Singers, do you have an important performance, audition or recording session coming up? In order for your voice to be in it's top shape, you must be rested. That means do your heavy rehearsing ahead of time and only practice or vocalize lightly the days before your performance.
The vocal cords themselves are muscles which can fatigue, and the larynx is a complex organ with muscles, joints, ligaments and all sorts of moving parts that work together very precisely. Beyond this, the vocal mechanism is a a very special case because human body tissue, with the exception of the vocal cords, was not designed to vibrate. The vibrating of the cords make them swell up due to edema if you over-use them, and then they don't work properly. The voice does not get stronger, short term, from use but weaker. Smart singers save their voices for the big events. Think of major league baseball pitchers, do they try to perform on less than the optimal amount of rest? Of course not! They would not be in top form and might even injure themselves, and singers are the same.
How much rest is needed? Only experience will will tell you. It depends on your individual voice and what repertoire you are singing. But err on the side of caution. Once you have over sung the genie is out of the bottle and your voice is at a disadvantage.
So be prepared, learn your music ahead of time, rest up and sing gloriously, when it counts most!
© Lori Joachim Fredrics
Pepper Guy Says: "Great tip Lori!"
Good tips! Also warming up is important. I used to think warming up was a term for light practicing. However, our church lost its heat a couple of weeks ago, and we all thought the hymns were pitched higher than normal. Nope! Our vocal cords (as well as everything else) were cold.
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