Why Your Voice Isn’t Working

Discover why your voice isn’t working as well as it can and how to fix it.

If you find that there are some days when your voice just doesn’t want to cooperate, then you will love today’s video.

I’ll explain why ‘bad vocal days’ happen and what you can do to keep your voice in top condition.

Nicola x

Here Are Some Reasons Your Voice Doesn’t Work As Well On Some Days

Your voice is a living, breathing instrument, which makes you unique to every other instrument out there. However this does come with some drawbacks and your voice will be susceptible to the same daily stresses that your body puts up with.

 

Diet, lifestyle and stress can have an adverse effect on your voice. For example, if you find that you are struggling with excess phlegm and are constantly coughing and clearing your throat, perhaps you need to think about how much dairy you are consuming and become aware of whether your body tolerates milk or not.

 

I find that if I don’t get enough sleep then my voice suffers as well because it is a reflection of what is going on with my body. Antibiotics are also particularly nasty for voices because they dry your vocal folds out and ruin the balance of good versus bad bacteria in your body. An imbalance of bad bacteria can cause excess phlegm which again leads to coughing. You don’t need to become a complete health freak but just become aware of what is going on with your body and how your lifestyle choices may effect your singing.
The other reason bad vocal days occur is because you are not using your voice enough! Yep, your voice is surrounded by muscles and you need to use them regularly to keep them in tip top shape.

 

If you only sing once a week and go for big belt notes or high notes then the chances are that you won’t sound good because your muscles will need time to catch up! I personally find that singing for 3 hours 3 to 4 times a week keeps my voice in top condition. You don’t need to sing this much when you are starting out, but go for 1 hour 3 times a week to start with.

 

Happy singing!

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9 Comments

  1. Kristyn
    Kristyn on June 25, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    When singing for practice during the week, do you suggest singing only music for performance or just anything (i.e. the radio, a favorite playlist)? Love this site! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nicola
      Nicola on June 26, 2015 at 7:23 am

      Practice time should be concentrated pratice – i.e working on technique you need to improve on. Of course any kind of singing is going to help keep your voice in shape but if you want to improve, make your time count!

      Reply
      • Alan
        Alan on December 16, 2017 at 8:39 pm

        Great tip! Thanks!

        Reply
  3. freda
    freda on June 5, 2016 at 11:18 am

    pls am suffering frm plegms and i need help

    Reply
  4. shweta
    shweta on December 20, 2016 at 2:30 am

    Is coffee good for singers?

    Reply
    • LeAnne Dopp
      LeAnne Dopp on August 4, 2020 at 5:15 am

      I’m not a coffee drinker, but caffeine is something that can dry out the voice. Maybe if it was caffeine free? But I just stick with water

      Reply
  5. Milly Jimenez
    Milly Jimenez on April 18, 2018 at 11:46 am

    Thanks great tips. (Gracias por sus consejos.)

    Reply
  6. Haley Labdon
    Haley Labdon on March 19, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    Hi Nicola, I’m really anxious about my voice and I feel like it’s not the way it used to be although, I feel my anxiety might really be the issue. I’m playing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and I’m SO stressed about over the rainbow!! I feel like my voice is constantly being strained and I feel like in the mornings, I cannot sing at all. I really respect my director and don’t want to tell him. My voice cracks when I sing sometimes and I hate it. Last year I didn’t have as much stress about this and I just need help desperately. Thanks!

    Reply

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