time I graduated I had a solid head voice, with a decent working range, but could only produce it with a classical tone. Thus I didn’t use it outside of voice lessons.
2. I still could not sing nor belt above A4
a. For jazz this wasn’t too problematic at first, I would just transpose the key. Yet as I musically matured and became aware of how a half or whole step transposition effects the mood of song, it became agreat limitation. It also became problematic when I started sitting in with other performers.
b. For gospel and R&B, it limited my repertoire. That is until I started getting paid to sing a certain repertoire, then I starting pushing my instrument, which got me into vocal trouble. I didn’t know there was another way and the information at the time wasn’t readily available.
3. Stylistically, I could never integrate my style of singing with what I was learning in the voice studio.
a. Whenever my classical teachers would try to coach me, the result tended to lose a level of authenticity in terms of its execution.
b. I never learned how to incorporate the stylistic aspects of my classical sound into my jazz or R&B sound, even though there were other popular artists doing just that.
When I graduated IUB, I was convinced that I was going to find answers. I figured there were too many singers that were successful, vocally healthy, and that were singing the styles and sounds I wanted to create, for there not to be any research or pedagogy on the topic. Thus I began my research and vocal application journey. What did I learn?
The standard classical voice technique as a sole technique for a vocal foundation is NOT conducive to CCM singing styles.
WHY?
1. First and foremost, the vocal parameters that constitute what is a “good singer” are different for classical styles than for CCM styles. For example:
a. In the female voice, classical prefers a head dominate/CT dominate sound, CCM typically prefers a chest dominate/TA dominate sound. This is also evident in the manner in which they create the mix.
b. In terms of timbre and vocal color, classical tends to prefer a fuller, darker, rounded, formal sound that results from a larger pharyngeal space towards the back of the mouth and throat. CCM advocates the opposite, not only for aesthetic reasons but for functional reasons as well. This is the area I felt most limited by my classical technique. Trying to take the chest or even a chest-mix up in range while keeping space in the back of the throat and the larynx down is EXTREMELY taxing on the throat. I know from first hand experience. But it did help me to understand why people said chest voice is damaging, because it is if one executes chest voice using a pharyngeal landscape that is structured forthe optimal amplification of a classical sound. It’s also damaging if one doesn’t learn to execute the appropriate mix.
c. The use of vibrato is different. When I started competing in jazz vocal competitions in graduate school, too much use of vibrato was a common criticism.
2. Articulation is different, in terms of dialect and execution.
3. Stylistically, there are many in the classical teaching tradition that believe one must have a great command of technique to effectively express emotion. This train of thought makes the acquisition of technique greater in importance than the developmentof musical expression. In CCM styles, especially those based in a more folk tradition, the authenticity and believability of the artist’s emotion is much more important than their command of vocal technique.
There are many more reasons that are not listed. A more comprehensive list will be provided with the work of your doctoral candidate.
Classical technique is a solid, proven, and extremely effective technique for classical singing. However, a solid CCM vocal technique will not only provide the benefits of the classical technique, but also provides a technique that helps students to produce vocal sounds and nuances that are not in the classical repertoire, in a healthy and efficient manner.
Dr. Robinson-Martin can be found at: http://www.trineicerobinson.com/
Minimally Invasive Thyroid Surgery: Considerations for Voice
Dr. Jagdish Dhingra
Today, I’ll be speaking with Dr. Jagdish Dhingra of ENT Specialists in Massachusetts about the relationship between the thyroid surgery and voice and his techniques for using minimally invasive thyroid surgery to minimize risk to the patient and shorten recovery time.
What is the thyroid gland and what does it do?
Thyroid gland is one of the endocrine glands in the body. Its main function is to control the general metabolism (how fast the body uses energy) through secretion of thyroid hormones. It is located in the neck just underneath the larynx (voice box) and wraps around the front of the trachea (windpipe). Underactivity of the thyroid can result in fatigue, weight gain, hoarseness and lowering of vocal pitch. Overactivity of the thyroid can result in heart palpitations and weight loss. Other disorders of the thyroid include thyroid nodules, which can be benign or cancerous.
