Up and running!

Like you, I worry about Adam's voice. I shouldn't, I know. He has proven he knows very well how to care for it. But, he is singing for 1.5 hours, four nights a week while on tour. Add to that, he sings full out on sound checks because he is a perfectionist and the sound guys cannot set the levels correctly without Adam singing as he will in concert. That's a lot of singing. Few of us talk for 1.5 or 2 hours straight daily. If you have done much public speaking, you know how strained you voice can feel after only a half hour of constant talking. Singing, especially the aerobatic, rangy songs of Queen, is much more taxing on the vocal folds.


Adam is not obsessive or a prima donna about the care of his voice, but he IS mindful. When asked what he does, he down plays it, but mentions three of the basic tenets for good vocal care: SLEEP, HYDRATION and VOCAL REST. 

SLEEP is vital. Full, eight hour sleep. I know that Roger said the boy can party hardy, but, we have heard him admit, in a number of articles, that he did not go out, but instead went to sleep after a show or on a day off. Performers need time after a show to wind down before they can fall asleep. Consequently, Adam may go out after the show, have a late dinner (cuz who wants to sing in a full stomach), and have fun, but, he then gets his eight hours from 5 AM to 1PM. 

The second important habit is HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE. Many folks believe that when you drink you are directly coating your vocal folds with moisture. Not so much. If water goes between your vocal folds you drown. You know how occasionally you take a sip and it "goes down the wrong way?" Food and liquid are supposed to go through the esophagus and then into stomach, not thru the folds and into your lungs. 

The body needs to be hydrated in order for the vocal folds to be hydrated. There is a saying: "Pee clear, sing clear." If you are drinking enough to have pale or clear urine, the body is fully hydrated. Given this fact, it is important for Adam to hydrate throughout the day with water or another non-alcoholic, caffeine free liquid. (Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, and pull water out of the body.) He also continues to drink herbal tea and water throughout the performance to compensate for losing water through all the effort and stress. The key is to maintain a good level of hydration. If you wait until you are thirsty to start drinking, it is already too late.

Another thing related to hydration is the fact that we have salivary glands in our voice tract as well as in our mouth. Anything that makes your mouth water, also causes your body to moisten and lubricate the vocal folds. Tea with honey and lemon? Both are great for making your mouth water. The throat coat tea? The flavorings like licorice do the same thing. The body's response is almost instantaneous, and your voice feels smoother, freer, while your mouth and throat are no longer dry.

The final step is VOCAL REST. Adam has said that he avoids talking on show days, even going so far as texting rather than talking on the phone. This time around, he is not doing meet and greets or interviews routinely. I think that is not only to conserve his energy, but to conserve his voice.

As taxing and gymnastic as the Queen set is, Adam HAS modified his singing to preserve his voice. He no longer goes for as many glory notes, and almost never above a D5 or Eb5.  Those notes are insanely high for most male singers, even tenors. But, they are not as high as Adam can sing. In previous concerts and on Idol, he sang one, two, and even three steps higher than that in full voice. Interestingly, we don't miss them. He does so many other things vocally and performance wise, that he stuns us all the same. 

The final thing Adam does for his voice I haven't seen him mention, but we know he does. He keeps in shape: eating well and exercising. He needs to be strong and have a lot of endurance to get thru two hour Queen extravaganzas. He needs to stay healthy. 

I would say that the only "bad habit" Adam has that can affect his voice is drinking alcohol. But, I think he moderates that while on tour, and compensates by increasing his hydration the next day. Other than that quirk, I would say Adam takes pristine care of his voice.

Oops, caveat to insert my favorite theme. All the above will not suffice if the singer does not know how to sing correctly, with strong technique. Thank goodness Adam has many years of training in that area, too.
    

Thanks so much Cassie. I still want to worry about him though!!!

Thank you very much for your post Cassie.