We all know about the benefits of doing a good vocal warmup to prep your voice for singing, but how much do you know about doing vocal cooldowns? I hadn't even heard of this idea until a couple of years ago. I'm very familiar with warming up and cooling down for cardio, but I never thought about the need to cool down with vocal exercises.
Cooldowns for your vocals help to reset your body and voice back to neutral. You don't want to be stuck in vocal performance mode once the performance time has passed. Relaxing and stretching your voice box can help release unnecessary tension in your body and allow you to avoid stress on your speaking voice. It also helps you avoid vocal fatigue and rasp after an intense performance (or several).
I recently noticed that if I have sung a gig that lasts a while, especially if I performed aggressively, my throat feels tight and swollen that night or the following day. Doing light vocalizations for a few minutes on the drive home greatly reduces that feeling of soreness. The keyword here is light!
Related Post: Why Does My Throat Hurt After Singing?
A vocal cooldown does not need to take long at all. You will need 15 minutes at most to get back to a good vocal state, but 5-10 minutes will do really well. It's a small thing to add to your schedule, so there are no excuses on why you shouldn't start cooling down if you're a serious singer!
When you warm your voice up and perform, a lot is going on behind the scenes that you probably aren't aware of as a singer. These include the following:
1. Your core is working way harder than normal while singing.
2. You have increased blood flow to your vocal cords when singing.
3. You have heightened airflow and air pressure while singing for your breathing.
4. Your heart rate and blood pressure is raised while singing.
5. You have wider vertical movement of the larynx when you are in performance mode.
6. Your vocal fold stretches much further when you are singing.
To get back to a normal state that won't overwork you once you're done singing, try the following:
As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 200 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, features, nursery rhymes, and DJ drops, she currently spends her time engulfed in creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Her most recent creative collaborations include work with PBS Sound Field, Tribe of Noise, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Check out Yona’s latest music releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share the music if you like it!
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