One thing to do with a.... dry throat...

[kickingtone]

Had a bit of a dry throat (I'd eaten some throat drying stuff!), but I decided to take advantage, instead of immediately reaching for a drink.

 

When singing with a slightly dry throat, you are forced to be more precise with your vocal technique to stop your voice from cracking.

 

(You've got to know when you can do this, when you can't, and when to stop, if you don't want to cause any damage.)

 

It's a good diagnostic tool. Handy for practice, but perhaps not so useful for a production scenario!

 

The main thing I found was that I had to exaggerate the shape of my vocal tract. That is how it felt, initially, but it quickly started to feel normal.

 

I dug into my 10 second clip practice archives for what to practice. Each clip has a purpose...

 

Practise soft and loud:

 

 

Practise call "register" (a bit of vocal fry creeping in, due to the dry throat):

 

 

Funny one, this. You know those phrases where there seems to be nowhere to take a breath. That's what happens to me with this old song. Then I figured out that it was caused only by the psychology of the lyrics, ha! The grandfather clock didn't take time out...

So this has become one of my "long phrase" practice clips. One breath for the first nine seconds, all due to the psychology of the lyrics!

 

 

Practise falsetto mix and 'ee' vowel:

 

 

Practise blend and timing:

 

 

Verily, 'twas fun. They are all impromptu, cos they are only for practice. I don't check the songs against any originals, so the melody lines may be different.

 

The trolls will be here soon. Ignore them! Keep positive. Keep singing!

[kickingtone]

BRAVO! One of the trolls has managed to get himself some attention.

 

IGNORE HIM.

 

I've highlighted the important sentence in the OP.

 

If you only learn to sing under OPTIMAL conditions, you will CLAM UP under any kind of pressure. That is general advice, too, for anything.

 

You need to "train in" some resilience.

 

For example, learning to sing in the shower, with plenty of humidity in the air, will not prepare you for singing in a studio.

 

You have to practise under real conditions, for actual variations in your metabolism, and for sub-optimal things outside your control.

 

THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTISE SINGING UNDER THE DRIEST WORKING CONDITIONS YOU ARE REASONABLY LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER. BEING COMPLETELY "DEHYDRATED" IS NOT REASONABLE, AND NOT ONE OF THOSE CONDITIONS.

 

(Some trolls are dangerous with their distortions. This is a serious topic.)

 

You can hear clearly from my samples that I am not "dehydrated".

 

Always take care with your voice, and IGNORE THE TROLLS!

[kickingtone]

For comparison, later, after grabbing me a drink...

 

 

 

[CosmicDolphin]

More bizzarre opinion dressed as fact. Ask the wardens to put the silica gel somewhere where you can't eat it.

[CosmicDolphin]

Infact SLM when I asked this question for members to back there claim up with actuly fact on your homerecording forum' date=' to ridiculous claims like one looses there talent before the age of 14 it is simply removed and I am banned![/quote']

 

Hey I managed to get banned from there without even posting anything !...What sort of person gets someone's IP address blocked from a site they don't even actively use ?

 

I emailed the Mods on principle and it seems to be working again but the whole thing is weird.

 

 

[davie]

Okay, so the question remains, what exactly did you eat??

[kickingtone]

Okay' date=' so the question remains, what exactly did you eat??[/quote']

 

hi davie,

 

I'd had a very salty stew the previous day, followed by a couple of eggs (salt added, ha ha) the next morning, then there was quite a bit of sugary fruit later on! -- a mango, a couple of nectarines and a couple of satsumas!

 

I find that the speed at which I have to replace water also depends a lot on the temperature, the humidity and how active I am. There was a two mile walk the evening before, and another two mile walk in the morning (anything less than two miles, carrying less than 10kg, I walk) . I walk quickly too, which means breathing faster, and more air through the larynx. Weather was reasonably humid though.

 

I don't believe in the "X gallons of water a day thing". For me, it is the balance of water with salts and minerals that is important. (A reason I read for this is that the salts and minerals are what keep the cells of the body water retentive. Too much water washes them away, then drinking more water becomes a bad idea, because the water then tends to go straight through, simply washing away more minerals. That is why salt intake is important for hydration, especially in summer. Too much water can actually dehydrate you, in the long run. So, you have to monitor the right balance of salts and minerals, rather than simply throwing water at your metabolism! And that is the problem with junk food -- you need so much water to wash away the junk, that it becomes hard to strike the correct balance. That, or the body stores the junk -- in fatty tissue, mainly).

 

Also, the bulk of my water intake comes from fruit and veg. That is the ideal source. Most of their weight is water, although the water takes longer to metabolize and filter through the system. Sometimes, rather than drink water, it is only a matter of waiting for digestion of fruit and veg to complete. (i am not a fan of "isotonic" drinks, even though they are supposed to achieve the osmotic balance, in theory).

 

.