Hi everyone
Some longstanding members may remember I had problems with my voice in the past and went to see a specialist ENT/Vocal Health doctor.
Well, firstly, I'd like to report that I had an appointment last week and have been discharged with a clean bill of health!
In case anyone else has had problems I've outline the causes and the solution below.
Symptoms:
I was struggling when singing in that my throat would get very dry, easily, and throat felt like I had a stray hair that would make my throat get dry and crack. Singing sometimes became almost impossible and I considered giving up. I was convinced I had nodules/polyps or something equally nasty.
Causes:
1. Acid Refulx:
I had suffered with acid reflux (heartburn) for several years. Some foods or lifestyle habits made it worse (alcohol, eating late at night, stress, etc). I'd already self-diagnosed this problem and had started taking over the counter medicines to reduce the acid I produced.
When I saw the doctor I had a camera put down my nose into my throat to film/photograph my chords. It was obvious the acid reflux had inflamed my chords and my pharynx. You could see it was red and angry and a white edging on the chords could be seen.
The doctor change my medication and I've worked at combating the reflux. It's now under control.
2. Posterior Glottic Gap
This may not have been causing my problems but it turned out my vocal chords were not fully closing, with the back 1/3 staying apart. This is a learned muscle issue and is particularly common in teenage girls. This can give the voice a breathy tone and release breath unnecessarily. Some people make a career from this! But, as a classical singer I didn't want to sound like a folk singer. This is something that only good technique can overcome.
Situation now:
I have been training with Lynne Dawson since February and more so recently now I've had more time and money to do it. Firslty, all the inflammation and swelling on my chord and pharynx has gone. I look normal in there now! This is definitely making a difference to my voice.
Furthermore, the training I have been doing has greatly improved the strength and tone of my voice, which has improved the glottic gap. I still had a bit of a gap but that might be because I had a camera down my nose!!
My advice to singers:
Firslty, training is REALLY REALLY important. Good technique will save you runing your voice and will unlock it's potential. Be sure you're seeing someone with qualifications who knows what they are talking about though! Even rock and pop singers can benefit. There are ways of even growling a note, rock stylee, that can be done safely. My voice has improved about 300% since seeing Lynne, plus my enjoyment of singing has increased. I'm no longer surviving through songs, but enjoying the act of singing and the sounds I'm making. I've still got a long way to go but I'll ge there!
Secondly, look after your health. Be aware of how your body is feeling and if you get heartburn fairly regularly then see your GP and get some PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) to help.
Finally, if you're worried something is wrong don't ignore it (like I did for a couple of years). If you're making music part or all of your career it's reasonable for you to be referred to an ENT specialist on the NHS.
I hope you find this helpful and if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.
Good luck everyone
Musical Diva
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