The
10 Commandments Every Serious Singer Should Keep
1. THOU
SHALT keep the vocal cords moist at all times.
a) Consume
at least 8 glasses of water a day.
b)Stay away
from excessive amounts of diuretics (substances that dehydrate your body and
your vocal chords.) Two of the number one culprits are Alcohol and
Caffeine. So.. think twice before you have that second
cup.
c) The real
serious singer will sleep with a humidifier to make sure the vocal chords are
kept moist during sleep.
2. THOU
SHALT get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. A singer's body is his/her
instrument. Mistreat your instrument and it will show. Make sure to
give your body an voice the proper rest it deserves.
3. THOU
SHALT not smoke. Among other incredible health concerns, smoking dries out
the mucous membrane lining of the nose & throat which adversely affects the
voice.
4.
THOU SHALT not overuse or mistreat the voice. This would include talking
over loud noises such as groups of people and loud machinery. Just like
any other muscle, your vocal membranes and muscles can suffer from
fatigue. In other words, don't talk too much! It is also stressful
to the voice to talk too quickly, so slow it down
5. THOU
SHALT protect yourself from stress and nerve attacks prior to
performances. I suggest the following to fight the gig day
jitters:
a. Develop
a checklist for gig preparation. It might include dry cleaning, reviewing
lyrics, or getting your nails done! (Follow these guidelines and you should be
calm, cool, collected and able to give your best performance!)
b. Leave a
few minutes early for the gig or rehearsal so you can focus prior to the
performance.
c. Develop
a habit of warming-up on the way to the gig to properly prepare your
voice.
d. Prepare
materials to help you during an "off night' or for special circumstances - lyric
books, practice CDs and Tapes
e. Have
promotional material such as business cards and flyers organized so that you can
access them easily at the appropriate time. Marketing yourself as a singer
is as much a part of the battle as singing and performing well in the music
industry. Properly preparing yourself allows you to focus all your energy
on your performance.
6. THOU
SHALT NOT eat or drink milk products before performing. These products
cause the mucous membrane lining of the vocal chords to create a great dear of
mucous that covers your vocal chords.
7. THOU
SHALT keep thyself healthy and virus free. Eat right and exercise
regularly. Remember, a singer's body is his/her instrument! A finely
tuned and maintained instrument will perform at much higher level than an
instrument that has been neglected.
8. THOU
Shalt never sing without properly warming up the vocal chords.
9. THOU
SHALT SMILE! Smiling not only helps with tone placement of the singing
voice, it also improves your attitude!
10.
THOU SHALT enjoy life and celebrate every accomplishment no matter how small
they may seem.
