How will the Sleeve affect my Singing?

[joyland 4]

I'm pretty much fully committed to proceed with the Sleeve. I'm wondering how it will affect my Singing.

Singing is very important to me. I took many lessons to help me improve my Singing. Before I began my lessons I couldn't even carry a tune.

The main technique I was taught was to; sing with my stomach by inhaling. Inhaling and keeping down lots of air in your stomach is a big part of controlling your voice and singing.

I wonder how cutting down half my stomach will affect that.

Those that paid attention to this and have any experience please chime in.

Edited January 24, 2014 by joyland

[gmanbat 5,889]

The stomach is not what you sing with, singing is air passing through vocal chords. That air comes from the lungs. Singing with abdomen muscles is no doubt what you are referring to. After your operation heals your abdomen muscles will be as good as ever. The smaller stomach will have no bearing upon it.

However, your wind will improve. Your control of air will increase because with the excess fat gone you will breath easier and not be fighting just to live. I used to breath hard even when I wasn't doing anything. That all went away.

Your energy will improve, your general mood will improve, you will sing like a happy bird at dawn!

Edited January 24, 2014 by gmanbat

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

Perfectly said, Gman!!!

[CoffeeGrinDR 148]

What Gman said. Remember: you don't control your breathing from your lungs, you control it from your diaphragm. Singing should come from deep in your belly. Losing weight gives more room for that.

From personal experience I was singing and playing guitar just last night (exactly one week post-op).

No worries.

Edited January 24, 2014 by CoffeeGrinDR

[jess9395 5,450]

I'm pretty much fully committed to proceed with the Sleeve. I'm wondering how it will affect my Singing. Singing is very important to me. I took many lessons to help me improve my Singing. Before I began my lessons I couldn't even carry a tune. The main technique I was taught was to; sing with my stomach by inhaling. Inhaling and keeping down lots of air in your stomach is a big part of controlling your voice and singing. I wonder how cutting down half my stomach will affect that. Those that paid attention to this and have any experience please chime in.

I am a singer. You sing with your diaphragm not your stomach. From the outside it feels the same and some teachers will have you hold a hand to your "stomach" to feel what's going on, but it's truly not your stomach. You inhale air into your LUNGS, air doesn't go into your stomach.

You will be sore and it will take a while to heal, but long term there will be no effect on you singing.

[PdxMan 4,292]

One of the things to remember is the chest does provide the resonance for the deeper, richer tones. Let me Google this ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_resonation

So, depending on the thickness of your chest currently and how much weight you have to lose, you may find your deeper tones are not quite as 'beefy'.

[2Big2Skate 328]

A small small warning. Any time you have surgery with general anaesthesia, you get a trache tube shoved down to your lungs. It irritates you and can rarely cause some damage. My voice has been weaker and gravely when i talk, ever since i woke up. I'm going to see a ENT about it and let him have a look. It's probably slow healing inflammation.

Jay

[jess9395 5,450]

One of the things to remember is the chest does provide the resonance for the deeper, richer tones. Let me Google this ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_resonation

So, depending on the thickness of your chest currently and how much weight you have to lose, you may find your deeper tones are not quite as 'beefy'.

Very true, the sound/timbre of your singing may change, but the mechanics of producing the tones won't change significantly.

[MIJourney 490]

On the lighter side my singing has not been affected by surgery.

Sounded like crap before and still sound the same though it doesn't stop me from singing every day!!!

[smokenhaze 9]

I got my music degree in Vocal Performance, unfortunately that time was really hard for me as gaining weight affected my singing in a bad way. Couldn't stand as long, sweating on stage, less control over my voice. Although I haven't had the surgery yet, being a performer most of my life I found at that at my fittest I could sing the best. A lot of it has to do with your diaphragm. Learning to sing using that controls the balloons ( lungs) expand and contract. My recommendation since I have had my tonsils, adnodes, removed from me. Don't start to sing right away. Once you get out of surgery work on your breathing excersizes. The better breathing the more control you will have over your voice. If your throat hurts don't sing, and talk lightly and quiet...don't strain. As your throat starts feeling better you can sing more and more.

But utimately I think sleeve, and losing weight period is good for singing.

[joyland 4]

I really appreciate all of your responses. You all have now cleared another hurdle for me. The power of doing it as a group!

And yes, will go back to take more lessons and learn more about the organ functions involved in controlling sound with breathing.

Gman, I'm singing more Opera style. So I hope to be roaring like a lion into the sunset :-)

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

I really appreciate all of your responses. You all have now cleared another hurdle for me. The power of doing it as a group! And yes, will go back to take more lessons and learn more about the organ functions involved in controlling sound with breathing. Gman, I'm singing more Opera style. So I hope to be roaring like a lion into the sunset :-)

And there's no doubt that u will do that successfully! Congrats on ur decision to continue with it and making a better you!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

The stomach is not what you sing with, singing is air passing through vocal chords. That air comes from the lungs. Singing with abdomen muscles is no doubt what you are referring to. After your operation heals your abdomen muscles will be as good as ever. The smaller stomach will have no bearing upon it. However, your wind will improve. Your control of air will increase because with the excess fat gone you will breath easier and not be fighting just to live. I used to breath hard even when I wasn't doing anything. That all went away. Your energy will improve, your general mood will improve, you will sing like a happy bird at dawn!

Please take the advice of this man as well as the rest of the people on this board. Gmanbat is a great resource! He has answered many of my questions all with tons of knowledge! Ur in great hands.

[latido 178]

I'm frightened about altering the timbre and vocal range in my singing post-op. I am a musician by trade.