How might thyroid disease impact people’s voices? Can it get better?
Thyroid disease can affect the voice in a variety of ways. Underactive thyroid, the most common thyroid disease in the US, results in lack of muscle tone and strength and can also lead to fluid retention (edema) of the vocal cords, so the voice may not only lose its timber and quality but also get tired easily. Thyroid enlargement (goiter) can lead to pressure symptoms by pressing on larynx and trachea. Thyroid cancer can cause direct invasion of the nerve, due to close anatomic proximity, leading to vocal cord paralysis (inability of the vocal folds to open and close). Last, but not the least, Thyroid surgery can result in voice change due to possible injury to the muscles outside and around the larynx and most importantly risk of nerve injury involving the laryngeal nerves.
What are some reasons why a person might need surgery for their thyroid condition?
Most common reason is presence of a nodule measuring over 1 cm in size, where possibility of cancer cannot be ruled out by a needle biopsy, or such a biopsy suggests possible malignancy.
Other reasons include large nodules or goiters causing pressure symptoms, or to treat an over active thyroid.
What is a fine needle biopsy?
In this procedure, a very thin needle is inserted into the thyroid nodule. A small amount of tissue is removed and sent to pathology to determine whether or not a nodule is cancerous.
Why is surgery to the thyroid risky for voice function?
There are multiple reasons surgery to the thyroid is risky for the voice.
1) Insertion of the endotracheal tube for maintaining an open airway during the surgery may scrape the tissues of the larynx and/or vocal folds. This is no different from the risk incurred with any other surgery done under general anesthesia.
2) Injury to the muscles surrounding the larynx. In some cases this may be inevitable in order to obtain adequate access to the gland. These injuries may cause subtle variations in voice quality that are usually amenable to voice therapy.
3) Injury to the laryngeal nerves, which run directly through the thyroid gland. This may lead to temporary or permanent weakness of the vocal cord. Injuries to the superior laryngeal nerve may lead to inability increase pitch and also more subtle changes in voice quality due to lack of muscle tension. Injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve can be devastating, causing complete paralysis of one or both vocal folds.
What is the difference between the “superior laryngeal nerve” and the “recurrent laryngeal nerve”?
The superior laryngeal nerve supplies one of the intrinsic (internal) muscles of the larynx – the cricothyroid – that is responsible for maintaining the tension on the vocal cord and for increasing pitch. Weakness of this muscle results in change in voice quality and strength, and while it may not be very noticeable to most people, it can cause significant disability for singers and other professional voice users. The recurrent laryngeal nerve supplies all other intrinsic muscles, and an injury to this nerve can result in paralysis or lack of movement of that side of the larynx, which can result in the vocal folds being unable to close adequately to make sound. The voice will be weak and breathy and swallowing difficulty may also be present.
What determines if a patient’s voice will recover after a surgically related voice injury?
The degree of injury is the most important factor in determining how completely a patient will recover from a surgically related voice injury. If it is just a traction (pulling or twisting) injury that results in nerve getting “stunned” it is likely to recover. A crushed nerve or thermal (heat) damage is likely to be permanent. A complete cut always results in a permanent weakness. A good prediction can be made by doing active and passive nerve monitoring during the surgery.
How is “minimally invasive” thyroid surgery different from other surgical techniques? Are there criteria for who is appropriate for this approach?
Minimally invasive surgery results in lesser tissue injury and by virtue of better visualization through endoscopes may reduce the risk of nerve injury, however, not everyone is a candidate for this approach.
To be technically feasible the nodule size should be no greater than 2.5 cm. The thyroid gland itself should not be unduly large, and neck anatomy should be favorable. Excess fat in the neck may make this approach not feasible.
What are the symptoms of a thyroid disorder and when should people see their doctor about it? What type of doctor typically manages the care of a person with thyroid disease?
