HELP! (singers..I need advice!)

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:02am

okay...so I think this got messed up yesterday, seeing as my computer was crazy.
so yeah...anyways...
me, in my geniousness, competed in IHSA music solo competition....had bonchitis, blew out my voice
so, I got medicine, my voice came back, but now...(this happened before, but not as bad or as often) whenever I sing above about a high "c", my throat hurts really bad.
And it's not scratchy throat either..something feels like it's pulling..and it HURTS somethin' awful...
advice???

[broadway_star_tomorrow]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:03am

stop singing. go to a doctor.

[M J R]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:04am

How old are you and trying to sing above high C anyways? If you're still of high school age, chances are quite good that your chords are not strong/developed enough to be singing up there to begin with...

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:07am

Okay...
more facts
I'm 17 and I'm a soprano...i can usually hit 2 D#'s above middle C...but seriously...I can't even hit an "A"(in the middle C octave) without strain. I'm worried!
And I went to the doctor, and he gave me antibiotics for bronchitis and that was that.

[M J R]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:09am

So then:

1) Take the meds
2) Drink tons of water
3) Avoid caffeine (it constricts your blood vessels - bad for the chords)
4) Get tons of sleep
5) Don't speak any more than you have to for a while
6) Don't freak out - if you're a singer, you have to learn that these things happen sometimes...

[JadedBenevolence]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:10am

Then just rest your voice and don't do any singing until you're healed. Otherwise you could really hurt your voice. And drink tea with honey and lemon. That really does help.

[broadway_star_tomorrow]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:10am

do you have a voice coach? ask her if she knows a doctor who specializes in working with singers.

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:17am

I have a voice coach, but she, nicely put, is, perhaps, not the best person to ask....she's good at teaching technique, but aside from that, she's a little clueless...

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 7:07pm

Update..3-18-05
still feel like crap, my throat hurts even more...I had choir practice last night..**blushes**...so yeah.
I keep screwing myself over, I think. ARGHHH I don't know what to Do!

Updated On: 3/18/05 at 07:07 PM

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 7:10pm

Complete and total vocal rest kid, no talking or anything. Not even whispering as it is harder on the voice than speaking normally. My prescription is spend all your free time on BWW so you will not be tempted to talk...

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 7:14pm

Catie, don't panic. Quite frankly, it sounds like you're just trying to sing on your voice without being fully healed. Your chords need a little longer to get back into the swing of singing full out after an illness like that. I panicked once when I got really sick (literally sounded like Elaine Stritch for about a week and a half) and my voice took forever to rebound. But it did with no permanent harm. But i really took it easy before I even tried singing again and even longer before I tried out my full range.
So, stop singing. If you're in choir practice, don't even mark. "fake" singing can be even rougher on your voice. Just sit quietly. If you have to, get a note. It's mroe important to prevent polyps or nodes than it is to sing in your high school choir.

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 7:20pm

son-gun.......too right...
and singer....thanks alot. That kind of was what I was thinking, but, you know, I guess I needed to hear it from someone else first...
thanks alot guys!