HELP! Break in voice just passed the passagio!

dizzymystics

Been having some issues with my range just passed the passagio. Performed a full set last weekend (Tool tribute) which was a LOT on the voice. Tomorrow night its back to playing a show of my original music, and I'm having major cracking issues.
Warming up or not, I can't shake this issue.!

Is there a way to diagnose if it's a node or damage aside from an ENT? Last time I went to a clinic with this issue, they just chalked up my vocal breaks to laryngitis and said to not sing or speak loud for TEN DAYS!
Well at that time I was able to rest and hydrate the cords for 7 days...but it was gig time after that. Been playing more frequent gigs since.
Really don't know how to deal with this. Feel helpless with no answers.

HuduVudu

Just passed the passagio (assuming segundo) is probably your head voice. If you have been singing mostly in your chest voice, you are going to atrophy your head voice very quickly. A weak head voice is very likely to crack. If you were doing Tool you need a solid mix (chest + head) for the top end. That you said it was " ... a LOT on the voice." tells me that you are vocally out of shape.

Also if you are using too much air singing then the hoarseness will weaken your voice across your range and will atrophy your top notes.

Those are the two possibilities in my mind. Let's look and see what can be done.

For the first scenario, you need to be warming up and practicing using your head voice. Make sure that you are doing the bridging exercises so that you don't atrophy your head voice. You must do this everyday especially if you are doing live singing. If your time is limited make sure you shorten your practices or warmups so that you can do BOTH chest and bridging (head).

The second scenario, you are using to much air. This is a symptom of poor support and breath control (glottal compression). If this is the case you need to work with the lip burbles to get your breath under control. You really want to work to understand how to not blow out a candle (of even move it if possible). If you need to bust out a candle to make sure, then do it. If you do this right you will use almost no air to produce sound. I am not sure where you are in the course but Volume 1 is going to cover support and the soft pallet. Volume 3 is going to cover glottal compression. These things must be mastered to tame your air flow.

Hope this answers your question.