Hi folks,

I'm not sure what to make of this, but it's been getting worse over the last few years and is just bizarre and frustrating:

When I was singing too breathy on high notes, I started feeling out of breath when I talked in my natural speaking range- like I wasn't taking in enough air between sentences, and even sometimes stopping in the middle of a phrase to breathe. This is similar to when a little kid is excited about something and doesn't seem to know when to take a breath as they're speaking, so they take it every 3 or four words- like when you are talking to a friend right after running really fast, or trying to talk while hyperventilating.

In addition to the breathing issue, I've been having issues with swallowing liquids- unless they're really thick, like a milkshake or protein drink (my doctor thought I wasn't getting enough protein). So, even if I'm not talking, I go to take a sip from water or juice, and it goes down the wrong pipe and then I cough and cough. In 2010, this actually led to aspiration of cranberry juice and I ended up in the hospital. The "normal" medical condition for me is Ulcerative Colitis, which got diagnosed in 2006. Not sure how that relates to swallowing and feeling out of breath, but it definitely does a number on the immune system. One thing I am theorizing is that singing too often in too breathy of a falsetto can actually train your vocal folds not to close all the way on lower (speaking) pitches.

Either that, or something is wrong with the part responsible for twang- the eppiglottis- for some reason, it seems to not want to close all the way, which could account for both the breathing and swallowing issues because a stuck eppiglottis both causes you to leak air as well as keeping the airway open when drinking something- its entire purpose is to close to seal it off, and if it's not doing that, that's kind of scary! It seems to be worse right after practicing pharyngeal exercises, especially if they're gritty.

Has anyone else had these problems when they sang almost exclusively in breathy falsetto in their mid-to-high range? If so, how did you get the eppiglottis or vocal folds to start closing all the way and stop getting stuck partially open?

Hi Pram,

When you do a breathy falsetto it does not allow the vocal chords to close together correctly when vibrating. When the chords can't close correctly or they are violently manipulated with incorrect distortion problems occur such vocal nodules. There is a difference in the vibration of the chords when singing in a supported manner and when overusing breath as is the case with an unsupported breathy falsetto. Perhaps you should get the VocalRX book by Jaime? It is holistic program to overcome vocal chord damage. I am not sure it would help with dysphagia as it focuses on the vocal chords. If you have a pre-existing throat condition singing in a breathy tone is not the way to go. It is like whispering when you have lost your voice, the overuse of air and not allowing the vocal chords to vibrate closed properly will lead to further trouble.

Thank you, Andrew!

Went and got scoped shortly after this post and no vocal damage was found. Also worked on vocal adduction and no longer have the issue of breathiness. However, I was also diagnosed with acid reflux and allergies, which explains the dysphagia. Another problem lately has been extreme allergies to pollen. I sneeze and cough for months, which increases the chance of pneumonia. As far as singing goes, though, I'm no longer breathy on high notes. Now I'm just a little more more hooty than I would like. Should the nasal port be closed or open when belting?

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