Re: [Harp-L] Voice problem

[Roger A Gonzales <gonz1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,

I totally understand what you are going through.  When I started out as a music major, I 
couldn't enroll as a harmonica major, no program for it.. so I graduated as a vocal major.   
But I ran into the same problem as you are experiencing.  I eventually developed nodes and 
had an acid reflux problem as well.  Just because you dont have nodes now doesn't mean that 
you can't develop them if your vocal chords are irritated.  DON"T PUSH IT!!  

I was placed on vocal rest for over a year.  I was told not to sing at all!!!  I chose not to go 
through the surgery which, if I had underwent the procedure I still would have been put on 
vocal rest for a year.  I just wanted to avoid the knife.  It paid off and the nodes went away on 
their own. Please go back to your ENT and make sure you and he stay on top of things. 

I saw in your post that you spoke to a vocal coach, are you working with one?  If not, do so.  
A vocal coach will help you to "sing correctly",  keeping your voice in your head and not 
singing in your throat or chest which is one of the causes of the problems you are 
experiencing.  In the mean time, if the pain and hoarseness continues, I would seriously 
consider putting yourself on vocal rest.  Drink more water, don't yell, don't sing, speak more 
in your head voice and speak softer.   

I would hope your band would understand if you did not sing for awhile.  Nodes are nothing 
to mess with.  No band is worth your heath.  Hope things work out.  

As far as your harmonica playing affecting your voice, when I asked my ENT if I could 
continue to play but not sing, he said it was OK.  I never had a my harmonica playing affect 
my vocal abilities.  

regards,
Roger Gonzales
Fresno, CA  


  

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Shriver <steveshriver@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thursday, July 24, 2008 11:19 am
Subject: [Harp-L] Voice problem
To: "\"harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx\"" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

> Has anyone ever experienced (or heard of) vocal problems due to harp
> playing? I have been playing harp for a long time (I¹m 50), but 
> over the
> last couple years I stepped it up considerably, singing and playing 
> with a
> band on a regular basis, and taking lessons from Carlos del Junco. 
> Sinceabout last December, I have had increasing difficulty with my 
> speakingvoice, which feels not so much hoarse as strained, like I 
> need to use a lot
> of muscle power to get the sound out. My (so called) friends tell 
> me I sound
> kind of like a Muppet, though to me I sound more like Patrick the 
> Starfishfrom Sponge Bob Squarepants. I make light of it, but it¹s 
> actually pretty
> uncomfortable. 
> I spoke to a vocal coach, who said I should see an ear, nose, 
> throat doctor
> to rule out nodes, etc. which I did. He stuck the tube down my 
> throat and
> looked at my cords, said they looked inflamed but otherwise 
> healthy, and
> prescribed an anti-acid reflux med, which I took for a month. 
> Didn¹t seem to
> have any effect other than setting me back a few hundred dollars. I 
> haven¹ttotally ruled out the acid reflux thing, but I¹m not sure 
> what else to do
> about it at this point.
> I try to practice good vocal technique- breathing, singing from the
> diaphragm, etc, though I do sing loud and our material includes a 
> lot of
> pretty raspy blues rock stuff.  I had a period of about two months 
> where the
> band wasn¹t playing, and I wasn¹t singing much then, and that 
> didn¹t seem to
> improve the condition.
> So I¹m wondering if there¹s a possibility that my harp playing, 
> specificallychoking and throat vibrato, might be affecting my vocal 
> cords in a negative
> way. Has anyone ever heard of this??
> 
> -- Steve
> 
> 
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