VOCALS
HOW TO REVIVE A TIRED VOICE | Renée Maranan
Contemporary worship music is not always easy to sing, especially when sung back-toback over the course of one worship service. Add to that the heightened emotional intensity and energy of leading a congregation, and worship singers really have their work cut out for them. Not to mention the fact that worship singers are commonly tasked to sing for multiple services in one weekend – it’ s not hard to imagine why a worship singer’ s voice might be exhausted by Sunday night.
A solid foundation of functional vocal training is key to minimizing vocal fatigue each week. When a singer knows how to use their voice efficiently, it’ s much easier to bounce back from periods of high vocal demand. But even with top-notch vocal conditioning, a singer’ s vocal stamina is a finite resource. It will get depleted when tasked with a heavy vocal load. So, for those situations, it’ s helpful to have tools that can help mitigate the impacts of heavy voice use. This article will describe a handful of simple practices that can help revive a tired voice when needed.
An important disclaimer: these tools are most helpful for tired but otherwise relatively healthy voices. If you suspect that you might have a vocal injury, or if you are experiencing diminished vocal range or function that has not improved for more than a few days, please consult with a singing voice specializing laryngologist in order to receive a thorough assessment and a tailored treatment plan.
INTERMITTENT VOCAL RESETS AND REST PERIODS without water), lip trills, tongue-out trills( a. k. a.“ raspberries”), lip buzz / puffy cheek / blowfish exercises, gargling while phonating, or even humming. Pick 2-3 exercises that you like and do each for about a minute or two. Do these exercises on single sustained pitches, pitch glides, scale patterns, or song melodies, but keep it within a comfortable part of your range. Keep the volume low to medium – it should feel very easy and comfortable. One whole reset session can take about 2-5 minutes in total. Reset between each set, between every hour or two of an extended rehearsal or studio session, or whenever you have a break. For greater benefit, follow each vocal reset session with 15-30 minutes of vocal rest, wherein you either minimize or avoid voice use. Most importantly, don’ t wait until your voice is feeling exhausted before you reset and / or rest. The idea is to help restore ease to your voice intermittently so that you can delay the onset of vocal fatigue or at least decrease its potential impacts on your vocal health.
END OF THE DAY COOL DOWN
Just like athletes need to cool down after periods of high activity, it’ s important for singers to cool down after periods of heavy voice use. A cool down will look almost the same as a vocal reset, using the same exercises, but you may want to descend in pitch as opposed to ascending. It’ s even more important to keep it within a comfortable range and not go too high or too loud. The whole cool down can be done within 2-5 minutes in total. Follow with vocal rest for 15-30 minutes. vocal folds and reduce swelling. It can be done as part of a vocal reset, but it’ s important to rest the voice for at least 10-15 minutes following steam inhalation / nebulizing before singing again. I usually recommend singers to do one session in the morning prior to voice use, and another session after the end of day vocal cool down, followed by vocal rest. For voices that are especially fatigued, more frequent steam inhalation throughout the day may be beneficial, as long as it’ s followed by a 10-15 minute period of vocal rest before resuming vocal activity.
BOTTOM LINE: DON’ T WAIT UNTIL YOUR VOICE IS EXHAUSTED
The voice starts to physically tire after just a few minutes of continuous voice use. This doesn’ t necessarily mean that singers need to worry about the voice going hoarse after singing just one song, but it does mean that singers need to be mindful that singing does take a toll on the voice, often before they perceive it. Because of this, it’ s important to get in the habit of incorporating rests and resets into periods of heavy voice use. Maintaining a practice of constant care for one’ s voice is a simple but powerful expression of gratitude for one’ s instrument and commitment to one’ s ministry.
Got a singing question? Send an email to hello @ reneemaranan. com with“ WM Vocals Question” in the subject line!
Vocal resets can include simple exercises that partially close the vocal tract, also known as semi-occluded vocal tract exercises. Some examples are straw phonation( with or
STEAM INHALATION / NEBULIZING
Steam inhalation or nebulizing with a sterile saline solution can help restore moisture to the
Renée Maranan Renée Maranan is a vocal instructor, voice teacher trainer, and life coach, with over 20 years of experience working with singers, vocal instructors, and performers from all over the world. For more vocal help, visit her www. reneemaranan. com or follow her on Instagram(@ reneemaranan). www. ReneeMaranan. com Instagram @ reneemaranan
42 July 2025 Subscribe for Free...