How easy is it to damage your vocal chords?

It depends on you're voice type. I have a very pure, and fragile voice. Strong when I'm singing opera, but when I sing pop and rock, its horrible! I can't shout, and I'm petrified to do damage, so never sing them properly. If you've been trained classically, after even a few days or weeks of singing pop and shouting can ruin your voice for the next few months, but if its only been a few days of singing, then often by resting the next few days, and not singing, you can restore its power. If you at any stage can taste blood, STOP IMMEDIATELY! You could be really damaging you're vocal chords. If you try to go into a head voice, and be breathy, but it wont go properly, or wont sing at all, you know you should not be singing for the next few days. If it hurts slightly to sing, or it sounds raspy, then they are also signs you should stop. In the mean time, when you do have a bad day with you're voice, srink pineapple juice, and avoid salty foods.

You can damage your voice lots of ways. Singing is one of them. Everyone is different so it is hard to say how long it would take, and also would depend on what you were doing and for how long. (if you're screaming for five hours over an awesome rock band 6 shows a week - then i'd give you a month before you've done some irreversible damage) BUT - some people are just born with awesome rock voices. Axl Rose could scream for years and not feel a thing I'm sure. If you damaged your voice you'd sure know. Firstly you notice that your speaking voice wasn't behaving. That is to say it feels and sounds different and is difficult to control. If that happens chances are that your voice is damaged. Rest and lots of Water will sort that out. If however you develop Nodules - you enter a whole new area. Nodules can mean speech therapy and in worse case situations Surgery. If you want to be a singer my advice is get some technique. But be true to your voice. If you're a rock singer and you get singing lessons with a Musical Theatre loving teacher chances are your voice will end up being too big for broadway!

Yes its apparent, the faint taste blood of plus your voice sounds like a teenage boy, all squeeky. Well thats what happened to me but there hasn't been any long term damage. That was done after not alot of effort either.

Nah, it AIN'T always apparent, my son! If ya strain yer voice and yer throat while yer singin', sometimes, the most you'll get is a ragin' sore throat, (which, A LOT OF THE TIME, won't even affect yer voice). However, sometimes, ya can also suffer from anything from mild hoarseness to complete loss of voice due to vocal strain, (but NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN, this'll just be temporary!) However, I wouldn't suggest ya make a habbit of buggerin' yer throat up like that, old son- get yerself some singin' lessons if yer serious about singin'. I wish you all the luck in the world, old son. Peace and love! Be lucky! :)