Water 90%
Milk 30%
Tea/Coffee 60%
Soft Drinks 60%
Juice 30%
WATER: To all you who vote for water, congratulations! Independent of it's temperature, water does NOT negatively affect a singing voice. You do want to probably stay away from freezing cold water, especially after you've warmed up, since it will only cool down your chords, but it will still not harm you.
MILK: Because of it's thickness and high levels of calcium, milk can stick to and weigh down your vocal chords. Although it is "good for you" and can give you a full feeling in your stomach, vocal chords and a throat full of milky paste can keep you from having elasticity in your voice and complete control of your chords. So, milk is a no-no before singing.
TEA/COFFEE: Here's a tricky one. Most tea and coffee are caffeinated which is definitely a negative factor on the throat and vocal chords. Caffeine dries out anything that was previously lubricated, so downing a cup before singing is just asking for trouble. HOWEVER, if you have DE-caffeinated coffee or tea, you should be ok. Just watch out for sugars and milk. Sugars can also dry you out and you already have your info on milk. If you need to use something besides plain water to clean out your vocal system before singing, here are some hints:
a. DECAF peppermint tea - inhaling and drinking hot mint can quickly clear out congestion
b. Honey - adding honey to hot water or a mint DECAF tea can help to lubricate vocal chords and your throat on those days where you just feel a little dry and wheezy
c. Lemon - a natural acid, lemon in hot DECAF tea or water helps to cut away any "gunk" that might be sticking around after a cold
*You can use one or another, two or even all three in hot water to keep your chords nice and warm, clean, and lubricated.
SOFT DRINKS: Soft drinks are usually loaded with sugar and caffeine - 2 DEFINITE no-nos for your chords and throat right before singing. If you can find a soft drink with neither, we might be able to negotiate, in the mean time - ABSOLUTELY NOT! :o)
JUICE: This is another tricky one. Although juices are filled with "good for you" vitamins and sometimes some acidic fruits that can help to clear out the "gunk," generally they are not going to be a good substitute. The high sugar counts can truly cut away at your lubricated vocal chords as well as set you up for failure mentally. They can give you a high high followed immediately by a low low attention-wise which can hamper your success over a period of time.
Some smarty-pants students come up with this one:
"Ok, so if I drink milk and then follow it with a soft drink, I should be back to normal!" (or a similar theory thereof)
Don't kid yourself. High sugar content and caffeine can do so much more harm than your realize. So, I hope this clears up the doubts on drinks. Your best bet is always our friendly H2O! If you have any questions, feel free to comment here. Also, check out the new poll on the right side.
Keep those chords warm, clean and smoothly lubricated!
