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Sans voice

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ArdraF:
Tom,

We're very happy to hear it's not as bad as your imagination projected!  Imaginations tend to do that, don't they?  That must have been one tough bug to have all those antibiotics and still not have it gone.  Take it easy with those vocal chords.  Well, maybe God Bless America is worth it, but cool it for a while otherwise.  We want that booming voice around for a long time!  Tell Nurse Chris I said to hog-tie you except for that one special performance!  ::)

ArdraF

SeilerBird:
Tom, I know you have a naturally loud voice. However, singing loud is not good for your vocal cords whether it is natural or not.

I have sung professionally in a few bands during my life time. I used to be a natural soprano. I used to brag I could sing the highest note sung on any rock song with ease including Dream On by Aerosmith, where he gets positively operatic.  However, I did a lot of smoking in my lifetime and that has killed my ability to sing the high notes. Sometimes I go to sing a very high note and I know I will never get there so I try it one octave lower and I still can't hit it. How embarrassing, but I have no one to blame but Tommy.

Good luck on GBA tomorrow, don't forget to warm up :)

Tom:
Thanks Ardra. It was quite a relief to hear the ENT doc say "it's benign and treatable".

Tom:
Thanks for the story Tom.


--- Quote from: zzyzx ---... singing loud is not good for your vocal cords whether it is natural or not.
--- End quote ---

"Natural" volume has more to do with the intrinsic characteristics of cavities in one's head and chest, i.e. the amplifier (or sound box), and how the sound resonates through/around them. Posture is about the only thing that can enhance these characteristics, and vocal coaches often use Luciano Pavarotti as the best example of good posture while singing. Yes, one can 'blow harder' to increase volume, but the cavities will be the major factor affecting intrinsic volume.

I don't attempt to scream and shout while singing but, if I did, I can see that could cause some stress, probably more to the audience than me.

Singing 'high' notes is not natural for me, at least not since my voice broke (most folks are surprised to hear I was a boy soprano), but I have been known to occasionally surprise some folks with the upper end of my range. This has more to do with the shape and tension of the vocal chords, and how the muscles vary the tension. Like a 'low' string on a uke, getting it to produce a 'high' note requires shortening the string (by fretting), or tuning it to a higher note (by tightening it and increasing the tension).

FWIW when I asked the ENT Doc if I should refrain from singing for a while, he told me that there's nothing I could do vocally that would exacerbate what's been going on, i.e. inflamation of the vocal chords caused by stomach acid; Nowt to do with stress, strain, or how loud I sing.

Tom:
Contrary to the dire predictions and warnings, I received kudos from our Music Director for my solo this evening. I knew it wasn't perfect, but he specifically asked me to say a big thanks to the ENT Doc for "whatever he gave you to fix the voice".

The song has a key change part way through, and the second half is right in my natural register. I had some difficulty hitting the correct (higher) notes prior to the key change, but I have another week of recovery before show time. Overall, an effortless rehearsal, which is how I normally sing.

I'm still coming down off these darned steroids. It wasn't until this morning that I researched the side effects of this particular prescription, and that's when a lot of stuff fell into place. Side effects include significant dehydration necessitating a huge increase in water intake, continual sweating, muscle cramps, and increased appetite, all of which I immediately recognized as my symptoms for the last few weeks. It apparently takes a little time for the body to re-adjust and take over it's functions after this treatment; That's one reason for the tapering of the dose, so one doesn't suddenly fall off a cliff.

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