Top Ten Tips & Cures for a Lost Singing Voice (Updated November 2022)

So you've scored a really great gig and you''re getting more and more excited about it as D-day draws near.  Then it happens...  You wake up one morning and realise that your singing voice has gone AWOL!  It could be down to a cold or cough... or you spent too much time in a smoky atmosphere... or you've been out the night before shouting over loud music... or you were shouting at your favourite sports team during the match...  or you've been overworking and not getting enough sleep... or ... well, to be honest it doesn't matter what the cause was.  All you want to know is how to fix it.  Below are the top tips from various sources for the best ways to get rid of that "frog" fast.

In no particular order:

1  Steam

A steam treatment can break up nasal congestion.  You inhale the steam while holding your face over a bowl of hot water whilst covering your head with a towel.  Probably needs to be done every couple of hours if the problem is severe.  Most people seem to think plain steam is best but variations include adding herbs and essences such as eucalyptus, peppermint, sage, thyme, chamomile, rosemary, pine, oregano and juniper.


2  Nasal Saline Irrigation


Cleaning out the sinuses with salt water is an old remedy to alleviate congestion.  A saline solution (using distilled water) is poured or sprayed into the nostril and then flows through the sinuses, cleaning out bacteria and allergens.

Here are a couple that I've bought over the years:

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Economy-Light-Weight-Neti-Pot-Friendly/dp/B072MLPNKS/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=neti+pot&qid=1669654879&sr=8-15

Amazon.uk https://www.amazon.com/Economy-Light-Weight-Neti-Pot-Friendly/dp/B072MLPNKS/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=neti+pot&qid=1669654879&sr=8-15

3  Pastilles and Potions


There are many types of throat pastilles and mixtures available over the counter at the pharmacy.

Pastilles:  Fisherman's Friend, Vocalzone and various other throat sweets/pastilles can be bought easily from most stores.

Liquids:  Glycerin linctus, pure glycerin and manuka honey all have their fans.


4  Medicines


Personally, I wouldn't recommend using any medicines unless prescribed by your doctor as the voice is such a delicate instrument.  However, some swear by using cough mixture in order to thin the mucous, as a temporary cure.  But make sure to use the gentler children's version!  Gargling with soluble aspirin has also been mentioned.


5  Drinks


My personal favourite for a voice that's playing hard to get is a hot drink made with boiled water, honey, lemon juice, fresh grated ginger and a tot of rum (optional). For me, it's the ginger that does it - the hotter the better - and it seems to chase away any colds that may be hovering about too.


Other suggestions are:  Gargling with hot water with honey and cider vinegar; gargling warm salt water; drinking fresh pineapple juice; drinking hot and cold drinks alternately every half hour (apparently this works like a hot/cold compress does on the body); drinking lots and lots of water!


6  Herbs and Spices


Recommended herbs for the voice are freshly-grated ginger, sage, turmeric.  These can all be used in solutions for gargling.


7  Vocal Exercises


Consider how you are warming up.  Make sure that the warm ups you do are not only exercising the larynx, but also warming up your voice when you bring chest resonance into play.  Your voice resonating and vibrating in your chest will work to dislodge some of the mucus before you start singing.  Lip trills are good.  Also short sharp notes sung using the diaphragm - sounds like laughing and is a lot of fun!


8  Rest


Sometimes though what the voice really needs is some good old R&R.  Try not to speak much and definitely don't shout or raise your voice.  Fresh air and exercise could also help to kick any lurking bugs and make sure to get plenty of sleep.


9  Voice Specialists


If all else fails, it might be time to call in the specialists.  I'm sure there are many qualified practitioners out there but it's always best with this sort of thing to get recommendations.

10 Miscellaneous

Not so sure about some of these but if you're desperate they might be worth a shot:

• Avoiding diary products - thought to create excess mucus
• Taking lots of Vitamin C
• Eating crisps (yes, someone seriously recommends this!)

And finally...