Symptoms of underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) are: lack of energy, gain in body weight, depressed mood, hair loss, dry skin, cold intolerance, irregular periods, low pitch voice that tires easily. Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) results in loss of weight, high energy level, cold clammy skin, palpitations, heavy periods, tremors. Both the over active and underactive thyroid are usually managed with medications by an endocrinologist. Presence of thyroid cancer or high risk of thyroid cancer as determined by a needle biopsy is the most common reason for surgery.
Thyroid surgery is usually performed by a General Surgeon or a Otolaryngologist (ENT/Head and Neck Surgeon).
While seeking surgical opinion look for a surgeon with special interest in Thyroid/Parathyroid surgery, with a case volume of over 50 surgeries per year.
Dr. Dhingra can be reached at ENT Specialists in Massachusetts.
About Vocal Fold Nodules
Sometimes I still get prescriptions that list “singer’s nodes” from doctors who are requesting voice therapy for their patients. It’s a shame really – particularly for those patients who wander into the therapy room scratching their heads because they don’t sing.
When the patient is a singer, I find the term problematic because it gives them the impression that singing is the root of their problem and that they have hurt themselves by doing the thing they most love in life. There appears to be some inherent negative judgment in the diagnosis of “singer’s nodes” that is damaging to the psyche of a singer.
Let’s ditch this term and go back to the science.
What we’re really talking about here are vocal fold nodules, a cross between blisters and calluses that form on the edge of the vocal fold in response to “phonotrauma” (literally voice trauma). They come in a variety of sizes (small to large) and consistencies (soft/squishy to hard). In general they form approximately 1/3 of the way back from the tip of the vocal fold, across from each other, one on each side.
YouTube sample of vocal fold nodules
Vocal fold nodules form when the vocal folds are hitting too hard together when they vibrate. The most sound with the best carrying power that you can get from your voice occurs when the vocal folds are barely touching. Squeezing the vocal folds tightly against each other just stresses them out and nodules (or other vocal fold beasties) can form. Other irritants in the throat can make a person more susceptible to developing vocal fold nodules (e.g., smoking, reflux, untreated allergies).
The current best practice for the treatment of vocal fold nodules is neither voice rest nor surgery. Resting the voice does not change the person’s pattern of squeezing the vocal folds together. Therefore, even if the nodules go away they will return. With surgery, there is a risk of scarring of the vocal folds which would make the situation worse and because the underlying squeezing has not changed they can come back.
Speech therapy (voice therapy) is the current best practice for initial treatment of vocal fold nodules. The purpose of the therapy is to actually change the muscle patterns that the larynx (voice box) is using when speaking or singing. In this way, the patient learns to get the voice going without squeezing the vocal folds too hard. Even when surgery is necessary, voice therapy is given in conjunction to ensure that the underlying cause of the disorder has been addressed.
When properly treated by a therapist who knows how to teach muscles to function differently on an automatic level, surgery is usually not necessary. Sometimes the nodules go away entirely. Other times, residual nodules remain, but the patient is able to do everything they need to with their voice. In that case too, no further action is needed. Vocal fold nodules are 100% benign. They do not turn into cancer.
Vocal fold nodules can be a very disruptive injury for anyone who speaks, not just singers. With proper treatment, however, a full recovery can usually be expected.
Public Voice Disorders: Adele’s Singing Lessons
It’s a challenge to help singers critically listen to what they are hearing in the recorded music they enjoy. All they know is they like it. Because they like it, they try to imitate it. This is understandable, but is problematic when the music contains unhealthy vocal models or sounds that can only be made with the assistance of electronic processing technologies. Young singers in particular can put themselves into vocal harm’s way.
It’s important to state that I do not see belting and other power singing as unhealthy (some singing teachers do, out of unfamiliarity with the way in which to teach them). I also know that singing “ugly” sounds is not inherently harmful and that they are useful for certain genres and emotional contexts. There are times, however, when I become convinced that the way in which a recording artist is singing is going to cause problems. One such case was Adele.
Another disclaimer: I love Adele. I listen to her and sing along with myself. From the construction of the songs to the emotional connectedness with which she is able to communicate her messages, Adele is a great artist. Nonetheless, early on I felt that she was going to have problems if she continued to sing in the way she was. Recent news reports confirm this.
