Number 16, December 1, 2021

Topic This Week:  Singing Out of Doors on Colder Days

As we approach the holidays, and with the continuation of pandemic restrictions, there are going to be times coming up when you will find yourself singing out of doors in colder temperatures.

Last time I wrote about taking care of your voice during the winter months, and all of those ideas apply here, of course:  good sleep, hydration, and lighter singing, with an emphasis on not placing weight or strain on the vocal cords in order to be heard.  This is a big topic of concern, because when we sing out of doors, with or without a sound system, we do not hear ourselves as well as we can indoors.  There are no acoustics that send our sound back to us, so we strain to hear our own voices.  This is a danger zone for singing outside ~ make sure to keep your throat calm and relaxed, breathe well and drop the jaw on your vowels to maximize your resonance with each note.

An obvious but sometimes overlooked idea is to drink warm liquids while singing outside. Warm cups of broth or tea work well.  Minimize dairy products as they form a mild mucus-increasing effect that can cause congestion in the sinus and throat areas.

And again, when you warm up or practice, sing lightly, placing very little weight on the notes of your song or exercise.  Pushing for volume or bigger tone will strain the vocal cords, and is never needed to create real resonance.  Full resonant tones naturally give you more volume, and of course, a better tone overall.

So when you get a chance to sing out of doors in a colder environment, keep hydrated, relaxed and sing easily without pushing.  The cold air is drier air and can easily dry the vocal cords.

I’m re-posting the article from Berklee Online that supports the advice above – check it out and make plans to care for your singing voice this fall and winter!   https://online.berklee.edu/takenote/7-tips-to-keep-your-singing-voice-healthy-in-cold-weather/

See you next time for more on all things folk singing! And stay well out there!!

Blessings and love,

Susie

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Award-winning recording artist, Broadway singer, journalist, educator and critically-acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Susie Glaze has been called “one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today” by Roz Larman of KPFK’s Folk Scene. LA Weekly voted her ensemble Best New Folk in their Best of LA Weekly for 2019, calling Susie “an incomparable vocalist.” “A flat out superb vocalist… Glaze delivers warm, amber-toned vocals that explore the psychic depth of a lyric with deft acuity and technical perfection.” As an educator, Susie has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Cal State Northridge on “Balladry to Bluegrass,” illuminating the historical path of ancient folk forms in the United Kingdom to the United States via immigration into the mountains of Appalachia. Susie has taught workshops since 2018 at California music camps RiverTunes and Vocáli Voice Camp. She is a current specialist in performance and historian on the work of American folk music icon, Jean Ritchie. Susie now offers private voice coaching online via the Zoom platform. www.susieglaze.com