My primary instrument is voice, followed closely by violin. Being a vocalist, I both think of my voice quite often, and yet take it for granted. I don’t warm it up in the mornings before work, unless you count talking to my mom on the phone during the drive. I don’t particularly rest it between sessions. This is mostly because I don’t have any time between sessions. Even during my lunch hour, I spend about half an hour talking with co-workers. I actually like being alone and quiet, and I take the rest of my lunch break to be just that. Doing so likely saves me my voice for the rest of the day.
When I say I think of my voice often, I mean that I am very thankful for it and my abilities to use it. I consider how I’m using it in session, and how it’s feeling. But, in its time off work, I don’t preserve it enough.
I bring this up because my voice was pretty off today. I notice I have a sore throat tonight, and hope to the good lord that I don’t lose my voice. I love it, need it, and feel really terrible without it.
So, to you vocalists out there, do you do anything particularly special for your primary instrument? I should be giving it more consideration.