The music news for Adele is that she has canceled her US tour to retrain her voice. This on the advice of her physician and because she had to cancel numerous shows for “laryngitis”.
As I did in discussing Lauren Alaina’s vocal difficulty, I will weigh in on the manner in which Adele’s team is communicating about her condition and their plans for helping her. After all, most of the public gets their only voice information from celebrity news reports and the like.
The issue I have here is their discussion of “vocal registers”. The first I heard of Adele’s rehabilitation was on a radio show where the hosts were chatting about how Adele has been singing in the “chest” and that she has to learn to sing “through her nose”
God help us all if Adele comes out of her new training singing through her nose…yuck!
So, I decided to dig more deeply and found an attributed quote to her team:
“There are commonly two approaches singers take. They are called ‘singing through your chest’ or ‘singing through your head’.
“Singing through your chest can increase the chances of callouses and nodules appearing on the vocal chords. But the latter approach drastically decreases the chances of those problems occurring.
“Adele sings more through her chest at the moment.”
Okay. Closer, but not really.
Vocal registers have been debated by vocal pedagogues for centuries. The terminology is all over the place. In discussion you can’t even be sure two people are talking about the same thing. Given this, I prefer to come directly to the science in terms of what we know about vocal mechanics.
First, “registers” are largely the result of perceptual changes in the sound we hear based on changes in acoustics and the configuration of the larynx when you sing.
Modal/Chest Register
This is what we (Americans) usually use in our speaking voices. The muscle deep in the vocal fold, the thyroarytenoid muscle is contracted allowing the vocal fold to vibrate across a thick edge to make sound. The modal/chest register sound is generally full and robust, but it not harmful. The vocal folds are in fact somewhat designed to vibrate in this way.
Falsetto/Head versus “Mix”
As we move up in pitch, a muscle at the front of the larynx begins to contract. This is called the cricothyroid muscle. When this happens, the body of the larynx, called the thyroid cartilage tilts forward and stretches the vocal folds longer and thinner. As the vocal folds thin out, they vibrate faster, which we hear as increased pitch.
The point at which we hear mostly thin, light sound and don’t hear the robustness of the speaking voice is the point at which most people will say a person is singing in falsetto or head register. Between what we hear as a robust speaking voice and the tipping point to head register is often called a “mix” (referring to a blending of some elements of each modal and head registers).
One my problems with the concept of registers is that the voice really operates on a continuum from thyroarytenoid dominant to cricothyroid dominant. The vocal folds don’t truly have points of gear change. We can’t ditch the terminology, however, because in singing training the registers are relevant in terms of the adjustments we make to accommodate the acoustic (physics) changes that happen across the vocal range.
What I Hear
The reason I knew Adele was going to be in trouble was not because she was singing in chest/modal register with thick vocal folds. I knew she was going to have problems because I hear her constricting (squeezing) her throat.
In singing, when the throat is constricted, the vocal folds are pushed together so that they hit each other harder than they should when they vibrate. Because they are hitting each other too hard, they can build up points of irritation and callusing or blistering.
In addition, things that irritate the throat and airway will by nature irritate the vocal folds because the vocal folds are at the top of the trachea (the tube you breathe with). So, it doesn’t help that she continues to smoke, instead blithely writing off the negative impact it could have on her future.
My hope for Adele is that she will be taught to develop a healthy chest register without throat constriction. Asking her to abandon chest register and sing in a light mix or head register will ruin the sound she has built her career on and make her much less of an exciting artist to listen to.
Overdid it with your voice? Don’t shut up!
by Steve Winton (stev.ie)
For people who are having difficulty with their voices, a belief develops that stopping talking is some kind of magic pill that will solve all their problems. If that were true, recovering from chronic vocal trauma would be a piece of cake. The flow chart would look like this:
Vocal Trauma ——-> Shut up ——-> All better now
This is rarely the case. In reality the flow chart usually goes something like this:
Vocal Trauma —> Shut up —> Vocal Trauma —> Shut up —> Why aren’t I getting better?!
