Paule

As a singer, your vocal cords are one of your most important assets. Taking care of your voice is crucial to maintaining your vocal health and ensuring that you can perform at your best.

One popular method for caring for your vocal cords is steaming. While steaming can have many benefits, it is important to understand the potential risks as well. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of steaming your vocal cords.

Pros of steaming your vocal cords

1. Rehydrates dried out cords and throat

One of the main benefits of steaming is that it can help rehydrate dry vocal cords and throat. This can be especially helpful if you live in a dry climate or if you have been talking or singing for an extended period.

2. Loosens Mucus

Steaming can help loosen mucus in the throat and nasal passages, making it easier to sing or speak. This can be particularly helpful if you are suffering from a cold or allergy symptoms.

3. Reduces Swelling

If your vocal cords are swollen, steaming can help reduce inflammation and relieve discomfort.

Cons of steaming your vocal cords

1. Can Increase Severity of Viral or Bacterial Infections

Steaming vocal cords when you have a bacterial or viral infection can help increase and spread the severity of the virus to your airway. For this reason, it is not recommended to steam your vocal cords when you are sick.

2. Can cause burns

If the steam is too hot or if you are not careful, you can accidentally burn your vocal cords. This can cause serious injury and may even require medical attention.

3. Not a substitute for proper vocal care

While steaming can be helpful, it is not a substitute for proper vocal care. It is important to stay hydrated, get enough rest, and avoid behaviors that can harm your voice, such as smoking.

Steaming your vocal cords can be a useful tool for maintaining vocal health, but it is important to use caution and understand the potential risks. If you are unsure whether steaming is right for you, consult with a vocal coach or medical professional for guidance. Remember, the best way to care for your voice is to practice good vocal hygiene and take steps to prevent injury and strain.

Should you steam your vocal cords before or after a show?

As a singer, your voice is your instrument, and taking care of it is paramount. Whether you’re a rock or metal singer or any kind of singer that sings with grit or rasp, you want to make sure that your voice is in top shape when you take the stage. One popular method for vocal care is steaming, but is it safe to steam your vocal cords before a show? Let’s explore why steaming your vocal cords before a show is not recommended and why steaming post-show can be helpful for recovery.

Caution: Steaming your vocal cords before a show is not recommended

Steaming your vocal cords before a show is not recommended, and should always be an absolute last choice. The reason for this is that the steam can make your vocal cords more vulnerable to damage, especially if you sing with grit or rasp. This is because these vocal styles rely on a certain amount of tension in the vocal cords, and the steam can soften them, making them more susceptible to injury.

Steaming can also cause swelling of the vocal cords, which can make it more difficult to sing. For these reasons, it is best to avoid steaming your vocal cords before a show.

Steaming your vocal cords post-show: What you need to know

While steaming your vocal cords before a show is not recommended, steaming post-show can be helpful for recovery. After a performance, your vocal cords may be strained, and steaming can help alleviate any discomfort or swelling. Here’s what you need to know.

Use warm, not hot, steam. The steam should be warm enough to be soothing, but not so hot that it burns your vocal cords. Be careful not to get too close to the steam source.

I highly recommend that every vocalist purchase a steamer. In keeping with my philosophy of “No BS”, I have personally been using Vicks Steam inhalers for over 15 years. While there are different products out there, the one that I recommend is the Vicks Steam Vaporizer, or the Vicks Sinus Inhaler for travelling (I am not sponsored by Vicks directly, I just really like their products).

⚠️ After steaming, your vocal cords will be in a fragile state (more thinned down than usual). Do not yell or try to sing at any kind of performance volume. In fact, the best advice is to steam your vocal cords at night. If possible, practice complete vocal silence until the morning.

RVR pro tip number one: Vocal cords are highly sensitive to irritants. As a vocal coach and a singer, I do not recommend adding any substance (including menthol) to the water that you’re inhaling. Pure steam is the best substance to rehydrate a dry voice and help you rehabilitate inflamed vocal cords and when used the right way, it can actually help you to recover from minor strains and tears within the micro-muscles of your larynx.

