How do pro singers clear their throat inbetween takes?

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Diluted lemon juice.


On 24 May 2005 13:14:18 -0700, ignacedhont@wanadoo.nl wrote:

>One of the things I heard is that you shouldn't present very hot or
>cold drinks to the singer as this will affect his/her vocal chords and
>ability to sing in tune. Makes sense I guess.
>
>Drinks/snacks holding sugar are also supposed to have a negative effect
>on the purity of the vocal sound. Might be true I guess, some of the
>vocalists I record refuse everything but water.
>
>Sometimes during a session a singer can develop a "grainy" quality that
>is sometimes undesireable. They try to get rid of it by coughing
>violently but this doesn't always work. Is there some supplement that
>really clears the throat and is used commonly in recording studio's?
>
>Oh.. and no sexy jokes please.
>

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<ignacedhont@wanadoo.nl> wrote in message
news:1116965658.598581.100500@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> One of the things I heard is that you shouldn't present very hot or
> cold drinks to the singer as this will affect his/her vocal chords and
> ability to sing in tune. Makes sense I guess.
>
> Drinks/snacks holding sugar are also supposed to have a negative effect
> on the purity of the vocal sound. Might be true I guess, some of the
> vocalists I record refuse everything but water.
>
Most (more than 90%) of the singers I record here are 'professionals', in
the sense that they make a living in the studio as session singers. And
their drink choices are as varied as they are. Some drink ice cold bottled
water, some drink coffee (with and without cream and sugar). Some come in
with one of those 64 ounce sodas from the convenience store, and some drink
the juices that I keep in the fridge. I don't think that it's really an
issue for those who do it every day - at least, not from my perspective.

As an aside, the Kenyan who won the Music City Marathon last year spent
about half an hour immediately after the race alternating swigs of black
coffee and sips from a bottle of champagne. That would have killed me, but
he had no problems with it.
--
Dave Martin
DMA, Inc
Nashville, TN

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"Willie K. Yee, MD" <wkyee@bestweb.net> wrote in message
news:4293a1f6.80045671@nntp.bestweb.net...
>
>
> Diluted lemon juice.

Really ? on dry vocal chords . .ouch. . . Most (classical) singers I know
stay away from lemon anything while singing. . .

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"They try to get rid of it by coughing violently"...haha. Talk about the
exact opposite of what you should do! The only thing worse than coughing for
your vocal cords is clearing your throat.

Lemon water and all of that are OK but remember that this does not reach
your vocal chords. It can help clean out junk in the mouth and throat but if
there is junk on the cords themselves it isn't going to help. This really
comes down to the singer's technique, environmental conditions, etc.

If the singer has poor technique or the environment is in some way causing
problems (smoke, late at night, singing too much) and the vocal cords are
getting sloppy then it is because they are trying to protect themselves from
the irritant(s). This is a warning sign that should not be ignored, and
there isn't a magical solution to fix it except resolving the cause.
Sometimes drinking caffeine or taking some medicine to dry up the sinuses
can help cause it will reduce that stuff as well (although too much and you
will get a tickle in your throat cause they are too dry). The absolute best
thing to do is not something at the time...it is having the vocalist start
to drink lots of water about a day before.

That said, I was doing a master class with Jerry Hadley a few years back
(the famous American tenor) and he was smoking at the restaurant later that
night. What can you say.

-Ben

<ignacedhont@wanadoo.nl> wrote in message
news:1116965658.598581.100500@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> One of the things I heard is that you shouldn't present very hot or
> cold drinks to the singer as this will affect his/her vocal chords and
> ability to sing in tune. Makes sense I guess.
>
> Drinks/snacks holding sugar are also supposed to have a negative effect
> on the purity of the vocal sound. Might be true I guess, some of the
> vocalists I record refuse everything but water.
>
> Sometimes during a session a singer can develop a "grainy" quality that
> is sometimes undesireable. They try to get rid of it by coughing
> violently but this doesn't always work. Is there some supplement that
> really clears the throat and is used commonly in recording studio's?
>
> Oh.. and no sexy jokes please.
>

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

ignacedhont@wanadoo.nl wrote:
> One of the things I heard is that you shouldn't present very hot or
> cold drinks to the singer as this will affect his/her vocal chords and
> ability to sing in tune. Makes sense I guess.
>
> Drinks/snacks holding sugar are also supposed to have a negative effect
> on the purity of the vocal sound. Might be true I guess, some of the
> vocalists I record refuse everything but water.
>
> Sometimes during a session a singer can develop a "grainy" quality that
> is sometimes undesireable. They try to get rid of it by coughing
> violently but this doesn't always work. Is there some supplement that
> really clears the throat and is used commonly in recording studio's?
>
> Oh.. and no sexy jokes please.

I recommend AGAINST water and watery lemon juice mix. IMO, water washes
away the mucus which the throat is trying to produce. The mucus is
there for a reason - to keep the throat coated. Water pre-hydration is
fine - up to maybe 15 min before performance. I'd also stay away from
anything carbonated, tho I still maintain that the difference between a
pro singer and an amateur singer is the pro's ability to hide a burp in
the middle of a note...

I'd think coughing is the one of the most dangerous things a singer can
do to their voice. Maybe rest, and proper warm-up is the answer.

Amy Grant used to eat potato chips while recording - she liked the
coating the oils gave her throat. Worked for her - she had/has timbre
to die for!

Mikey Wozniak
Nova Music Productions
this sig is haiku

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"novamusic" <novamusic@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> I recommend AGAINST water and watery lemon juice mix. IMO, water washes
> away the mucus which the throat is trying to produce. The mucus is
> there for a reason - to keep the throat coated.

A nice cup of mucus it is then !

>Water pre-hydration is
> fine - up to maybe 15 min before performance. I'd also stay away from
> anything carbonated, tho I still maintain that the difference between a
> pro singer and an amateur singer is the pro's ability to hide a burp in
> the middle of a note...
>
> I'd think coughing is the one of the most dangerous things a singer can
> do to their voice. Maybe rest, and proper warm-up is the answer.

Certainly - inflames things beautifully.

> Amy Grant used to eat potato chips while recording - she liked the
> coating the oils gave her throat. Worked for her - she had/has timbre
> to die for!

But you get fat ! I'd like to re-iterate a big NO for any drinks with sugar
in them. Almost like drinking superglue when it comes to singning.


geoff

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Hey, my post delivered more answers than I expected. Thanks for your
contributions!

There seems to be no "secret" ingridient then, just common sense.

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ignacedhont@wanadoo.nl wrote:
> One of the things I heard is that you shouldn't present very hot or
> cold drinks to the singer as this will affect his/her vocal chords and
> ability to sing in tune. Makes sense I guess.
>
> Drinks/snacks holding sugar are also supposed to have a negative effect
> on the purity of the vocal sound. Might be true I guess, some of the
> vocalists I record refuse everything but water.
>
> Sometimes during a session a singer can develop a "grainy" quality that
> is sometimes undesireable. They try to get rid of it by coughing
> violently but this doesn't always work. Is there some supplement that
> really clears the throat and is used commonly in recording studio's?
>
> Oh.. and no sexy jokes please.
>

I've heard licorice tea is great....I always find that warm, or slightly
hot beverages help relax my throat, which works well for some singing
styles. Other singing styles a little straight bourbon helps relax vocal
chords (and nerves as well) and smooth out any harshness......milk and
dairy is always off limits to singers as it creates too much phlegm (sp?)

Jonny Durango

Mr. Buble would you be willing to have a listen to my voice
I'm a striving Opera singer
My name is Alyssa Paonessa