Thanks, Doug!

Well I know I crossed my endurance limit this past Saturday. It started with a 5 hour show in the morning with a few breaks (the amount of warming up it takes for me to be able to sing at 8AM is pretty substantial). Next, we had about 6 hours break before another 3.5 hour show with just a little bit of break time throughout.

In total, I estimate I sang 6 hours between 8AM and midnight (excluding warm up/warm down). About half of it was lead and half backup vocals.

Now to the damage. I won't be scheduling a day like this again anytime soon. My voice was obviously not happy with me. I experienced hoarseness on Sunday and even some (to a lesser extent) on Monday. But my high notes were inconsistent and cracky until Tuesday.

I'm not sure what amount of signing is a 'safe' amount, but I know it is something less than what I did.

The amount of time you're able to sing will also depend on your technique. As well as the strength of your voice. Just like an athlete you've got to build your vocal muscles to become more powerful.
Melanie

The subject of your reply was actually my original interest in this subject.

I wonder if any hoarseness I have been experiencing recently is due to
a) a sudden increase in vocal workouts (which is not even the case, really),
b) a cumulative effect of years of bad technique or
c) me just paying closer attention to my voice and vocal health while going through allergy season (ie I'm just now noticing something that likely occurs every year around this time).

I've been singing long enough at this point to believe it must be b) or c). This led to my inquiry regarding the statement of: "slight hoarseness can reasonably be expected under normal conditions after ______ hours of singing at a performance level". If I'm doing damage to my voice, and witnessing the development of nodules, I need to change something immediately.

One thing I'd suggest is keeping a journal on what you are doing for your vocal workouts as well as any songs you practice or perform. Write down any notes, vocal issues, etc that seem of concern. And the next thing is you've got to make sure you apply the techniqes into your singing. It is so much easier to do the exercises with all the proper placement, resonation, etc and then slip back to your old habits of bad techniqe during singing songs. It takes time to master the techniqe in most cases. You might want to try to get an appointment with an ENT just to be safe or take a few days of vocal rest if possible.
If it's techniqe then the reason you lose your voice means you're off balance while singings. You're support and airflow are what keep your voice going and if you allow one to be off then it will cause problems. And do make sure you're drinking lots of water. It makes a HUGE difference :)
Melanie

Melanie,

Thank you so much for your in depth reply. I like your idea of a vocal journal. I use one for my time at the gym and I'll have to start doing the same for singing.

I think my main problem is enthusiasm. It's hard not to overdo it when performing for a crowd which involves blowing too much air/shouting/adding too much grit. I think, as you said, my support is what I fail at most. I need to focus on it more (if only the distraction of performing wasn't so hard to ignore).

I drink an insane amount of water the day leading up to a show (about 36 hours before performance). And I even avoid things like anti-histamines, mouthwash with alcohol, and alcohol (even when it's free at a show). Unfortunately, I think my problems lie somewhere other than dehydration (though I could easily be wrong).

Thank you again.