RVR pro tip number two: If your vocal cords are seriously inflamed or dried out, my personal recommendation is to steam for at least 45 minutes with a towel over your head. I personally have four towels that I’ve sewed together to ensure that no steam escapes my inhalation.

Don’t rely solely on steaming for vocal recovery. While steaming can be helpful, it is not a cure-all. It’s important to rest your voice, stay hydrated, and avoid behaviors that can harm your vocal cords, such as smoking or drinking alcohol.

In conclusion, steaming your vocal cords before a show is not recommended and can be harmful to your vocal cords, especially if you sing with grit or rasp. However, steaming post-show can be helpful for vocal recovery, as long as it is done safely and in moderation. If you’re unsure about whether steaming is right for you, consult with a vocal coach or medical professional for guidance. Remember, the best way to care for your voice is to practice good vocal hygiene and take steps to prevent injury and strain.

RVR pro tip number three: When you steam your vocal cords, regardless of whether it is pre-show or post-show, your vocal cords will be thinned down and will remain thinned down for longer. This means that they won’t have the same mass or thickness your speaking voice will normally enjoy. It is not recommended to speak or yell while your vocal cords are thinned down, because you’ll risk damaging your vocal cords as they won’t support normal, rowdy levels of sound production.

I can’t stress this enough. If you’re a professional singer, once you’ve steamed your vocal cords you should try not to speak for the rest of the night. In fact, let the people around you know that you’re going to go into “vocal silent mode”.

Better information leads to better singing! If you’d like to talk more about the best steps to vocal recovery, contact me today for a chat.

Disclaimer: If you make a purchase from one of the above links, a tiny commission goes to supporting the site. In keeping with my “No BS” policy, I only ever recommend products that I personally use or know are beneficial to my readers.

Tinnitus is a common condition that affects millions of people around the world, including singers and musicians. It is characterized by a persistent ringing, buzzing, or humming sound in the ears, which can be distracting and even debilitating in some cases. In this article, we will explore what tinnitus is, how it affects singers and musicians, and what steps you can take to protect your hearing.

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a condition that causes a persistent ringing, buzzing, or humming sound in the ears. It can affect one or both ears and may be constant or intermittent. The severity of the symptoms can vary from person to person, with some people experiencing mild ringing while others are completely incapacitated by the noise.

Tinnitus can be caused by a variety of factors, including exposure to loud noise, age-related hearing loss, ear infections, and other underlying health conditions. It is important to note that tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying condition.

How does tinnitus affect singers and musicians?

Singers and musicians are particularly vulnerable to tinnitus because of their exposure to loud music and noise. Repeated exposure to loud noise can cause damage to the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, which can lead to tinnitus and other forms of hearing loss.

For singers and musicians, tinnitus can have a significant impact on their ability to perform. The persistent ringing or buzzing can be distracting and make it difficult to hear oneself or others accurately. It can also make it challenging to distinguish between different notes and frequencies, which can impact the quality of the performance.

What can we do to protect our hearing?

As singers and musicians, it is crucial to take steps to protect our hearing and prevent tinnitus. Some tips for protecting your hearing include:

• Wear earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones when performing or rehearsing in loud environments.
• Take regular breaks to give your ears a rest and allow them to recover from exposure to loud noise.
• Avoid listening to music or other sounds at high volumes for extended periods of time.
• Get regular hearing tests to monitor your hearing and identify any potential problems early.
• Consider investing in custom-made earplugs that are specifically designed for musicians and singers. I’ve written about this in this post if you’d like to find out more.

In keeping with my “No BS” policy, I personally invested in two sets of custom-made attenuated earplugs. One of these sets has a 10 dB noise reduction, which I use while coaching singers. The second set has a 21 dB noise reduction, which I use at any event where my ears are going to be subjected to loud noises for sustained periods of time. This includes any event where extreme noise levels could potentially affect my hearing, such as concerts or motor racing events, etc.

Nowadays, earplugs similar to the ones I use are readily available online, like these ones from Eargasm. If you don’t have the time, energy or desire to get some earplugs custom-made (this can take up to four weeks, or possibly longer), then I highly recommend the Eargasm earplugs sold on Amazon. 21 dB noise reduction is ideal for concerts and other events with extreme noise levels.

