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Singing Sick
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Subject: Singing Sick From: JedMarum Date: 09 Jan 09 - 04:50 PM The club I was supposed to sing at tonight shut their doors last week, so of course I'm canceled. Too bad for them, but good for me as it turns out. I'm sick as a f*cking dog today! Head stuffed, chest filled with fluid, brains being pushed out through my eyes! I have 24 hours to get better though ... I got another show tomorrow night and can't afford to cancel. I might bark my way through the night - but I'll get there!! ... wish me luck! ;-) |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Herga Kitty Date: 09 Jan 09 - 04:53 PM Best of luck Jed - I'm hoping my cold symptoms have today got to the stage where they start getting better instead of worse! Kitty |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Brakn Date: 09 Jan 09 - 04:59 PM Yes - best of luck. I'll be barking myself and I don't even have a cold! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: ClaireBear Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:03 PM Heat cranberry juice cocktail, squeeze in lemon juice and top up with gin. Put in thermos. Drink as needed. (I swilled it all through Christmas Eve services at my chuch, where I was the soloist.) If you want to avoid the alcohol, you can make it "virgin" but it works better with gin in. Doesn't coat your throat, DOES quell the coughing urge for a few minutes per sip. Tastes terrific. Better make some today and be sure it works for you before you try it onstage. Was hael! (Get healthy!) Wish I could hear you live, healthy or even sick. I bought one of your CDs at the Getaway and am now a confirmed fan. Claire |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: sharyn Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:03 PM Hi Jed, Drink (non-alcoholic) fluids until your kidneys are floating. You may have to pee a lot but it will help your voice. If congestion is interfering with getting fluids down, drink them warm, which is better for your voice anyway. Then if you need it, have a single shot of whiskey or brandy right before your performance and chase it with lots of room temperature water. I've been there: you can sing if you are hydrated enough. Best of luck. Sharyn |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Liz the Squeak Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:13 PM If your throat is congested, don't drink milk or eat dairy products, as they help create more mucus, and avoid chocolate as it dries the mouth out. An apology beforehand might be useful just in case you 'disappear' midway through a note! LTS |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Jeri Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:19 PM Aaaaw, poor soggy Jed! Virtual hugs. (Not likely to get anything on me through the internet.) Fluids are very helpful, hot ones soothe and help with congestion. And sleep. Alcohol does nothing good for a cold (but can help you feel better if you're so inclined.) See if friends can show up to help you and play a lot of instrumentals. I'm sorry, Mr. Mucous. Oh yeah, get a towel for the guitar or maybe a couple of (unused) rubber ear plugs. The foam ones just act like little sponges and will still drip on everything, or worse, blow out when you sneeze and stick to somebody across the room. Feel better, friend. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Barry Finn Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:33 PM Becareful Jed, before you know it this bunch will have you floating downstream on your back & pushing up posies & pissing out your eyes. Good luck with your cold. Barry |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Uncle Phil Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:56 PM Wait, wait, let's not waste this opportunity. Before you try any of these cures I've got a list of people I'd like you to breathe on. = Phil |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Don Firth Date: 09 Jan 09 - 07:24 PM Oh, boy! Been there, done that! When in danger of singing in what might be called "the phlegmish language," if I figure my voice might betray its current delicate condition, I sometimes quote Shakespeare, thus: Shall we clap into't roundly, without hawking or spitting or saying we are hoarse, which are the only prologues to a bad voice?and try to make some weak joke out of it. It usually gets a chuckle at least. Anyway, good luck! I'm sorry I missed you in Seattle awhile back. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: katlaughing Date: 09 Jan 09 - 07:49 PM Anything sugary, other than natural sugars, can add to congestion, too. Alice in Montana told me about THIS STUFF which works really well for dry throat, etc. You can usually find it, or something like it, at health food or drug stores. I hope you are at least at home so you have some comforts? And, as some folks say to their dogs, "Heal!":-) kat |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Joe_F Date: 09 Jan 09 - 09:13 PM "Treat a cold with the contempt it deserves." For that purpose, I have devised the CONTEMPT COCKTAIL Mix, according to taste & conscience, Orange juice (in memory of Linus Pauling) Dark rum Bitters Lemon extract Ice |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Amos Date: 09 Jan 09 - 10:36 PM SOmething to try: Take a teaspoon of cinnamon and mix it into a couple of tablespoons of honey. Ingest. It has been known to do wonders for cold symptoms. A |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: wysiwyg Date: 09 Jan 09 - 11:12 PM When you have to sing, sick, it's a good idea to have a couple of sure-fire pieces you ALWAYS can sing, even when not in good voice. Or tune low 1/2 step. Or borrow a singing partner who can duet with you. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Gurney Date: 09 Jan 09 - 11:50 PM Remove the moustache, if you have one. Cyril Tawney once saw a singer with 'objects' entangled, and had an almost moustache from then onwards. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Deckman Date: 10 Jan 09 - 03:05 AM Jed ... Your present misery reminds me of a concert I gave in Vancouver, Washington, in 1963. It was a three day college "folk festival", filled with workshops, concerts, radio interviews ... the whole nine yards. The culmination was a Sunday evening concert and I woke up that morning feeling like something the dog drug out of the house and buried. The family host drove me around until we found an olde time drug store open, I think I remember that a local cop pointed him out. I explained my delemma ... I had to sing that night and I couldn't even squeek! The druggist nodded sagely and told me to sit down for a while. He went into his dungeon and started throwing things into a crucible ... true story ... and ground them with his pestle (sp?). He then added pure alcohol and told me to drink some every hour. That night I gave one of the best performances of my life. I was so buzzed that I was loose as a goose. The next day I was praised in a concert review in the local paper for my "command of my voice" and for my "very relaxed style." They don't make druggists like that anymore. Best wishes from a new fan who sold tickets for you at your house concert in Seattle last Spring. CHEERS, Bob Nelson |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 10 Jan 09 - 03:43 AM why would you want to go and infect all the audience who may have paid good money to see you? As an organiser I would rather have the artist get in touch with me, if they have an illness that can be passed on to the audience. I would rather they cancel and re book at another time. I would then find somebody to do that night, even at the last minute. Yes the audience might be disapointed, but at least your bug wouldn't be passed on to them. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Tangledwood Date: 10 Jan 09 - 04:42 AM Oh come on, how athletic are these germs? I would be more concerned about others in the audience, on public transport, or around town than a performer way up on a stage. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Liz the Squeak Date: 10 Jan 09 - 05:22 AM A sneeze can leave the nasal cavity at 90 miles an hour or so it's said... imagine how far those germs could travel! LTS |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Big Al Whittle Date: 10 Jan 09 - 10:24 AM that's remarkable...how do they know a germ moves that fast - how did they time it? You can just imagine guys in white coats with stopwatches and bits of kleenex. at last an olympic sport i might excel at! would there be extra points for marksmanship with a piece of flying snot...... |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Alice Date: 10 Jan 09 - 10:27 AM Rest your voice, Jed, 'cause singing sick can damage those cords in there. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: breezy Date: 10 Jan 09 - 10:41 AM At least Vill and Alice talk sense You are sick, you will not do yourself justice and the audience will be short changed I had Jeremy Taylor cancel 3 days prior to a gig, no voice , we notified all who had bought in advance , then sold more tickets on the night for his rearranged visit and sold him twice over! I would not have expected anything less of him as he was a true professional Therefore you are going to do damage to you and to others Best cancel and rearrange. But somehow I think you will struggle through because ego dictates and sense fails. I wouldn't want you in your present condition, and if you turned up and you were unfit I would send you home without any hesitation, maybe Villan would too ! Anything else would be selfish on your part |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: JedMarum Date: 10 Jan 09 - 10:51 AM Thanks all for such sage advice and the good stories. I'm feeling a bit better today, but sounding worse! If it was a dinner party and close quarters I would stay home. The truth is I cannot afford to cancel. But I can keep my distance from people. I am not coughing or sneezing ... just stuffed in my sinus and lungs. I think I'll not be passing on my germs tonight - just maybe a few less-then-graceful notes! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Suegorgeous Date: 10 Jan 09 - 11:08 AM Claire - what is cranberry juice cocktail? does it come in a carton with that name? |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 10 Jan 09 - 11:09 AM >>I wouldn't want you in your present condition, and if you turned up and you were unfit I would send you home without any hesitation, maybe Villan would too !<< Indeed I would Breezy. Incidentally you talk a lot of sense there Breezy. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Will Fly Date: 10 Jan 09 - 11:40 AM Strategy for a cold (told to me by a local farmworker many years ago): 1. Eat one sandwich of raw onion an cheddar cheese 2. Drink one glass of navy rum, honey, lemon and hot water 3. Take one hot bath 4. Retire to bed and sweat Repeat as necessary. The rationale? Raw onion is GOOD for you - the cheese makes it more palatable. Honey sweetens the lemon - the rum is for fun. Bath and bed? Why not. Probably all medically incorrect - but who cares... |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Big Al Whittle Date: 10 Jan 09 - 12:04 PM You play so beautifully Jed, your guitar playing will have to take the strain. its worth the ticket price on its own. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Alice Date: 10 Jan 09 - 12:33 PM Read about vocal nodules and then decide if you still want to sing when your vocal folds are not well. Rest your voice when you have a sore throat/cold/hoarseness, or you can permanently damage your voice. I'm serious about this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_fold_nodule " |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: breezy Date: 10 Jan 09 - 12:46 PM Jed Marum or Jed Moron ? weelttledrummer and the rest of you are not helping the poor bugger If he sound worse today then he will be in breach of the trades description's act and bring the game into disrepute. Alice is right, it took me 3 months to get me singing voice back once. And don't give us 'cant afford to' line, it sucks. Rearrange it , that way you dont lose out and neither will your 'fans' |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 10 Jan 09 - 01:59 PM When you book an artist you book them for the 100% Al, not 50% Would the artist accept half of the fee for only doing half of the job? |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Big Al Whittle Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:04 PM 'If he sound worse today then he will be in breach of the trades description's act and bring the game into disrepute.' Its a disreputable game anyway. If he plays guitar like this - he'll be okay http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dhgju7b5kg&feature=channel_page |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Lox Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:11 PM I quite like performing when I'm Ill. Its like performing with a different type of guitar - ie nylon as opposed to steel. You perform with a different voice. My register goes down about a 4th and I sing much softer but with much more resonance in the bass and with an increased ability to sing at a low volume so the intimacy level goes up. In fact, I would go so far as to say that some of my best performances have been when I was Ill. Don't write it off - adapt. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Lox Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:17 PM WLD, Thanks for the link. Jed Awesome! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: ClaireBear Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:36 PM Sue, Cranberries have so little natural sugar that unsweetened cranberry juice is pretty much undrinkable. So in the U.S., it's sweetened with cane or beet sugar, a little ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is added as preservative, and it's sold as "cranberry juice cocktail." (Government regulations prevent its being sold simply as "juice" if it has sweetener in it.) The popular national here brand is "Ocean Spray" and that's the kind I use. I'm not sure if you have such a product in the UK, but it would probably have a more accurate description than "cocktail" if so. There are also blends of cranberry with other, sweeter juices -- apricot, raspberry, apple, cherry or so on -- that have no added sugar, which should be a great idea, but whenever I've tried making my cold remedy with those, the results are a poor relation to the original "Boggie Delight" (which is what I call my invention). Cheers, Claire Jed, feel better! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Maryrrf Date: 10 Jan 09 - 05:48 PM I think some of the comments have been a bit much: "Don't give us 'cant afford to' line, it sucks." Sorry but it is entirely possible to be in a position where one can't afford to sacrifice a night's pay. "Jed Moron?" Was that necessary?? "Ego dictates and sense fails" So he's doing the gig purely for an ego trip? Oh and he's 'selfish' to boot? I can well understand how someone who works a job where they don't get sick pay(like a musician) would not be able to afford to cancel a gig. I've been in that situation myself. It is not always possible to reschedule a cancelled gig, and I think we can be sure that Jed would be professional enough to take steps to minimize the impact of a cold on his performance. For starters he's already said that he can arrange it so he won't be close enough to the audience to infect anybody. The vocal mic and settings can be adjusted so that less singing volume is necessary, thereby minimizing damage to his voice, and he can select songs that are well within his range and don't require a lot of stretching vocally. There are over the counter meds that will minimize congestion, etc. plus the nip of adrenaline that often kicks in during a performance makes a difference. Also he can emphazise the instrumental aspect of the performance to further spare his voice. I think we can safely assume that he will do all these things and the audience will probably never be aware that he is under the weather. I just don't think the personal insults were necessary or appropriate. There are other ways to express an opinion or get a point across. Good luck with your gig Jed! