Welcome to Living A Vocal Life: A Podcast For Singers!

Welcome to the Living A Vocal Life Podcast, where I interview singers who have succeeded in creating a life in music. You’ll hear from vocalists of all genres, in different stages of their careers, including singers who’ve been on the Billboard charts and those who are teaching the next generation. What do they have in common? They're all performers with amazing stories to tell and experiences to share.

In our conversations, you’ll learn what inspired them to become a singer, the kinds of challenges they’ve encountered, and how they've overcome them. I'll also share what I've learned on my own journey as a singer and educator — practical tools and insights that will help you to live your best, most authentic vocal life.

Valerie Day in black and white striped turtleneck.

Did you know that talking is harder on your voice than singing? In this solo podcast episode, you’ll learn why and the three things you can do to save your voice for singing.

A Simple Vocal Exercise To Help You Recover

If your voice is already trashed from overuse, noisy environments, or illness, I've got a video for you. In it, you'll learn a vocal exercise called the Siren that you can use to rehabilitate your vocal cords.

“Quit whispering. Whispering dries out the vocal cords. If you have to whisper, only do it for short periods.”

— Valerie Day

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Theme music for the Podcast was composed by John Smith. He edits all the podcast episodes too. (Thanks honey!)

Did you know that talking is harder on your voice than singing?It's true. Unless you know how to do it right.One of the most essential skills a singer needs to learn is how to use your voice correctly when talking. I've had many students whose vocal problems are related to the way they talk, not the way they sing: Teachers who yell to make themselves heard over a noisy classroom. Counselors and therapists who lower their pitch and volume to create intimacy and trust with their clients. And singers in noisy environments, like restaurants, who fight to make themselves heard over the din of people talking and background music. Whether they're yelling or whispering, singers like these struggle with vocal fatigue or hoarseness at the end of their workday.In this podcast episode, you'll learn why talking is harder on your voice than singing, and the three things you can do that will keep you from trashing your voice when you talk. We're all talkers. Some of us talk quietly, others with more intensity, and then are a few of us who are basically shouting all the time. But most of us are unaware of how we use our voice when we talk. So what's happening when you're in a noisy environment and need to be heard?First of all, the sounds around you — people talking, music playing in the background, or the road noise and traffic when you're in your car — have a frequency range that competes with the human voice. When you talk in these environments, your speaking voice is "masked" by the noise around you, which makes it hard for people to hear what you're saying.So, you talk louder. And when you talk louder, it puts more strain on the vocal cords.There are three things you can do to keep your voice from becoming trashed when talking over background noise:Pitch Your Voice UPFirst, pitch your voice up. This is harder than it sounds. In our culture, studies have shown that low voices tend to be taken more seriously. Whether you're a man or a woman, a higher-pitched voice is unconsciously looked down upon. But, there's a natural-sounding frequency range that will work to cut through the background noise and won't make you sound like a munchkin. Here's how you find the optimal pitch for your speaking voice:I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer in the affirmative, like this:Mmm Hmmm!Are you ready? Isn't it a beautiful day outside?Ok. Next, I'm going to ask the question again, and I want you to answer with Mmm Hmmm! And then say 1,2,3, at the same pitch as the end of the Mmm Hmmm. Like this:Mmmm Hmmm! 123Now it's your turn. Isn't it a beautiful day outside? Mmm-hmm! 123So, when you said 123 — did you notice your pitch was just slightly higher than usual?Higher pitches mean higher frequencies. And higher frequencies travel through space more quickly and get to your listener's ears faster. When you raise the pitch of your slightly, it will cut through the noise in the room more easily.Do I sound fake when I'm talking like this? Inauthentic? No! This is just what my voice sounds like when I've pitched it up. There's more energy in it. It sounds like I'm high on life, but I'm not