Essential vocal troubleshooting tips for performers when a lesson isn’t an option.
Most of us have been in this situation: you have a last-minute singing audition, your voice isn’t doing what it needs to do, and you don’t have the time and/or money for a lesson to resolve it. It’s a frustrating predicament. To make matters worse, vocal issues can have a multitude of causes, all with similar symptoms, making it hard to know which remedy is best.
If you read this article, you’ll learn how to:
- Hydrate effectively using both systemic fluids and immediate steam inhalation techniques.
- Ease vocal strain with SOVT exercises like straw phonation and lip trills.
- Troubleshoot difficult songs by using “mirening” and pitching consonants with precision.
- Reduce physical tension through targeted self-massage and improved postural alignment.
If your vocal issue is recent, it’ll most likely be caused by one of the following:
- Illness, such as a respiratory tract infection (cold, flu, etc)
- Allergies
- Dehydration
- Physical fatigue
- Voice overuse or misuse (talking/singing a lot with insufficient recovery, shouting, screaming, etc)
This isn’t an exhaustive list of causes. If you’re having chronic vocal problems or are worried about your vocal health, it’s important to seek advice from a medical professional. Your GP can refer you to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, or you can search the directory on the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) website for specialist performing arts healthcare practitioners.
In the short term, there are steps you can take to help mitigate your vocal symptoms. So, here are some easy troubleshooting tips and tricks for when you need your voice to perform.
Step 1: Hydrating the Vocal Folds
Your vocal folds need hydration to produce sound effectively. The body does this naturally by coating the vocal folds with mucus. However, it can only do this sufficiently if you’re well hydrated. The simplest way to hydrate your vocal folds is to drink water. It takes about four hours for the fluids we drink to have an effect, so take this delay into account.
You can hydrate your vocal folds more quickly using steam inhalation. Inhaling steam also dilutes excess mucus, for example, if you have a cold. So, this is a good place to start regardless of what your specific vocal issue is.
You can buy dedicated vocal steamers or steam inhalers from pharmacists, designed to relieve cold and flu symptoms. Even breathing over a mug of hot water or taking a hot shower can help you hydrate your folds quickly.
Step 2: SOVT Exercises
SOVT stands for Semi Occluded Vocal Tract, which in plain English means having your mouth partially closed. These exercises are great for vocal recovery because they minimise the strain on the vocal folds.
If you want to go on a nerdy deep dive as I did, the Voice Science Works website has information about different SOVT exercises and their benefits, but here are a few examples singers commonly use.
- Straw phonation
This can be done either into a glass of water or into air, and is great as a warm-up, cool-down, or to work through difficult sections of your song. Simply hum through the straw, making sure no air escapes from around your lips or through your nose.
Using a glass of water helps you visually see how consistent your air flow is (it can be helpful to practice in front of a mirror for this). It also provides extra resistance, helping the vocal folds close with less effort.
- Siren on an ‘ng’
If you don’t have a straw handy, you can siren on an ‘ng’ sound (like at the end of the word “sing”). The key to an effective siren is to keep it quiet, so the vocal folds are thin. Siren up and down your range, sliding between notes. The aim is to achieve a clear, consistent sound and volume, without any breaks or breathiness. Zone in on any areas where you lose vocal fold closure, sliding slowly up and down those specific pitches.
- Lip and Tongue Trills
Another prop-free SOVT exercise is lip and/or tongue trills. Some people struggle with these, but if you can do one or both of them, they’re useful to have in your toolkit. Not only do they ease stress on the vocal folds, but they also require active breath support to allow the lips and tongue to vibrate. Lip trills also have the added benefit of releasing lip tension.
With all of these exercises, keep the volume low and slide between notes as much as possible. This encourages the vocal folds to thin out and elongate, increasing their flexibility whilst minimising the risk of injury.
