Exercise and Singing

Can anyone comment on whether or not getting in shape

can cause a big change in the your voice's tone and timbre?

Or is singing basically internal and the outside body doesn't matter so much?

I would say technique is more important. But exercise is definitely important. Singing actually requires some degree of body strength. Some days I have trouble singing because my body is tired overall. My body actually gives out before my throat does. lol.

My general opinion regarding the exercise/singing debate is.. If you're a scrawny kid, then you need to build up some muscle. If you're overweight then lose some weight for overall health benefits. And if you're a weightlifter then don't grunt while doing your reps, grunting is brutal on the vocal cords. I've done it while at the gym a few months back, and I couldn't get a clean falsetto for a couple of weeks.

Mama Cass was not slim or fit and she had a great voice.

Ah, but if she was more fit would she have been a better singer?

Getting in "shape" means you'll be breathing better and longer. That is the first thing that will improve everything else about your voice. There may have been plenty of great singers in history that seemed out of shape, but they were professionals and conditioned their voices to fit their bodies, not the other way around. Those guys learned to function in that world .... doesn't often work out in the long run.

Of course, it always helps to be healthy.

I think that fitness would affect breath support more than anything. The less weight the body has to haul around the less oxygen the body will need and the more can be used for singing. In general my voice wouldn't be any better but my technique, projection and sustainable notes would be better and I could run around the stage more without having to gasp for air.

Ironically it is believed she died from a heart attack brought on as a result of... (drum roll) an 80lb weight loss achieved by fasting herself 4 days a week for 8 months (cymbal)

I went from lousy to great shape (now it's only OK) and there was no impact on the singing. Still nice to be fit....

And she died well before her time. Michelle Phillips is the only original member still living. Both John Philips and Denny Doherty lived almost 30 years longer than Mama Cass, even though mama Cass had actually lost over 80lbs at the time of her death.

You beat me to it.

Did you see any of the pictures of her after the weightloss? She almost didn't look like the same woman. I figured she was virtually starving herself.

Of course, she would have.

Being muscular in the diaphragm area can really help with support. There's also the fact that exercise will help you feel less exhausted during the day/while singing.

Singing is a very physical thing to do... of course exercising can aid that.

And when it comes to performance... well...

I've never seen Adele move much on stage