talking like a munchkin or in pure upper register. When I talk down here in the lower part of my voice, there's a tendency for air to leak through the vocal cords. Air leaks cause dryness. When you talk louder so you can be heard over the din of background noise, it stresses the vocal folds to the max. They try to protect themselves by thickening up and kicking up some mucus. The result? Loss of flexibility in the vocal cords and a bunch of noise that shows up later when you try to sing. My voice feels tired from talking in a lower pitch, even for that short amount of time!When I pitch my voice up, it feels better and, because there’s no air leak, the sound is cleaner.Abdominal SupportThe second thing you can do to protect your voice when talking is use abdominal support. So, let’s talk for a minute about abdominal support, and how to use it for talking.Take a deep breath and allow your belly to expand.Now exhale and slowly lift in and up with your belly.That’s it. That steady lift as you exhale is abdominal support.When my speaking voice is tired, I focus on expanding my belly when I inhale, and then lifting in and up when I talk. When you pitch your voice up, your body unconsciously uses more support; your abdominal muscles are more engaged. Check it out for yourself. Talk in the lower part of your voice and notice what happens in the trunk of your body. Then, notice what happens when you pitch your voice up. I bet you’ll sense a slight tightening in your abs.If you don't, no worries. This kind of breathing and support takes practice. So let’s practice a little bit right now. Repeat after me, while pitching your voice up.The rain in SpainStays mainly on the plain.Again. The rain in SpainStays mainly on the plain.Now, keep talking in that slightly higher pitch, and lift while you’re talking.Ready?The rain in Spain Stays mainly on the plain.Keep lifting! Again.The rain in Spain Stays mainly on the plain.Great! Let's repeat that a few times in a row, this time focus on the inhalation in between each sentence. Again, all you need to do is expand your tummy, the air will get sucked in, and then you can begin speaking and lifting!Let's do it together. ExpandThe rain in SpainStays mainly on the plain.ExpandThe rain in Spain Stays mainly on the plain.ExpandThe rain in Spain Stays mainly on the plain.Excellent! Do you ever read aloud — to your children, your partner, or yourself? It's a great way to practice what you’ve just learned, so it starts to feel natural. Then, the next time you're in a noisy environment, you can recall the feeling you had while using these tools, and they'll be there for you.And here's my final tip for saving your voice when challenged by noisy environments:Say Less, or Don't Say Anything at AllWe all need to learn how to be better listeners. Now's your chance! Respond only when necessary in conversation. Keep your focus on listening.I have two more quick tips on how not to use your voice when talking.Tip #1 Don't WhisperQuit whispering. Whispering dries out the vocal cords. If you have to whisper, only do it for short periods.If you're a counselor or massage therapist who needs to create a quieter, more intimate environment for your patients or clients, pitching your voice up might not feel appropriate. But you can still create intimacy and save your voice. Just lower the pitch slightly and use support. Find the tone that feels and sounds the cleanest, and lift in and up when using it. Then, at the end of the day, it'll be much easier to sing. Now, we don't talk in a monotone, right? We naturally vary our pitch when we speak. So when you're looking for the optimal pitch to use in your speaking voice, be aware of the upper and lower limits in your vocal range. If you start out too low, you'll end up in the gravel pit of your voice. This sound is commonly referred to as vocal fry.Tip #2 Don’t Trash Your Voice With Vocal FryVocal fry seems to be in vogue these days. Everyone is doing it. Maybe people think it's sexy, but it drives me crazy because I know what it's doing to the vocal cords. Hear the noise in my voice when I'm talking in the vocal fry zone? It's the vocal cords rubbing together like sandpaper. After a while, they'll thicken up and kick up a bunch of dust in the form of mucus. You'll lose the ability to sing a clean sound, and the stretch you need in the cords for high notes will diminish.So, please don't trash your voice with vocal fry.
I hope these vocal tips have been helpful to you. If you have questions or comments, or other vocal tips you’d like to hear, please get in touch with me on the contact page of my website.Until then, thanks for listening, and keep on singing!