Beware of the Coughing
Coughing is a danger zone for a singer. It is just plain bad news. It is like scratching the back of your throat over and over and over and over again. Eventually, it gets all red there. You think your vocal quality is going to be the same? Absolutely not.
Your vocal quality will start to sound worse and worse. You will develop mucus in your throat and find yourself with a constant frog in your throat. Sometimes, the coughs become more painful. Many people keep functioning normally because everything else feels okay. You can’t do this. If you really want your cough to go away and to be good to your vocal chords, here is a list of things to do for yourself:
1. Gargle 1/2 tsp of the following things in lukewarm water - kosher salt, syrup, and baking soda
2. shut up
3. drink a lot of water
4. rest
5 take Robitussin DM (it has the least and minimal side effects)
6. shut up!
I am not a doctor. I am a fellow singer who has dealth with this problem and knows how to care for herself (with the advice of a voice therapist) and it has made me a consistent and reliable vocalist. I could do a show on a horrible cough because I will be doing all these things outside of the show. I put “shut - up” in their twice because speaking is ten times harsher on your voice. You have to let your chords rest. A horn player wouldn’t play the horn all day (including time off). The same goes for the voice - especially when you are not in the best of health.
This is our job. It’s not a joke. Take care of yourself cause you deserve only the best.