Disclaimer: If you make a purchase from one of the above links, a tiny commission goes to supporting the site. In keeping with my “No BS” policy, I only ever recommend products that I personally use or know are beneficial to my readers.

Next steps

If you are a singer or musician who has been impacted by tinnitus or any kind of hearing condition, it is important to seek help from a qualified professional.

Paule Enso at Rapid Vocal Results is a trained vocal coach who has 30 years of experience working with singers who have all kinds of hearing loss conditions and challenges, including tinnitus. He can help you develop strategies to manage your symptoms and improve your vocal performance.

Contact Paule Enso at Rapid Vocal Results today to learn more.

Hi everybody, this post is a must read for any singer, public speaker or any profession that relies on the effectiveness of their voice to make a living (like school teachers, drill sergeants, executives or salespeople). If you regularly experience vocal discomfort, a loss of voice, pain or an inflamed throat when singing or screaming, this post is for you.

⚠️ Chances are if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you could be ignoring vital warning signs from your body that are the earliest indicators that you can be causing damage to your vocal cords and/or the supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments that are responsible for proper vocal production.

In the interest of providing you with the very basic need-to-know information, I have compiled a list of the most common vocal cord disorders, with a brief description to help you recognise when you might be overdoing it or require a vocal tune up from a knowledgeable coach or singing teacher.

Dysphonia

One of the very first warning symptoms that a singer or public speaker will experience when they are not vocalising and/or supporting their voice correctly is dysphonia. This basically means having the voice sound abnormal.

Dysphonia (hoarseness) is very common and everybody in their lifetime will experience some form of hoarseness or abnormal sound in their voice. The term dysphonia is used to characterise changes in your voice, or changes in the quality of your speaking or singing pitch. This may include changes to your normal volume production capability.

The symptoms of hoarseness may include raspy, weak vocal production or excessive breathiness that makes it difficult or impossible to close the vocal cords all the way up to produce a clean pitch. While it is usual for people to experience a hoarse or raspy voice, or even a tired voice when they’re getting over a cold or a flu, singers and professional public speakers must be more vigilant that they don’t consistently develop these symptoms over the long term from excessive vocal strain.

In the longer term, these are the telltale signs that your vocal cords and your breath support are out of balance and headed for a train wreck.

Nerdy fact 🤓: Dysphonia can be related to muscle tension, vocal tremors in your voice (where the voice just breaks for seemingly no reason at all), and can also be related to vocal cord paralysis. If symptoms persist, see an ear, nose and throat specialist and/or contact an experienced vocal coach as soon as possible.

Laryngitis

Laryngitis is usually associated with a raspy or hoarse voice. It is caused mainly by creating too much heat and pressure at the vocal cords. This in turn produces or creates swollen or inflamed vocal cords that are no longer able to close properly to produce clean sung or spoken pitches.

Singers that incorrectly support their voice by singing through their throat are much more prone to developing laryngitis. A very easy way to identify this is by looking for an abnormally breathy voice.

When your vocal cords are inflamed and you’re experiencing Laryngitis, your voice will be very weak and you may end up sounding like your grandma or grandad!

Vocal cord lesions

Vocal cord lesions are typically non-canceous growths that include nodules, polyps and cysts. All of these lesion conditions can cause hoarseness, raspiness, excessive breathiness and more serious symptoms. They can cause excessive fatigue and prevent normal vocal production.

Vocal cord nodules

Vocal nodules are normally non-cancerous callouses that usually form on the mid-point of the vocal cords. These callouses form when the vocal cords are repeatedly brought together through excessive force. This can be caused by incorrectly supporting your voice using excessive volume as a strategy to be heard over the band.

Vocal nodules are formed when the vocal cords are slammed together violently. This kind of reckless singing can lead to serious consequences.

This can be especially bad if you’re a singer with a habit of singing through your throat. These kinds of singers and screamers run the risk of creating permanent callouses on the vocal cords. Once these nodules harden on the vocal cords themselves, they interfere with the vocal cords’ ability to close and correctly sing proper pitches and can also affect the strength of your speaking voice.

Vocal nodules once developed, and once they harden, become increasingly more difficult to resolve naturally and often require surgical intervention. Definitely something to be avoided if possible!

