When Should You NOT Sing?

I gave myself a rehearsal challenge this past week to spend at least 30 minutes each day practicing. How did that go? Difficult, to say the least. Inertia is really difficult to overcome sometimes. Several days the only thing that made me interested in practicing was the fact that I'd promised, publicly that I would. Having said that, several of those days gave me some really good practice sessions. My favorite being the day I spent 40 minutes on 2 pages of Mozart, with easily half on that on one 5-measure phrase. That level of depth is exciting and fun and frustrating all at once. Or, at least, I think so.

But toward the end of the week, it became impossible for me to practice singing. In a way, I was able to keep up the challenge, in that I have two other instruments that I can practice. Why couldn't I sing? Quite simply because I had a sore throat. Rough, scratchy, and very hoarse. Now, I know how to work around that kind of an issue, if I have to. And while I was tempted to try for the challenge, ultimately, I felt it wasn't worth the trouble.

Trouble? This is when singing ceases to be a joy, and becomes literally, work. Hard, grueling work. You have to warm-up very slowly and carefully; the placement has to be just right, and the support has to be rock-solid. And, if you're not very, very careful, your voice can be even more hoarse the next day. That's why it wasn't worth the trouble for the challenge. I'd do it for a performance, not for a self-inflicted challenge.

But this time of year, everybody wakes up with a scratchy, sore throat. How do you know when it's just morning crud as opposed to something you need to pay attention to? Well, the words "morning crud" are your first hint. If the hoarseness goes away after you've been up for a while, had a cup of tea, and worked your voice for a while by talking to the cat, you can be pretty confident that it was nothing to worry about, and go on singing.

If, on the other hand, after all of the above, you are still talking like Tallulah Bankhead, it might be time to put off singing plans that day. (If you don't know who Tallulah Bankhead is, and even if you do ~ check out this video. 

It's a very funny version of Baby It's Cold Outside, with Ms Bankhead and Jack Carson. There are several pictures of her while the video is on. If you think ~ as I did, that you don't know who Jack Carson was ~ here's his photo. He was in everything.)

Anytime that it hurts to talk, is time to not sing. There. I think that about covers it. Otherwise ~ keep on singing!