It seems that in the past few years, there have been several famous singers who have had major problems with their voices: Elton John, Barry Manilow, Liza Minelli, Billy Joel - they have all battled throat issues that threatened to end their singing careers. Of course, they are professionals and know how to take care of their voices, but do you know how to sing without hurting your throat?

Your throat is a very delicate mechanism and if you don't take care of it, you could do permanent damage. There are singers like Rod Stewart or the late Janis Joplin who have naturally gruff voices, but if yours isn't like that, the first thing you can do to protect your voice is not to emulate that type of sound. Yes, it sounds great in rock music, but if that isn't your natural voice, you will damage your throat. In order to know how to protect the throat while singing, you have to be aware of your own vocal range.

Another issue that many vocalists encounter is that they can't sing loud enough and find themselves battling with the drums and guitars of their band. But, if you want to discover how to sing without hurting your throat, you need to make sure that you don't try and out-sing the band. Get a louder amp, turn up the microphone, or dampen the instruments - just do whatever you can to make sure that you don't try and overpower them.

You have to take care of your voice and if you don't, then you will notice a difference in your vocal quality, suffer from painful sore throats, and even find that you don't have the vocal range you once did. Take care of yourself and your throat and treat it with the respect that it deserves if you want it to continue to work for you.