Question to the expert: Why even professional singers lose voice
Text: Gayana Demurina
RESPONSES TO THE MAJORITY OF US QUESTIONS we are all used to searching online. In this series of materials we ask precisely such questions - burning, unexpected or widespread - to professionals in various fields.
To return from a concert of your favorite band without a voice or hoarse because of a seasonal cold - for most of us is just an annoying trifle. But for professional artists, any problem with the voice is a serious blow and a possible career threat; This year, Adele, for this reason, canceled the concerts, leaving two hundred thousand fans disappointed and even angry. Stars - both Russian and foreign - insure their votes for millions of dollars. How is it that the vocal cords fail experienced singers who, it would seem, are fluent in them? Why sometimes the voice disappears, how to avoid it and what to do if the moment is missed? We asked experts to answer these questions.
Olga Levy
voice and vocal teacher
A beautiful voice is 90% dependent on inner calm and only 10% on vocal technique. If the bundles work normally, then anyone can learn to own a voice, although this takes time. But even a trained person finds it difficult to cope with anxiety. During stress, the larynx rises, the voice ceases to obey, begins to break. There are techniques that allow you to overcome this state, and special exercises even teach how to shout without damaging your voice. If a person is diligently engaged in vocal, but can not sing - probably he has some kind of unexploited psychological clips. In this case, you need to find the root of the problems that do not allow to relax.
Singers break the voice for the same reason. When psychological stress occurs spasm of the vocal cords. Generally, if the body has at least something spasm, there is no complete relaxation - the voice will no longer increase, it becomes quieter. The person worries, strains the vocal cords more strongly, tries to strengthen the weakened voice - and disrupts it. This does not mean that it is impossible, for example, to sing very loudly. You can significantly develop your range, take very high and very low sounds to form a working area, determine the tonality. The work zone is the timbre by which the musician is assessed. But in order to define it, you still need to know the vocal techniques, do the exercises and understand how the voice works.
Unfortunately, even when working with a professional, there is a risk of learning to sing "wrong". But still it is worth finding a proven vocal teacher. People who possess natural instincts often do not know about the scale of their abilities, and a teacher with the help of various methods will be able to inculcate the right mechanical sensations in a person; This will help to develop your own voice and your own timbre.
You can restore the lost sound if you work with a phonopedist, a specialist who helps restore the voice after operations and other injuries. In the case of knots or scars, special phonophysical studies will have to be given more time than with loss of muscle tone. For the second option, suitable phonetic techniques, such as singing on the inhale and exhale. When this happens, the necessary muscles are massaged with air pressure, and the ligaments gradually come to a healthy state.
Tatyana Chereshneva
otorhinolaryngologist, head of the ENT department of the Bolshoi Polyclinic
To understand why the voice disappears, you need to know how the vocal folds work - they are often called the vocal cords, but in reality they consist mainly of muscles and are covered with mucous membranes. The sound occurs when, due to the flow of exhaled air, two folds begin to vibrate. When inhaling, they diverge and let the air in, and if we speak or sing, they close tightly and the voice is heard well and clearly. Problems arise as soon as something prevents the folds from coming together correctly.
Like any muscle, the vocal folds are activated by a nerve impulse. It is therefore very important that the nervous system as a whole is in order. Prolonged exertion without proper rest (what vocalists often commit) and even climate change can deprive the ligaments of their tone, and weakness will not allow them to close completely; then a gap is formed between them, which is why the voice sounds unclean, hoarseness arises or the tone changes. The same happens when we get sick, only now the symptoms of laryngitis are harmful to the voice: the larynx is inflamed, redness and swelling appear.
There are also mechanical obstacles, such as "singing nodules" - clusters of cells that grow on the ligaments due to severe vocal stresses or untreated inflammations. More often they appear in singers, but in general they are found in all those who have to use a lot of voice. Such formations are not reborn or dangerous if they are not related to polyps or viral papillomas. But the knots prevent the bundles from connecting and spoil the sound, which especially interferes with the artists, so they are removed. After the micro-operation, the fold edge becomes even again - the problem goes away, and it remains only once or twice a year to check whether everything is in order.
We can still speak about the mechanical action when we break the voice because of a sharp, strong, cry. Shouting does not have to be long, but the strain that occurs at the moment in the vocal muscles may cause inflammation or even hemorrhage. The latter, by the way, is the most dangerous thing - after it a scar can remain on the folds, and the muscles will lose elasticity. Accordingly, the sound quality will also change. In this case, it is necessary to do the operation, but it is difficult to predict how the rehabilitation will take place. Sometimes the vocalists can no longer continue their careers, but it happens that the hemorrhage was eliminated on time and everything goes without consequences.
If you are hoarse, the main thing is to ensure complete voice tranquility for yourself, that is, to stop talking until recovery. If you do not observe the restriction, it will take longer and more painful to get out of this state. Maintain communication can (and should) only with a pen and paper or text messages. If a person broke his voice, he in no case can not move on to a whisper, as this will increase muscle tension and aggravate the main problem. Reading books and listening to music is also forbidden, since during these processes the bundles continue to vibrate unnoticed by us. Especially professional musicians.
It is necessary to understand that everyone needs different time for rehabilitation. Subject to the prescribed mode, it is possible to get in shape faster. On average, the ban on voice loads and medication continues for about a month. The patient receives anti-inflammatory and antihistamine drugs in pills, and also calcium injections - it helps to restore the state of the vocal cords. Local means may also be used, which are introduced directly into the larynx.
You can also prevent voice problems. Prevention for any person comes down to simple rules of a healthy lifestyle: it is worth evenly distributing the load and not going to work with your head, not to neglect a full sleep, to deal with the effects of stress and try not to get sick. And do not be lazy to maintain voice “hygiene”: rinsing, rinsing, inhalation after consultation with a specialist and, if necessary, will make life a little more pleasant.
Photo: Tiler84 - stock.adobe.com, benschonewille - stock.adobe.com