Step 3: Troubleshooting Your Song
Once you’re feeling warm enough, you can begin rehearsing your song. Starting by singing your song through a straw, on an ‘ng’ or on a lip or tongue trill can be a good transition if your voice still feels tired.
As you sing (either on an SOVT exercise or full voice), note any areas that feel less vocally secure. Concentrate on these sections with either straw phonation or sirens, and take time to really slide between the notes (if it sounds ridiculous, you’re doing it right!). This can feel tedious, but be patient. You’re training the muscle memory of where the notes sit best in your voice.
A useful way to transition into full voice is using ‘mirening’. This is where you siren on an ‘ng’ whilst mouthing the lyrics. It can be tricky at first, but it’s a great vocal hack, because it helps train your larynx to place the notes whilst your mouth is shaping the words.
Another thing that can make the voice less secure is not pitching consonants accurately. If the larynx is not placed when the lyric opens onto a vowel, the note can feel unsteady and not fully centred. Mirening can help with this.
A useful exercise is to elongate the consonants as you sing to check that they are pitched correctly. Swap out any voiceless consonants with their voiced equivalents (e.g. ‘F’’ to ‘V’) so every consonant has to be pitched. After a few passes, sing the section normally. You should find that the notes are more centred and stable.
Step 4: Posture and Tension
Posture and tension can have an effect on your vocal delivery. The ideal posture for singing is standing with an aligned, elongated spine. If your performance involves movement, be mindful of keeping that sense of length along the back of the neck and up through the crown of the head. This is especially true when singing higher notes, when we can instinctively tilt our head up, compressing the back of the neck.
If you’re standing still, it’s important not to become stiff. Having a sense that you can move but are choosing to be still can prevent tension in the body. If this is difficult, practise incorporating gentle movement like swaying or walking as a rehearsal exercise.
More specific muscle tension in the shoulders, neck, tongue, jaw and abdomen also affects the voice, so it’s important to address it. One way in the short term is self-massage. If you’re unsure where to start, useful areas are the hinge of the jaw, underneath the jaw for the tongue-root, the back and sides of the neck and the shoulders. Release of any tension in these areas will have a positive effect on your voice.
Tension in the abdomen can cause excess airflow, putting more strain on the vocal folds. If you tense your abs when singing, placing a hand on your stomach and shaking it can encourage the muscles to relax.
Step 5: Working with the Voice You Have
Sometimes there isn’t enough time for your voice to get to 100 percent. As professionals, part of our job is making it work. If your voice is still struggling, here are some options to consider.
- If you’ve lost some of your vocal range, is there another song you can sing instead, or is there a cut or melody alteration you can make to avoid the problem areas of your song?
- If you’re worried about damaging your voice, aim for a more classical/tiled/’legit’ sound. These styles use a thinner vocal fold quality, minimising vocal strain.
- Focus on telling the story of the song. No matter what your voice is doing, you can make your acting choices clear and embodied. This can also reduce your hyperawareness of what your voice sounds like, releasing additional tension and keeping you present and in character.
As my drama school tutor wisely noted, “You can only sing with the voice you have.”
By using these tools to find ease and clarity, you can step onto that stage with confidence, knowing you are giving your voice – and your performance – the best chance to shine.
Key Takeaways:
- Hydrate both ways: Drink water for long-term health, but use steam inhalation for an immediate top-up to soothe your vocal folds.
- Reset with SOVT: Use a straw or lip trills to massage your voice from the inside out, reducing strain while improving cord closure.
- Miren your lyrics: Practise your song on an ‘ng’ sound while mouthing the words to stabilise your pitch without overworking the muscles.
- Check for tension: Use self-massage on your jaw and neck to release the physical rigidity that can trap your sound.
Michaela Bennison is an actor, singer and writer, whose performance credits include ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Alexandra Palace, ‘Jo: The Little Women Musical’ at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and ‘I’m Sorry Prime Minister, I Can’t Quite Remember’ at The Barn Theatre.