Prevention is better than cure


Drink lots of water, eat healthy to make sure you get all your vitamins and minerals, get plenty of sleep, wash your hands often to avoid bugs and viruses, avoid too much alcohol or caffeine. For dry air due to arid climates or indoor heating, use a hot steam vaporizer. Avoid stress and emotional upset before shows or recording. If you are taking an airplane,  wrap a scarf around your mouth to protect your voice from dry air. Also, try a sleep collar or scarf to keep your  throat warm.  But of course, all this is much easier said than done.  :-)  Good luck!




Special thanks to Tamsin Collison for many of the ideas in this article.

UK Jazz Tour - Gigs 5 & 6 of 12 - Hawth, Crawley & Camberwell Crypt

We're half way through!

The Hawth is a lovely venue.  A proper but cosy little studio theatre with raked seating. Only thing is when I was on stage the audience was in complete darkness which meant I could see no-one at all!  I love to see the faces of the audience while I'm singing so that made it a little difficult but I made up for this by going out and meeting them all during the interval...

The Hawth Theatre

George, Oli and Milo on stage during soundcheck

 

Somr of the people I met during the interval



Brian (a jazz photographer) and his wife.  He took lots of pictures of me during
 the show so I thought it only fair to return the favour!



Me with 2 lovely ladies -  She looks as if she's about to kiss me
but think she was just caught mid sentence!



Taken by a professional - Brian O'Connor



Another photo from Brian O'Connor (See my photo of Brian above!)



Oli was back with us for these 2 gigs and it was lovely to play with him and hear stories of his tour in Ireland with Zoe Rahman.  The promoter also arranged for us to be given a hot meal before the performance.  This seems like a luxury but really it should be a necessity as when we've travelled for hours it can be tough to then have to go out looking for somewhere to get a meal with only minutes to spare after the soundcheck.  And that's not to mention the added cost!  I wish all promoters would consider this.

Then the next day we were in my home town of London for my first performance at the Camberwell Crypt.  I've been to this venue as part of the audience before and always loved it so it was great to be performing there.  Again we had a meal before the performance and I highly recommend the food.  Especially the puddings.  Yum!

What was particularly good about this venue is that it's full of young people.  A real rarity in jazz.  There were more than a hundred people there and the average age definitely seemed to be under thirty.  Maybe we shouldn't be so pessimistic about the future of jazz after all?



The sign says "Welcome To The Crypt"  A bit spooky, no?  Muhahahahaha!




Some of the lovely people at the gig

 

More lovely people.  And the girl on the left has spectacular hair!



Juliet Kelly's Vocal Zone - December Playlist

I'm loving being a presenter for UK Jazz Radio!  It's great to help in some small way to give current jazz vocalists more exposure.  In December's show I focus on singers I believe are underrated.  Here's the playlist:

December - Underated (on air from Sat 4th Dec)

Sheila Jordan – Little Song/Blackbird (Little Song – High Note)

Frank Holder – As Long As I Live (Ballads Blues Bop – Mainstem)

Christine Tobin – Bye Bye (Secret Life of A Girl – Babel)

Vanessa Rubin – Simone (Pastiche – Novus)

Vanessa Rubin – Tenderly (Soul Eyes – Novus)

Vanessa Rubin – Yardbird Suite (I’m Glad There is You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae – Novus)

Beady Belle – Apron Strings (Belvedere - Universal)

Carmen Lundy – Moment to Moment (Moment to Moment - Arabesque)

Jacqui Dankworth – Sign Your Name (Courtney Pine’s Devotion – Destin-E)

Sheila Jordan – If I Should Lose You (Little Song – High Note)

For January's show the theme will be British vocalists.

Juliet Kelly's Vocal Zone - November Playlist

10 Tips to Improve Your Voice and Become a Better Singer

I came to singing quite late compared to most.  No school or church choir for me.  So when I started studying jazz singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, I became very quickly aware of just how much I didn't know!  But I was a quick learner and soon got to the stage where I was passing on my newly acquired knowledge in workshops and adult education classes as well as private singing lessons.  I stopped teaching a couple of years ago but am often asked for lessons from singers who have come to see me perform or visited my website.  I don't really have much time for teaching these days so thought I'd pass on these tips to help singers and would-be singers improve and make the best of their voices. 

