always hoarse BEFORE the gig

florian

Hi there,

my problem is, i think, a psychological one.

I'm singing now for almost a year. While practising i never had the problem getting hoarse.

But in Novembr we had the first gig. 5 days before i got hoarse.

In december we had the second gig. 5 days before i got hoarse

The third gig in January...funny...2 days before i got hoarse.

There is no physiological cause. Meaning, i didn't shout or scream while practising for the gig

Does somebody know this problem? People around me that hat tonestudios confirmed, that they know the problem,

that singers get sick (also hoarse) before the recording

Best regrads from Munich

Florian

highmtn

We probably all worry about that more before a gig. 

Hopefully you are not increasing your rehearsals prior to a gig, or increasing the intensity of your singing prior to a gig, in order to "get ready".

What is important is to regularly do good, solid workouts five or six days per week, not just before a gig.  Doing the workouts in an ongoing fashion will build the stamina we need.  On gig days, and on the days prior, we want to be sure we don't oversing when doing our warmups. 

That said, good strong workouts help to build the stamina the gives us strength to sing through many gigs.

The main cause of hoarseness for singers is oversinging.  After completing Volume Three, we should be incorporating glottal compression techniques where we hold back the air pressure.  That is something we should be doing during our rehearsals, workouts, and performances.  It's the glottal shock of oversinging that will cause our cords to swell. 

We have to be mindful and prevent oversinging. 

As to fear, or "jinxing" our voice, well, it could be psychological. 

We all need to warm up every day to get our voices cleared up and singing well.  If we don't oversing, we should not experience hoarseness.

Oh, yeah, and don't go to any concerts, clubs, or sporting events where you have to speak loudly or shout and scream before your gigs.

Bob