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So I've been doing false chord vocals for a few years now, and it's become increasingly a problem that I can't get my vocal chords to 'catch', or produce a raspy sound. I used to get the problem when I was starting after about an hour of screaming, the chords seemed like theu got fatigued and would stop catching. Now it's every few weeks I have a period of about a week where I can't get my false chords to produce any sound. However, my speaking and singing voice are working as normal.

The possible causes are obviously poor technique (but im not sure in which way), or medication I've been taking which causes me to he dehydrated. Rest doesn't seem to help so I'm not sure how to fix it. Any ideas?

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    Are you screaming on purpose to try to make your voice... change somehow? Dehydration has a dramatic effect on the voice, so you definitely want to stay hydrated and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Jan 2, 2018 at 16:50
  • @ToddWilcox It is surely (part of) a vocal technique.
    – user43681
    Jan 2, 2018 at 18:06
  • @ToddWilcox why should you avoid caffeine Todd?
    – cmp
    Jan 2, 2018 at 22:03
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    @cmp, Not sure you were answered. Caffeine and alcohol will dehydrate you. In short, vocalists should treat their bodies like athletes (actually all musicians benefit from this) and take care of themselves to be at peak performance level.
    – user50691
    Nov 26, 2018 at 16:22
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    To the OP, you bring up an interesting issue. The use of false chord vocal technique to create roughness. In a nutshell most vocalists would say "Don't do it". If you're able to "sing" in normal voice w/o trouble I would think you just lost the feeling internally that tells you your technique is on. I'd go back to some old exercises and see if you can reconnect with the feeling.
    – user50691
    Nov 26, 2018 at 16:27

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I decided to "answer" rather than comment.

In a nutshell most vocalists would say "Don't do it". If you're able to "sing" in normal voice w/o trouble I would think you just lost the feeling internally that tells you your technique is on. I'd go back to some old exercises and see if you can reconnect with the feeling.

In classical voice training we do things like lip trill to activate the resonance in the sinuses. We also do exercises to control breath, the rate of flow and pressure inside the body. Getting to correct feeling is an important part of knowing your technique is correct. Sometimes is sound right but feels bad, other times the opposite.

An example is passing from one register to another. I seem to be able to sing will in my upper and lower registers but the one note that defines the transition is problematic. This causes tightening up of the muscles in the neck, etc. The fix is not over practicing the note, but doing relaxation exercises to take your mind off your body. Things like rubbing the back of the neck, or tilting the head down, etc.

This example is a beginner's problem but it is meant to illustrate a point. When things aren't working correctly taking your mind off the technique can free you up.

Assuming that you are not suffering from other issues like dehydration, I'd go back to basic exercises and see if you can recapture that feel you have when false chords "catch" properly. Are you (or have you) taking vocal lessons, or using some sort of method? Or are you self taught?

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