# The Preacher's Voice



## raekwon (Nov 21, 2009)

FYI, friends . . . The Resurgence has a very helpful series for preachers on maintaining and preserving their voices. The most recent posts are at the top.

The Preacher's Voice | TheResurgence


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## greenbaggins (Nov 21, 2009)

This is very good advice. As someone whose voice has been trained operatically, I can offer a few more suggestions: 

1. Don't over-sing on hymns. Just sing normally and comfortably. Never sing louder than you can sign comfortably. 

2. Make sure that your spinal column is well-aligned. If you have neck or back or even arm pain, this could be a sign that your head (which weighs a whopping 10 pounds!) is not aligned properly on the spinal column. Even the slightest bit off, and muscles that should be used to turn the head will instead be used to hold up the head. This, in turn, puts a crimp (sometimes) on the vocal cords. See this website for more incredibly helpful information. 

3. If you have an adrenalin rush just before preaching, do NOT do heavy exercising that takes lung capacity. Instead, do isometric exercises to increase blood-flow. A great example is pushing one's hands together. Blood flow will help control an adrenaline rush (this is a performance trick I learned a long time ago). 

4. If the outside air is cold, breathe warm air out over your vocal cords. This is easily done by simply breathing out on an "h." Do this very gently, but persistently.


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