10.30.07

The effects of smoking on the singing voice

Posted in Uncategorized, Vocal Health at 9:51 pm by Administrator

I have many voice students who smoke, and several who have quit smoking since I started working with them. While it is possible to sing while you smoke, I can tell you that those students who quit experience a drastic increase in vocal range. And although the first month or so is tough with the “smokers cough” acting up - eventually the “gunk” clears out of the lungs and lung capacity is increased and breath intake becomes quieter and easier.Here is an excellent blog posting I came across on www.answerbag.com that sums up the effects of smoking on the singing voice:

“One of the greatest singers of all time, and the most recorded musician of all time, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, was a smoker. Not that I would suggest three packs a day based on this, but it can be done.

“The vocal folds are folds are sheathed when not in use, so as long as you don’t speak or sing while exhaling smoke, you won’t do much direct damage to them.

“The biggest effect of smoking on the singing voice is a drastic loss of lung capacity. I once knew a smoker-singer who experimented with this. She quit smoking and monitored her lung capacity by timing long notes. Within two weeks, she had literally doubled her time. After six weeks, she caved in and started smoking again, and her lung time almost immediately dropped back to what it had been before.

“The brief explanation of this is that nicotine is a sedative. It deadens the nerves which control the support musculature, and does not allow the proper use of the lungs. The effects of tar in terms of congesting the lungs are also significant, but this is a complex problem.

“The primary issue of tar in the lungs is that the nicotine deadens the cillia in the bronchioles and bronchial passages. These tiny, finger-shaped bits of tissue serve two purposes: they increase the surface area of the bronchioles, allowing more oxygen to pass through to the capillaries behind them. Under normal circumstances, they also sway gently back and forth to move the mucous and phlegm around, preventing things from getting clogged up in there. Nicotine deadens the cillia, allowing tar and phlegm to coat them. This congestion reduces lung capacity. It also reduces the body’s ability to guage and react to irritation from smoke.

“In the morning, after not having had a dose of nicotine for eight hours, the cillia begin to awaken and sway again, moving all the stuff around. This is what causes “smoker’s cough,” the only effective cure for which, is of all things, a cigarette to deaden the cillia again. The cough, of course, irritates the vocal mechanism, and that’s a problem, too.”

What I can add to this author’s insight is that while the smoke itself may not directly damage the vocal folds, dehydration from continual exposure to heated cigarette fumes as well as daily abuse from “smokers cough” can indeed cause considerable damage to the delicate vocal folds. While not everyone will experience this, thankfully, it is a fact these combined factors can lead to permanent damage such as vocal nodes, polyps, and obviously, cancer.

Having said all of this I do realize that many singers smoke and have fine careers. So obviously smoking does not rule out professional singing. However, quitting will yield not only better overall health, oxygen intake, and decreased chances of permanent vocal issues, but will also increase lung capacity and vocal range. The choice is yours.

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3 Comments »

  1. Marci Hales said,

    December 24, 2007 at 12:01 am

    I quite smoking 6 months ago and the “smokers cough” is gone. I can’t even tell you how much easier it is to breath. With your intrest in yoga, you may like to look into Qi Gong.

  2. Helen said,

    January 25, 2008 at 11:21 am

    I can recommend quitting to all! I finally stopped smoking 3 years ago, having smoked 10 cigarettes a day for many years. Within a matter of weeks, I knew my vocal range was improving. In my youth, I could reach C 2 octaves above middle C, and didn’t think I’d ever do so again, because of all that smoking. However, having quit, I went back to my singing with a new-found enthusiasm, and now find that my old vocal range has returned, loud and clear. I believe that any damage which I inflicted on my vocal chords has now reversed itself, and look forward to raising the roof, just as I used to when young.

  3. Match said,

    May 13, 2008 at 3:47 am

    Thank you for your insights and factchecking, i’ve been struggling with the fact that i took up smoking just 3 months ago after having quit for a year, and am in the midst of new musical developments with a group of friends. I have noticed a considerable reduction in my range, i have to get it back. This gives me even more initiative.

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