The most obvious sign of vocal nodules is loss of vocal range in an existing singer’s voice, and excessive “breathiness” when singing or speaking.

It is reasonably common for vocal nodules to develop and resolve themselves with the assistance of correct vocal breathing and singing exercises/coordinations. It is much harder to resolve vocal nodules once those callouses have fully hardened and become sizeable.

Nerdy fact 🤓: Female singers between the ages of 20-50 tend to be more susceptible to vocal nodules, however it is very common for both male and female singers and public speakers to develop nodules when they try to produce excessive volume incorrectly from their throats.

Vocal cord polyps

Vocal polyps are usually characterised as a soft, non-cancerous growth. For ease of understanding, you can think of a vocal polyp as a blister. A vocal polyp can include blood within the “blister” and sometimes the blood will disappear over time, leaving the singer with a clear blister on their vocal cords.

Symptoms of vocal polyps are very similar to vocal nodules, because in both cases they interfere with the voice’s normal production. The voice has a lot more excessive air and breathiness, leaving the singer feeling hoarse and raspy (but not the good kind of raspy!).

When you have a vocal polyp and your voice has excessive raspiness, you can’t clean up the voice and the blister will severely interfere with your ability to sing up into the higher notes within your range, because your vocal cords are unable to operate normally.

Unfortunately for smokers, there is a type of vocal polyp called Polypoyd Corditis (Reinke’s edema) , which is exclusively a condition that develops through smoking and/or acid reflux issues.

Nerdy fact 🤓: While causing similar symptoms, vocal polyps differ from nodules because polyps can form on either one or both vocal cords. A polyp has more blood vessels than a nodule and polyps have more variation in size and shape, while typically growing larger than nodules do. Visually, they look like soft blisters, while nodules form hard callouses on the vocal cords.

Vocal cord cysts

Cysts are growths that have a fluid filled sack. They have a semi-solid centre which prevents the vocal cords from being able to open and close with the normal characteristic rippling effect that we associate with maintaining a consistent pitch. Vocal cord cysts are less common than nodules or polyps.

There are two types of vocal cord cysts. There are mucous retention cysts, and there are epidermoid cysts.

Torn vocal cords

When someone consistently places an excessive unhealthy pressure on their vocal cords or the walls of their throat, they will first start off with either mild laryngitis or loss of normal voice. If the unhealthy practices are continued, the singer runs the risk of developing nodules or polyps. In the worst case scenario, they can actually tear vocal cords and damage nerves. The big one for us is the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which is a branch of the vagus nerve (cranial nerve).

As you can imagine, a torn vocal cord is a very serious issue for singers. Without the assistance of an extremely experienced and capable ear, nose and throat surgeon, this is not an injury that a singer can recover from just by having some time off.

An example of a torn or ruptured vocal cord was James LaBrie from the band Dream Theatre. James was on tour in Cuba and had violent food poisoning. In the act of vomiting, James tore or ruptured one of his vocal cords. I believe he still went on stage and performed his set with the band shortly thereafter, and the damage was so bad that they had to cancel shows, with James travelling straight back to the United States to seek urgent medical treatment. It took James 7-8 years to recover from his injury.

Vocal cord paralysis

Paralysis of the vocal cords is defined as when one or both of the vocal cords aren’t able to open and close properly. When one vocal cord is not opening or closing properly, it can be either paralysed, or partially paralysed.

If you have vocal cord paralysis, one or both of the vocal cords might remain open. This is a very severe condition for singers, speakers, or anyone for that matter. If the vocal cords remain open, they leave the air passage and the lungs unprotected from foreign objects from entering the airway.

Vocal cord paralysis can be caused by extended bouts of viral conditions, or by blows to the head, neck or chest. It can also be caused through various lung or thyroid cancers or tumors. In extreme conditions, for example operating with extreme screaming, it is possible to impact the main vocal nerves and impair normal function.

If you are suffering from any kind of vocal condition, or you’ve noticed that you’ve lost strength or vocal range, don’t delay and contact me immediately so that we can identify appropriate forms of coaching treatment, or I can put you in touch with an ear nose and throat specialist.

Better information leads to better singing!

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