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When Not To Sing… Timing Is Everything

1897 - Sept 2021

1. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SITUATIONS THAT WOULD MAKE YOU DECIDE NOT TO SING?

There are actually many times when singing is not really advised. Some situations are because of health related issues and some of them have more to do with the timing when you should sing and when you should wait or just simply stop singing. I would really like to explore this today because it is very crucial to know how to manage your voice when situations are not for singing. I have witnessed people getting into all kinds of situations with their voices because they sang at a time when it would have been better to not sing at all. There are all sorts of reasons like lack of sleep and health issues which are not too serious like colds and a mild flu all the way to  more serious situations like Heartburn, Acid Reflux, Sore Throats caused by Laryngitis, Nodules and Polyps. 

2. IF YOU SING AT THE WRONG TIMES CANYOU REALLY HURT YOUR VOICE?

Yes actually, it is possible to cause all sorts of unnecessary problems when you do not know when to sing and when to back off. Sometimes it is really only about timing and sometimes, like when a singer has gotten Laryngitis, it is best to cancel and heal. I had a singer once a long time ago who had a performance to sing on a Friday night but he had gotten Laryngitis and I advised him not to sing. This student had gone to a Ear Nose and Throat Doctor and found that he had contracted Laryngitis. Even so, he said he couldn’t cancel the gig and that he was going to sing anyway and hope for the best. He thought that he could manage the Laryngitis and not lose the income and it would be ok. 

I did not agree, but he simply felt that he had to do this performance. Laryngitis is much worse than a cold. When you get Laryngitis, the mucus dries up because of the infection and it becomes almost, if not completely, impossible to even speak. Without the mucosal protection, the Larynx, which is the source of the sound, is actually disabled and cannot operate properly and usually you cannot utter a sound. So he did the gig and then afterwards, he was much worse than he had thought he would be. He really couldn’t speak and certainly couldn’t sing and then had to return to the Doctor. The Doctor found that in addition to the Laryngitis, he now had formed 2 mall nodules, one on each side of the vocal cords. 

A Nodule is like a bump or a callus that forms on the edge of the vocal cords when they have been repeatedly forced to bang together. They were a direct result of singing with the Laryngitis. They were very small so they would not require surgery and would heal on their own…but he was then told not to sing for three weeks!! A nodule is really caused by initiating a sound incorrectly. When there is no mucus, you have to push and bang just to get it to work and so it is really easy to do harm when the conditions are not right. He was put on complete vocal rest except for the work we did together to reverse the situation and he was not able to return to singing for over a month! Eventually it healed completely and he learned the lesson the hard way.

3. COULD THE SAME THING HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET A COLD?

The good news is that that is very unlikely. If it is really a cold, your body is reacting to some minor invasion of an infection and usually takes advantage of the situation by cleansing itself of whatever else is hanging around that it would like to eliminate. There are other mild infections that really need medical intervention but a cold, if it is mild, does not really affect the voice in such an extreme way. Often over the counter remedies are sometimes all you need and there are also many home remedies that will also help.

It is actually quite possible to sing with a cold even though, for the singer, it is usually not a pleasant experience. When the sinuses are filled and you cannot really hear yourself correctly and you have to do a performance, it is uncomfortable but it can be done. First of all, unless there is considerable nasal dripping on your vocal cords, you might not even be able to tell that the singer has a cold. They will now but it sometimes is very difficult to hear for the average listener. With the nasal passages unavailable, the singer is forced to use the larynx more and that is actually a good thing, not a bad thing.

One thing that is particular to how a singer hears their voice is that they are the only one who can hear the voice from the inside. All the mucous and sound distortion inside is not heard by anyone else but you. This is also when a trained singer gets to cash in on all the hard work of practicing and preparing. This is when you really need your training and if you have consistently rehearsed and practiced, this is when your training will really show. I’ve had to sing many times when I’ve had a cold and no one could really tell.

4. WHAT IS ACID REFLUX AND WHAT DOES IT DO TO THE VOICE?

You know, when I first started teaching singing and for the first decade or two, there were very few people who would come in and say that they have Acid Reflux. Now it is so common that almost half of the singers I know at any given time are complaining about it. If you look online, you will find extensive information about this, so we won’t go into it too deeply but a little explanation is necessary. 

Acid Reflux is defined as a situation that happens when stomach acids and other stomach contents back up into the esophagus rather than stay in the stomach where they belong. There is a sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus called the Lower Esophageal sphincter and it opens when food approaches the stomach and closes again to keep the food in the stomach. This sphincter goes through the Diaphragm and is located at the entrance of the stomach.

