Why Did The Years Take My Voice??

[Aberdumbie]

Granted.... I left the stage full time a quarter century ago. And I had pipes. I got tapes. I know I had pipes....A thousand times I sang Born On The Bayou. And did it well... I got tapes!.... Tonight I am driving home and the song comes on the radio. I turn the radio up and dive in. Suddenly I am choking, coughing.. Feel like my vocal chords are shredded.... Man, is it just that I haven’t used my pipes or have the years robbed my former skills for eternity? I am mildly disturbed here...

 

[kesslari]

Getting old is not for sissies.

For a while here in San Jose, Greg Kihn (former rock star) did a morning radio show.
I wanted to call in and say "you know, there used to be a rock singer with the same name as you... but THAT dude was a tenor!"

 

[kartiste]

Granted.... I left the stage full time a quarter century ago. And I had pipes. I got tapes. I know I had pipes....A thousand times I sang Born On The Bayou. And did it well... I got tapes!.... Tonight I am driving home and the song comes on the radio. I turn the radio up and dive in. Suddenly I am choking, coughing.. Feel like my vocal chords are shredded.... Man, is it just that I haven’t used my pipes or have the years robbed my former skills for eternity? I am mildly disturbed here...

You just need to relearn breath control. And hydrate.

 

[dwm74]

Hell, I never could sing and my voice still does that which you describe!

As I ease into my late 50's, that list of 'things I used to could do' gets longer and longer. <sigh>

 

[Stumbo]

Granted.... I left the stage full time a quarter century ago. And I had pipes. I got tapes. I know I had pipes....A thousand times I sang Born On The Bayou. And did it well... I got tapes!.... Tonight I am driving home and the song comes on the radio. I turn the radio up and dive in. Suddenly I am choking, coughing.. Feel like my vocal chords are shredded.... Man, is it just that I haven’t used my pipes or have the years robbed my former skills for eternity? I am mildly disturbed here...

I suggest visiting an ENT to get your throat checked out. Maybe some polyps or something.

I just got a swallow test. Nothing wrong mechanically. Next is a endoscopy where the Doc uses a scope to examine everything down to the stomach. Yeah, I know...not pleasant. But hey, better to know than not.

Something to think about.

 

[Aberdumbie]

I suggest visiting an ENT to get your throat checked out. Maybe some polyps or something.

I just got a swallow test. Nothing wrong mechanically. Next is a endoscopy where the Doc uses a scope to examine everything down to the stomach. Yeah, I know...not pleasant. But hey, better to know than not.

Something to think about.

So then that doesn’t sound like a natural occurrence? I don’t mind seeing docs. At my age it seems I am in a different doctors office every month.... I was being serious. It disturbs me that my ability to sing something I had performed countless times (years ago) was suddenly so dramatically impossible. I will ask my Doc for a referral to an ENT. Thanks..

 

[buldog5151bass]

Some is age, some is lack of use - Fogerty is not easy.

 

[mellowinman]

And once you get checked out by the MD, remember, there's rust on them thar pipes. Work up slowly. Practice a lot. No smoking, less drinking alcohol, and good healthy diet and exercise work wonders. I was always a mediocre singer, and I will dare say that now I am a good singer. I'm not content with that. Next I intend to become a great singer.

 

[Aberdumbie]

Some is age, some is lack of use - Fogerty is not easy.

Oh I know.... I was right proud of my Fogarty renditions once upon a time.

 

[Aberdumbie]

And once you get checked out by the MD, remember, there's rust on them thar pipes. Work up slowly. Practice a lot. No smoking, less drinking alcohol, and good healthy diet and exercise work wonders. I was always a mediocre singer, and I will dare say that now I am a good singer. I'm not content with that. Next I intend to become a great singer.

That’s the heck of it. In my gigging days I did smoke and drink. Taking care of myself meant getting in bed before 3am... Now I haven’t lit up in years. Work out and eat right. The years have a way of calling a fellows bluff..... But when I told my wife the first thing I told her was I was going to get a pack of Winston’s and a fifth of JD and going to try to sing it again!..... In complete jest of course.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Oh I know.... I was right proud of my Fogarty renditions once upon a time.

So take some time and bring some back - if you hadn't touched your bass for that long, how rusty would you be?

 

[Aberdumbie]

So take some time and bring some back - if you hadn't touched your bass for that long, how rusty would you be?

Good point...

 

[mikewalker]

Make sure you do not have that insidious chronic sinus infection that's been going around for the last couple of decades. Lose your sinuses, and your upper register (head voice) will basically evaporate...

 

[Tim Skaggs]

That's just how years are. They treat everyone the same, always taking things away and leaving something less desirable in its place. Poor vision left in place of sharp eyes.. Half deaf left in place af good hearing.

I have to stop now, some things get embarrassing.....

 

[DavC]

i've had the same issue ... trying to sing doesn't really hurt , it just makes me cough and kinda choke ...

could be the decades of screaming my head off singing stuff above my natural range , while drinking heavily , smoking lightly , not eating or sleeping much , etc, etc , ..!?!?

now my voice , after a good 20 yr rest , feels very worn out ...?! don't smoke cigs , have maybe 1 drink in the evening , sleep , eat a bit to well , well hydrated , etc , etc , ...

it's probably mostly from ' not being used ' ..! plus earlier abuse ..

i hear Tony Bennett , Glen Hughes , ... guys much older than me ( 60 tomorrow ) ... it's not 'age' ...!

it is frustrating ...!?

 

[lz4005]

Granted.... I left the stage full time a quarter century ago. And I had pipes. I got tapes. I know I had pipes....A thousand times I sang Born On The Bayou. And did it well... I got tapes!.... Tonight I am driving home and the song comes on the radio. I turn the radio up and dive in. Suddenly I am choking, coughing.. Feel like my vocal chords are shredded.... Man, is it just that I haven’t used my pipes or have the years robbed my former skills for eternity? I am mildly disturbed here...

The meat we are made of changes over time. Grows less flexible with age and lack of use.

Good luck finding something to play your tapes on.

 

[packhowitzer]

yeah man. about 20 years ago I used to do a mean rendition of Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride. All raspy and all. Not any more. I get all weezy and choked like the OP.

BUT... I now sing lots of harmonies in my weekly church gig- doing melodic things I couldn't do back in my younger days. I guess there's always a trade off....

 

[FrenchBassQC]

That's just normal, age is doing it's thing and if you're not used to sing anymore, that's just it. I sometimes choke just looking in the mirror... and I just turn around and it is just my wife...

 

[Davbassdude]

Once upon a time, I had a very impressive vocal range and quality. But alas, while I can still sound "good" in a lesser range, I clearly can no longer handle the "higher harmonies" I used to cover in most bands I played (We used to sing Eagles, Crosby Stills and Nash and Doobie Brothers tunes among others and I was regularly complimented). I quit smoking many years ago. Unfortunately, I believe it is in fact, a part of the aging process.

 

[hsech]

I know all too well about going from golden pipes to to sounding like a toad frog. Age is usually not kind to us and age is not our friend.