I cannot sing. However, I can, within a very specific range, give the impression that I can actually sing.
I enjoy singing a lot, so when I am alone I do. The “narrow range” happens to include the ability to really belt it out. When I do this, I notice that it doesn’t take very long at all for my throat to hurt, right where the soft pallet and the throat meet.
Is this normal, and regular singing eases it, or is it abnormal? Because if I actually could sing and tried to do it very much, I would quickly find myself really uncomfortable.
In my vocal training, “don’t hurt your throat” was rule number one. It involved a lot of visualization along the lines of using one’s chest, face, etc. as “resonators” so as to not stress the throat. We were even taught to refrain from doing vocal exercises after taking painkillers because they interfere with your ability to sense when you’re stressing your throat. If something hurts, you’re overdoing it.
When you say “belt it out,” do you mean singing both forcefully and with a sort of a controlled growl (not sure how else to describe it)? Both can affect your throat. You should be using your diaphragm to project, but even so, your throat pays a certain price.
When I used to sing a lot, it took a bit of rehearsal to get my voice in “play a gig” shape. And even then, one has to know when to back off and when to floor it. If it’s an early set, or if it’s the end of the night, which and how many songs we had left–all of this was a factor in how hard to “belt it out.” But if you’re singing rock and roll (which is what we did), then damn it, sometimes you sing yourself a bit raw.
So, I would say it’s normal, and if you really one to get past it, you have to sing more.
Part of it’s probably the way you’re breathing, but it’s mostly because you’re not a singer. It takes muscles to sing, muscles that don’t get used nearly as much when you’re just talking.
Like, you can walk just fine, but if you’re not a runner, it’s going to hurt when you run for a mile, right? Same muscles, different technique, different endurance.
I used to throw my voice out regularly talking over loud bar music till I watched a vocal training DVD. Try to project from your belly, not your throat. It’s a really tricky nuance to grasp and took me a while. Something it said that I found made the big difference is to suck in a big belly-full of air, then sing/talk, versus being at the end of a breath (or in my case, attempting to suck in my gut for chicks at the bar haha).
Think of those opera guys with a giant bellies sticking out as they belt out the big notes. It doesn’t make you look svelte, but when I do it I can talk loud enough that people can hear me across a bar without it sounding like I’m desperately shouting.
So far, no one has given a wrong answer. It’s hard to know why your throat hurts if you aren’t a singer and haven’t experienced the difference. But, with an amateur, all three factors usually play a part: improper technique, improper breathing, and lack of the proper conditioning.
The best way I can describe proper singing in this venue is just to give the following advice to anyone who wants to improve their voice:
Everything except the abdomen should be as relaxed as possible, while being as open* as possible. You always breathe from your diaphragm (as it’s an involuntary muscle), but you need to make sure you are pushing the air from your belly*. If you start straining, take a break and go back to relaxing. And if you feel at all worn out, you’re done for the day. Come back when your voice is fresh.
Oh, and be sure to warm up a little first, even if all that means is singing something light and comfortable until your voice starts sounding full. But, to maximize your usefulness you’d be better off with real vocal warmups, even the ones you can find using Google (although some of them will make you feel rather silly.)
*These two things change when you move on, but I think openness and belly breathing are good general tips for beginners. Some singers/vocal coaches may disagree.
When people call it “diaphragmatic breathing” or “breathe from your diaphragm”, what they really mean is *not *using accessory muscles (intercostals, muscles that move the clavicals, and especially not your shoulders) to aid in the breath. If your shoulders don’t move up when you inhale, you’re doing “diaphragmatic breathing”. It’s easiest to see this by lying down and placing your fists just under your sternum. When your shoulders can’t move, you’re forced to breathe correctly for singing. (Of course, you’ll tire out super fast, but that just shows you how much work it is!)
Singing is a physical activity, and as such requires both technique and exercise. If I am not singing for more than several weeks, I do have to undergo a period of training to get back into shape.
