LOSING MY VOICE AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME, MAYBE I SHOULD ALSO STOP YELLING

Skoal Cat

I felt myself getting sick yesterday, which is perfect because I'm flying tomorrow and have a very important performance in four days. I've been following a solid Sudafed regimen, and while I feel better... my fucking voice is disappearing. I'm going to speak as little as possible between now and Tuesday (which is going to be hard with all of my rehearsals scheduled for Sunday), but I also want to do everything else that might possibly help.

Help me, H&A. You're my only hope. beep beep beep boop.

Casual

Tea. I know it sounds odd but it works for me. Stuff if a goddamn miracle liquid.

garroad_ran

I've found bedrest does wonders for all sorts of things and is often quickly neglected.

Imriaylde

Seconding what Casual said. Also, put some honey in the tea...it helps.

Aurora Borealis

Tea
Honey
Lemon
Ginger
Gargle with salt water (it's horrible, but it works wonders)
Drink as much liquid as your bladder can process
Sleeeeeeep

Hahnsoo1

When I was performing 100 shows a year in undergrad, the gargling hot (NOT BOILING, just on the hot side of lukewarm) salt water thing worked pretty well, as long as it was just before the performance. Magically, I'd go from barely able to sing to projecting most of my mid-range notes (although I still didn't have my high range, but since I sing bass, it wasn't much of an issue). It's not healthy at all, mind you, but once or twice won't kill you, or your voice. For long term therapy, tea with honey is probably the best choice. Lemon will sometimes do strange things to your voice, and ginger really only helps with nausea. Steam from a humidifier can help in the long term, also.

Jasconius

Tea and honey

Demerdar

No seriously,

tea and honey.

TeeMan

Tea, honey, sleep, humidifier if you've got one. Best of luck!

If you're not sure on what's a nice tea, I think Camomile or Green are a good start. Both go down nice and smoothly.

Hoz

You're going to want to open up your sinuses to make sure your mucus runs out through your nose and not into the back of your throat. When I'm sick, I do this by putting warm water into a saucer and putting a tea spoon of salt in it, then I dip my nose in it and tilt my head back and try to inhale the water (through the nose, of course) for a few seconds. Along with the water, mucus should start pouring out of your nose. Do this every 3-4 hours.

Drinking some tea between these sessions is a great idea because the warmth will do the same thing on a smaller scale. But also drink a lot of water to mitigate the damage to your throat whatever mucus is still running down it.

Skoal Cat

Or... I could use a Neti pot to a similar effect?

ahava

A fantastic tea for sore throats is some type of Sage tea. If you have access to any tea shops near you or where you are, see if you can find some sage tea.

republic of tea sold some a few years ago that was based on jerry garcia's sage tea that he would keep backstage. a hot cup of that with some honey, and you're golden.

another thing that i've found was some sort of mentholated bathbombs. vicks made them a while back they were these tabs of stuff that you put in the shower, right near the drain, and when the hot water hit them, they dissolved and you got smacked with mentholated steam. amazing concoction, just don't touch it or you'll burn yourself.

But really, hot tea and honey.


Lemon& Ginger tea with honey is the best. personally

Hoz

Skoal Cat wrote: »

Or... I could use a Neti pot to a similar effect?

It has been claimed that works, but I do the saucer because that's what I have and I kind of like the feeling of inhaling warm salted water.

Hamju

Steam steam steam! Get a big bowl and put a bunch of boiling water in it. Cover your head and the bowl with a towel and stay under there for about 15 minutes. Take a break for a few seconds if it gets too intense; this probably will happen as you're shoving your face in hot steam. Do this several times a day, and right before the performance. Both my wife and I have gotten sick, lost our voices and had to sing before and steaming is by far the most productive thing. Also stay really hydrated. Drink lots early on the day of the performance. Tea and honey also helps but does nothing compared to a good steam.

Talking little (or not at all) will help as talking is the worst thing for your voice. Another thing to beware of is marking. Marking is when you "half-sing" to conserve your voice if you feel you want to save the real thing for the performance. Unless you really know your voice and how to sing healthily marking is usually really bad for you.

Good luck to you though, I know how bad it can be to lose your voice right before a performance.

P.S. Steam, I can't stress this enough

The_Glad_Hatter

I don't know if you have these where you live, but i just saved my voice while out sailing (and yelling) using the yellow Fisherman's Friend candy's. These have helped me out a lot in the past too.

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Came in here to recommend Fisherman's Friend. Glad to see someone else already has.

Also, they taste delicious, in my opinion