What’s going on here?
For one thing, most people with chronic vocal problems have an inefficient movement pattern for voicing. This means that the actual movements the body is making during voicing are putting inappropriate stresses and tensions on the voice. Therefore every time the person speaks they are piling additional trauma on their voice. Additional trauma to the voice = more voice problems.
It’s like this. Let’s say I’m walking around town in stiletto heels and the balls of my feet start to hurt. Walking in stiletto heels creates an inherently inefficient walking pattern for the foot. The ball of my foot is not going to stop hurting unless I change my shoes. I can stop for a bit and put my feet up, but the minute I start walking around again, the balls of my feet will start to hurt again.
Similarly, the only way a person can stop getting hoarse again and again is to fundamentally change the way in which the parts of the voice are moving when they are making voice. This is the role of voice therapy in voice rehabilitation. In terms of rehabilitation for chronic voice strain, changing the movement pattern is the only reasonable option.
What about a short-term injury though? What about the scenario when I’m usually fine, but I went to a concert of a friend’s band last night and a bunch of us were talking over the music and…? Then I should shut up, right?
Not necessarily true.
Recent research performed by Nicole Li, Katherine Verdolini and colleagues determined that performing resonant voice exercises after a vocal fatigue task resulted in improvement in the enzymes that are associated with inflammation in the voice – even over and above not voicing at all.
So the shut-uppers are out of luck again!
When is stopping all talking the best course of action?
1) Vocal fold hemorrhage
2) Severe acute viral or bacterial laryngitis
3) Immediately following surgery to the vocal folds
That’s pretty much it. In virtually every other case, the most appropriate thing to do is to improve what you’re going, how you’re going about producing voice, not eliminate voice all together.
For people with chronic vocal difficulty, chances are they will need the assistance of a professional in changing the movement patterns of voice, not to mention making sure that those movement changes become somewhat automatic. So, if you’re having problems with feeling like you need to stop talking on a frequent basis, get evaluated, get treated. Then keep talking.
Happy Independence Day – Voice It!
Here we are on Independence Day 2011. There’s a lot going on in the world. In particular, the Arab Spring has really got me cheering in the aisles and rooting for the people of these countries. What does it all come down to in the end?
Voice.
I spend a great deal of time here talking about the physical environment of the voice and the mechanics of how the literal voice works. Perhaps though this is to the detriment of considering what the “voice” means in a more universal sense. After all, it doesn’t really matter what the vocal folds are doing if you have nothing to say.
The Free Online Dictionary gives a variety of definitions of the word voice.
They cover “the sound produced by the vocal organs of a vertebrate, especially a human.” <a little dry>
I prefer their other one “musical sound produced by vibration of the human vocal cords (sic) and resonated within the throat and head cavities.”
Neither of those touch upon what really drives me as both a voice/singing teacher and a voice therapist, however. When I was applying to graduate school for speech-language pathology, I was required to answer an essay question stating my reason for wanting to enter the field. I didn’t talk about the science of it – though that is fascinating to me; I didn’t talk about the good to humanity of being in the rehabilitation field – though it is crucial to the health and well-being of so many people.
What I chose to talk about was the strong pull I feel toward helping people express themselves in the way they need to in order to be whole, strong, engaged and vibrant.
This draws me to two of the other definitions in the Free Online Dictionary:
“The right or opportunity to express a choice or opinion” and “the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author (considered broadly to me) or of a character in a book.
To be able to give voice to our opinions is one of the most precious rights we have in this country and yet so many take it for granted, defile it by using their voice only to inflict pain or insult on other people or misuse it by trying to limit the voices of others.
To have a “distinctive style” in how you give voice to what needs to be said amplifies the message and makes you stand out in such a way that you can have a broader impact beyond your immediate circle. I think of Susan B Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., the students in Tiananmen Square, Aung San Suu Kyi and the protesters in the Arab Spring off the top of my head.
So, today I dedicate my blog post to everyone who uses their voice – both literally and figuratively – to make this world a better and more humane place to be.
Happy Independence Day!