1.  Breathing:  I know it sounds boring but breathing really is the cornerstone of all singing.  Or maybe I should phrase that differently...  It's really all about breath control.  The most common mistake seen with novice singers is that when they take a deep breath, they end up with their shoulders around their ears.  Most of the expansion should take place in the lower part of the chest and this is known as diaphragmatic breathing.  Sounds complicated but in simple terms it is just making sure that your lungs fill up from the bottom first and on no account should those shoulders be raised.  Also be careful that you're not holding your stomach in.  So often we try to flatten our stomachs by holding them in (especially if there's a bit of excess baggage in that area!) but to breathe correctly, especially at the beginning, we really need to let it all hang out!  A good exercise is to practise deep breathing whilst lying flat on the floor which prevents shoulders from raising as we breathe in.  After you have mastered diaphragmatic breathing you will then move on to controlling the flow of air and soon you'll be able to impress with those super long notes!

2.  Mirror:  I could also have called this tip Posture but I've called it mirror because if you're on your own you'll need a mirror to check your posture and the position of your mouth and jaw.  Shoulders need to be relaxed and down, weight ideally balanced (no hunching and no putting most of your weight on one foot!) and the mouth needs to be open fairly wide with the jaw relaxed.  This is the position that should be adopted for vocal exercises.  We'll come to those later.

3.  Relax:  This follows on from the point about the shoulders - keep them back and down.  But the throat, jaw and chest also need to be relaxed.  I know - it's easier said than done!  If there's tension in your throat you'll end up straining your voice.  In most cases, if your throat hurts when you sing, then you're doing something wrong.

4.  Listen:  It always surprises me how little time singers who are just starting out devote to listening to other singers and instrumentalists.  In jazz this is doubly important - in fact I'd say it's mandatory.  As I mentioned earlier, I starting singing quite late and I'd never listened to jazz much before I started singing it.  But I made up for that by listening to the greats like Ella Fitgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone etc etc for hours upon end.  I also listened to instrumentalists like Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock and many more.  Most importantly, get out and go and see today's artists performing live.  On that note (ahem), this link takes you to a list of my upcoming gigs. :-) Juliet Kelly Live  And if you're a jazz singer, please remember that you also need to go and listen to instrumentalists as well as singers. 

5.  Record Yourself:  I know it's painful sometimes but it really helps A LOT to listen to recordings and or videos of yourself singing.  It helps you to hear where you're going wrong as it's sometimes difficult to tell "in the moment".  And if nothing else, it will be a record of how much you've improved a few months down the line!

6.  Lyrics:  For me, performance is equally as important as vocal technique.  And as a singer, if you only pay attention to the melody, tone and rhythm you may sound amazing but this may be at the expense of making a connection with the audience.  Of course your technique matters and a great tone and a beautiful sounding instrument is important but as a singer you have the bonus of being able to communicate to the audience with lyrics.  To make the most of this, think about the lyrics and the meaning of them and use this to inform the choices you make about your tone and phrasing.   

7.  Find A Teacher:  This is not always absolutely necessary but if you intend to sing professionally, I would advise going to see a vocal coach or singing teacher at some point.  It's probably most useful at the beginning as it stops you getting into bad habits but can also be useful later on to move your technique to the next level.  Always get a recommendation as, like anything else, there are a lot of bad teachers out there as well as good ones.

8.  Quit:  Okay - I know this won't be popular but if you're a smoker, it really will help your voice if you quit smoking.  There are a lucky few who can smoke 50-a-day and still have a beautiful tone and powerful lungs but these are very few and far between.  Why not quit for 3 months and then if you really don't see any improvement in your breathing, your range or tone then start smoking again... ;-)

9.  Find Your Own Style:  When we first start out it makes sense for us to emulate the singers we love and that's totally fine.  But there will come a time when, to stand out from the crowd, you'll need to develop your own style.  Everyone has a different physical and psychological make up - why not make your unique sound your strength rather than trying to sound like someone else? 

10.  Practice:  Couldn't leave this obvious one out!  Little and often is more effective than getting all enthusiastic and doing 3 hours one day and then leaving it for a couple of weeks. Try to do at least 10mins a day to start off with.  There are some excellent free videos on YouTube.

Wow!  That turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be but I hope you've found some useful information here.  Please feel free to comment and/or add your own tips.  And please don't hesitate to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer!