Minor set back before improvement?

gafro

Hi everyone, I've been doing the course for around 5 months now and started volume 3 in January and have seem massive results so far.

But my voice seems to go through a period of about a week or two where it will feel more tension than usual but then after this period I will be able to sing higher and more powerfully than before?

I do the workout 5/6 times a week and usually sing for about an hour afterwards an rarely experience and hoarseness so I'm a bit confused by why occasionally I will have a small set back just before I make progress? Is this just due to muscles growing?

Thanks a lot

highmtn

Hi, @gafro,

Nice to meet you.

That is something all singers go through.  Growth is not a one-way process.  It comes and goes in cycles.  The pendulum swings one way and then comes back.  We just don't want it to swing too far back.  Our progress will be mostly forward, with plateaus and occasional backsteps along the way.

You need to always be careful to not oversing.  Moving to Volume Three is a big step.  Everything ratchets up several notches.  Along with massive forward steps there may come some times of wear and fatigue from overdoing it in an effort to reach some of the notes.  Pace yourself, and pay particular attention to training on cutting back the air. 

You are having to adapt in many ways.  As your strength and stamina begin to catch up with the new levels of endurance that are required, you will continue to grow.  You will always hit plateaus, and sometimes take a step backwards.  Just remember that your overall momentum is forward, and you are much further along than you were previously. 

Learn to relax, and shake off that tension.  Manage the tension.  There will be tension, but if you manage it well, you can avoid going into tension overload.  You learn to turn the tension into a more relaxed state.  It gets much easier when you don't tense up and when you can just sing what you've been training for months to learn to do.  Just think about how much you've learned so far and how far you have come along.  Don't force your way through the exercises, allow your voice time to grow into them.  Soon you will look back and realize you have grown even more strength and stamina and be quite used to the Volume Three workouts.

Bob

gafro

Thanks a lot bob! Really looking forward to seeing where this course can take my voice, so far its been amazing.

Joyce

I have had similar setback. After working on Volume 3 excercises for about 5 months I started to feel fatigue in my voice.
I don't master the "cutting back the air" yet and that's probably why. And that caused me to overdo the exercises.

Cheers

highmtn

Yes, @Joyce.

The cutting back of the air is very important, and it will preserve a lot of energy and prevent fatigue.

It is an advanced form of support.  You learn to exhale very gently and slowly.  You don't want to force the exercises or strain.  You want to do them more gently, and only lean into them as you are learning to cut back the force of the air as you sing.

This will give you much more resiliency and prevent hoarseness when you learn it.

Bob