That is a very simple explanation, of course. There are a variety of causes and reasons why the food might back up into the esophagus and none of the reasons are good ones. It can come from simple reasons of just eating too much or laying down or sleeping too soon after eating …all the way to more serious medical conditions. Anyway, if the acid comes up and it irritates the esophagus, it often irritates the underside of the larynx and that is when it impacts the voice. This is a another good time for a singer to wait to sing or not sing at all

5. HOW LONG SHOULD A SINGER WAIT TO SING AFTER EATING?

Singers should never sing when food is still in the stomach. This is a very important time Not to sing. You should always wait until the food has begun to be digested and has moved into the small intestine. That valve that is supposed to close and keep the food inside the stomach will get irritated by the movement of the breathing as the Diaphragm moves up and down while singing or giving speeches. It is also to wait until the food has left the stomach before you exercise because that too can cause difficulty for the voice. The time amount is determined by how much food and what kinds of food you have eaten. The times vary so it is important to be aware of what is happening inside the body. Usually, it is pretty easy to just feel when it is good to sing again. If you cannot feel it then wait at least two hours and that may be enough time. The more complicated the meal, the longer you will have to wait until the coast is clear! If you had a big meal you might have to wait four hours. So, for example, if you are attending a wedding and they want you to sing, wait as long as possible after eating to do that. It is not always possible to do this perfectly, but at least you can manage it better.

6. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE DIAPHRAGM?

The Diaphragm is a large dome shaped wall of respiratory muscle that separates the lungs and the heart from the internal organs. It is attached to the spine and is located right below your rib cage.  It moves down when air enters the lungs and returns upward when you are exhaling and when you are singing or talking. The esophagus extends to that sphincter through the Diaphragm into the stomach which is below this huge wall of muscle which actually extends across the body separating the Respiratory area from the Digestive area of the body.  So every time you inhale, the Diaphragm pushes downward on the stomach and on all of your internal organs. This is normal and happens continuously. If the stomach is full of food, the movement of the lungs then becomes a disturbance to the stomach and all the food. If the food has left the stomach and has entered the intestine, then it is ok to sing. The Diaphragm is also a muscle that usually operates involuntarily all the time and it can also be deliberately controlled by, for example, holding your breath. 

7. WHAT ARE SOME OTHER IMPORTANT TIMES TO HOLD BACK AND NOT SING?

Everyday activities including sleeper, lack of sleep, exercise, and many different social events like entertainment and sports events can also present singers with some challenges as to when it is better to sing and when it is better to wait and hold back.

For example, perhaps you had a sleepless night where you did not sleep well or didn’t sleep at all. That presents a situation where you have to decide when and if to sing. If you are tired, it is probably good to do a moderate amount of light exercise and perhaps only mild stretching. Then wait until after you have eaten something light and digested that food to begin to explore your voice and see what is there. Sleeplessness can cause extreme dehydration and muscle fatigue. It takes a lot of energy to fully sing. So you will have to explore just how much energy you actually have. Simple exercise coupled with very quiet, moderate amounts of singing can usually stabilize the voice until you are able to actually get rested and then, after that you can try to sing as you normally would. It is very important not to push the voice under those circumstances. That can do harm as the muscles simply do not have the strength to do much when they have not enough sleep. Actually sleep is one of the Singer’s best friends! So many problems can be solved by drinking enough water and getting enough sleep!!

8. SHOULD YOU WAIT TO SING AFTER DOING VOCAL EXERCISES?

Another time to hold back is right after you have done a considerable amount of vocalizing. Let’s say you have been in a vocal lesson where you have done a full and concentrated amount of exercises. Because of the time constraints of a vocal lesson, you will sometimes find yourself singing songs right after doing exercises. That is actually not a good situation for the voice. 

There are generally two different kinds of vocal lessons. There are sessions where you spend all your time working on vocal pedagogy and learning how to use and develop your instrument. Then there are lessons where the focus is on the songs and coaching the singer as to how to sing the repertoire and how to perform the music. Teachers generally fall into one or the other category (Voice teachers and/or coaches) and some teachers do both coaching and vocal development. For example, when I teach, I focus mostly on vocal development and do coaching but not as much. So, when we are going to spend time coaching the songs, I tell my students to warm up at home before the lesson with a considerable time between the vocalizing and the coaching session.

This is a time when you can get the voice ready and then Not sing for a while as the voice acclimates itself to the work you just did and assimilates what just happened. Then, after a time of not singing the voice is more energized to begin working on songs. I advise singers to warm down right after singing so this is a good time to sing right away and then wait to cool down the body.

9. ANY OTHER COMMENTS AND IDEAS ABOUT ALL THIS?

Yes, as I said in the title: Timing is everything. Each of these situations involves the right timing so map things out for yourself ahead of time so you are ready and prepared and protected.