Hello all,
My name is Erin, and I am a lyric mezzo, who has studied for 20 years
and does not sing professionally. I perform frequently in a small
regional company company in the northeast USA. I just joined this list
today, and I am reading the digest of messages for the first time.
I read about Marina's problem with the crack in her voice. It's
difficult to determine causes over the internet, without hearing the
sound that is being produced; however, I have the feeling that Marina's
postscript tells the tale.
>> P.s- I observed that if I "push" my voice out, the problem doesn't
appear,
>> but the sound of my voice is very forced and I don't like it. I love
soft
>> voices.
Marina, it has been my experience that the crack is actually a
disconnection of the vocal cords - if they are not coming together
properly, they cannot vibrate consistently, and a cracking sound occurs,
sort of a misfire. Sometimes it can be caused by physical ailments; it
happens to me in my middle register when I have had a cold or sore
throat. Everything is just too swolen to let the cords come together
correctly.
However, the dysfunction may be caused by "holding back" on the size
and/or weight and/or volume of your natural voice. When you sing out,
it may sound forced only to you. What do your teachers/coaches have to
say about this problem? Also, are you sure that you are not holding
back because of fear? Having that tear was a scary thing, so it would
be natural to want to baby your voice a bit. But if you have been
purposely scaling back the natural weight of your true voice, the
problem may have happened anyway, eventually, and the tonsilitis and
tear may just be unfortunate coincidences.
You say that you love soft voices, and I can sympathize with that. I
love soprano music, especially Puccini, but God made me a mezzo, so I
can never be Suor Angelica (drat!). Maybe you were made to sing out
more. You owe it to yourself to find out what your true voice is, then
develop what has been given you to it's fullest potential.
I would urge you to see several different throat specialist doctors. I
have a throat specialist who has also studied voice and sung, so I have
a lot of confidence in him. Try to find someone similar. Also, you
should probably sing for several different teachers who have never heard
you before. Show them the soft sound with the crack, then show them the
sound you think is pushed out that doesn't have the crack, and let them
give you their opinions of what the problem might be.
I am really hoping that this is a technique issue for you, and not
related to illness or injury. You can only hope to get a good
"diagnosis" by combining the medical opinions with the voice teacher
opinions.
Good luck,
Erin
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