Someone who has learned to sing with a relaxed, open throat can always sing with that tight sound when they want to. Maybe they can, but too often they don't. "Give a boy a hammer, and everything looks like a nail."

I have a feeling there are ways to sing with a tight throat that avoids the damage you mentioned, because some of the old singers who do it that way have been doing it a hell of a long time. Anyone have any hints about that?