Practicing in Summer Heat

jonny

I am bummed I just worked my way up to some pretty good vocal strength and the last 2 days have been so hot it is effecting my practice. If I crank the AC it drys out vocal cords but with AC off it is suffocatingly hot indoors.

What happens is my voice starts kind of crackling as i do the scales. It just seems like the vocal cords are so hot they dont want to work right.

I tried filling up my tub to try and get some moisture in the place (works in the winter) but does not work. Any ideas?

DogMeat

I don't have ac, so small room with closed door and windows gets pretty hot in the summer. I wear nothing but shorts, drink more water and take pauses now and then. Maybe imagine you are singing on a club. Those stages are usually hot as hell because of all the spotlights.

jonny

yeah makes sense. I bought a cool mist humidifier and a hot mist humidifier to test those as well. Also shifted my practice from eves to mornings. a bit different to wake up the voice in the morning but beating the heat makes it worth it.

jonny

By the way if anyone is considering a cool mist humidifier i would no recommend the Vicks one. that is what I bought and (like the reviews on amazon say) it does not seem to out put much or any noticeable moisture.

Chris82

Humidifier, staying hydrated and not using too much air are going to be the key to success here.

You vocal cords are coated in a sort of liquid membrane. When that membrane dries out your cords don’t close as well which means you have to use more air to achieve the same sound which dries out your cords even more. It’s a vicious cycle.

Staying hydrated is the key and making sure you don’t oversing.