Have you ever seen a jazz pianist roll his Steinway outside to practice during a thunderstorm? Or a concert violinist use her Stradivarius to clear the snow off her walkway? I’m guessing you haven’t. But over the years, I’ve seen too many voice-over colleagues treat their own instruments just as carelessly.
Unfortunately you can’t put your vocal cords in a hard-sided case.
Your voice isn’t just your instrument – it’s your money-maker. No voice equals no work. There are many habits you should cultivate in order to keep it performing to the maximum of its ability – and there are just as many habits you should avoid.
First off, vocal health is part of your overall physical health. It’s hard to have a healthy voice if your body isn’t healthy. It therefore makes sense to follow the same advice that applies to everyone: don’t smoke, manage stress, exercise regularly, and eat well. As voice actors, we have an additional area of focus: our vocal cords.
The biggest favor you can do your vocal cords is to keep them hydrated. When they’re not, you can strain your voice much more easily. If you have a session scheduled, don’t wait until you arrive at the studio to start hydrating. It takes about four hours for the water you drink to have any effect on your vocal cords. You should get used to having a room-temperature water bottle close at hand throughout your day (decaffeinated tea works too).
You should also be mindful of your voice when you’re not recording. Do you yell and scream at sporting events or concerts? Do you sing along to music in the car? Do you have conversations in noisy environments? Any of these can strain your voice enough to put it out of commission for a day or two – and if you don’t then practice vocal rest, you could cause more serious damage. One voice-over friend reluctantly had to give up coaching her youth soccer team because it meant yelling for hours at a time. I’ve learned to “mime” yelling at concerts and baseball games, as I figure there are plenty of others to pick up the slack (though I must admit I still sing in the car).
The impact of this behavior was brought home to me when I attended a two-day animation workshop a few years ago. On Day One, the instructor brought in an old script from an animated series and had us audition for each of the parts. At the end of the day, he cast everyone, and on Day Two we were supposed to record our parts.
However, that night there was a Voice-Over Mixer at a New York club. I had been to similar events before, and while they were fun, I knew that the loud music and crowd size made conversation tricky. So, while I skipped it, at least half the class decided to go. The next morning, most of the party-goers were in no shape to perform their parts, much to the instructor’s annoyance, and he had to scramble to re-cast the whole thing. Just imagine the damage to their reputations had this been a real session.
One final note that may apply to some of you: if you are ever in need of surgery that requires anesthesia, have a chat with your anesthesiologist beforehand. Normally they will intubate you, which involves having a hard plastic tube inserted into your windpipe. At best it will give you a sore throat and hoarse voice for a few days. At worst, it could permanently damage your vocal cords (and you have to sign a disclaimer acknowledging this).
Depending on the procedure, the anesthesiologist may be able to use something called a Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) instead. This doesn’t reach down to the vocal cords, and can be a better option for you. Obviously, speak to your doctors about this in your particular situation.
I’ve only scratched the surface of the subject of vocal health, but I can sum it up in one sentence: be good to your voice, and it will be good to you.
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