BITS ‘N’ PIECES

Why do some singers keeplosing their voice?

Singing is a rough business. Every vocal performance involves hundreds of thousands of micro-collisions in the throat. The vocal cords - also known as vocal folds - are a pair of thin, reed-like, muscular strips located inside the larynx, or voice box, in the throat.

When we are silent, the cords remain apart to facilitate breathing. When we sing or speak, air is pushed up from the lungs, and the edges of the cords come together in a rapid chopping motion. The air causes the cords to vibrate, creating sound. The greater the vibration, the higher the pitch.

By the time a soprano hits those lush high notes, her vocal cords are thwacking together 1,000 times per second, transforming a burst of air from her lungs into music powerful enough to shatter glass.

For a singer, the first sign of trouble is often the wobble. His pitch fluctuates on and off key because his ragged cords have lost their natural vibrato - their ability to resonate properly. Then there’s the “hole”, a point on the scale where a singer’s vibrating vocal cords fail to produce the proper tone.

Singing through the wear and tear can cause the lesions to burst and bleed, creating voice-ruining scars, which is what happened to Adele in 2011.

Voice specialists liken the physical toll on singers and stage performers to what athletes endure. Surgery to the professional singer’s vocal cords is what ligament reconstruction has become to the football player’s knee.

Dusty theatres, stuffy airplane cabins, erratic eating and sleeping patterns, the stress of living off stingy contracts - all affect the vocal cords.

Anti-ageing tips to help you break the time barrier

For thousands of years, mankind has been trying to discover ever-more innovative ways to look younger and stay healthier. Across the world, cultures have offered their own answers, but thanks to modern-day research, we now have a good idea of what actually works.

• Science is finally catching up with the importance of gut health. For optimal gut flora, eat fermented foodstuffs, such as yoghurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, and use probiotic supplements.
• After a good workout, five to ten minutes of cold therapy can help the body speed the healing time of the tiny muscle tears that happen during exercise. The cold, and then subsequent warming-up, helps to circulate blood, flush out waste by-products, reduces swelling and any further tissue breakdown.
• Surround yourself with people you love, things and decorations that bring you joy, and activities that speak to your soul.
• Something you could include with your meditating is positive thinking. Positive affirmations said daily, or even throughout the day, can slowly change the way your thought process works. Do it well and you can improve self-esteem, fend off depression, and stand a better chance of meeting your goals.
• Though a majority of the population lives in urban areas, far removed from our natural roots, taking the time to reconnect with nature does powerful things for the mind and soul.
• As you grow older, the mind starts to falter and the memories start to fade. One of the ways to help slow, or even reverse, the process is to keep the mind active. Reading is an easy and enjoyable way of doing this.

Compiled by Usama Rasheed