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Leadfingers Date: 10 Jan 09 - 07:54 PM Well Stated Mary - No one can tell a performer what he can or cant do except the performer ! Good Luck Jed , hope the gig went well . |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: SINSULL Date: 10 Jan 09 - 08:20 PM Jed, Take the advice you use; ignore the rest. Do your best. Experience tells me that your wirst is close to some bests. Enjoy, SINS |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Bat Goddess Date: 10 Jan 09 - 08:40 PM The worst part is not when you're coughing or sneezing -- it's when you're just congested enough so you have no volume or resonance. It's a thin singing sound. If you're miked, it's not too bad, but YOU know you're not 100%. In my major venue (The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH) I'm not miked. And when I'm throat afflicted, I just don't have the projection I normally have. (Projection carefully honed by singing in a loud pub situation.) Usually I know that I'm not 100%, but that's less obvious to listeners considering the normal ambiant noise level anyway. I probably don't have my usual range, either, so there are songs I avoid. My arsenal of remedies include Vocal Zones, Herbal Mist, Entertainer's Secret and Bushmill's (strictly for medicinal purposes...) Drink lots of water, but avoid ice water. Life's gotten a lot better since New Hampshire has gone smoke-free in public places. What a difference!!! I'm looking forward to trying ClaireBear's remedy... Linn |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: JedMarum Date: 11 Jan 09 - 10:24 PM Well I managed to get through the night. The place was really packed and we had fun. I did OK for the most of the evening; a rougher edge to my voice and a little less range (at both ends) was the only compromise. I did begin struggling toward the end - but got them singing instead, so it worked out OK. I am aware of the dangers of hurting my vocal chords and I do take good care, as the situation allows. But in truth I make a living at this - and the Christmas and New Year season is my worst season for income. I literally could not have afforded another cancellation - as some of my bills are actually late this month - for the first time in the 10 years I've been doing this. Things look better soon, but the last month has been the worst I've had. The damn cold just added insult to injury! Thanks for the well wishes and the advice. I tanked up on water and rest ... seemed to be enough to get me though it! |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Don Firth Date: 11 Jan 09 - 11:41 PM Great! Rest the ol' voice for awhile if you can. Drink a lot of water. Buckets! And don't worry that you have spread the plague as some are claiming. I was informed by a genuine doctor, complete with white coat and stethoscope, that when a cold reaches the sloppy stage, its infectious stage has pretty well passed. A cold is actually well under way before you really notice it. The cruddy stage is your body cleaning out the debris after the cold germs have already done their dirt. Still wishing I had been able to get to your Seattle concert. Rats!! Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 11 Jan 09 - 11:43 PM >>No one can tell a performer what he can or cant do except the performer ! << Or the organiser who is employing the performer and paying his or her wage. I don't mean that from what they sing or play. The performer is under contract with the organiser. Its the organiser that allows somebody to perform at a venue, not the other way round. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Uncle Phil Date: 12 Jan 09 - 12:59 AM I missed the show last night (darned old day job), but was in the same venue earlier today. I'm pleased to report that the patrons and staff were all in robust good health. - Phil |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Suegorgeous Date: 12 Jan 09 - 12:27 PM Thanks Claire! will give it a whirl. :) |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: breezy Date: 12 Jan 09 - 01:51 PM >>No one can tell a performer what he can or cant do except the performer ! << Oh yes they can, trouble is very few have the guts to say to so called union card carriers 'You have an awful voice that rasps like barbed wire and hurts my ears when you sing' Some singers have no perception of their own abilities and limitations nor of what others really think. Well done Ted on fighting through, it wasnt as bad as you made out then, please forgive the play on words, But what gets me is that this 'hobby ' 'pastime' has become a means to earn and is regarded as 'employment' upon which some are claiming dependancy. With folk clubs vanishing and not booking guests, who in turn want more than clubs could and can afford, we are deluding ourselves if we think that we are owed a living out of the folk scene. but this is another subject |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: katlaughing Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:08 PM Our Safeway store sells an Italian pomegranate soda which is really good and, imo, does more than cranberry juice, to soothe things and I don't think it has any more sweetening than the Ocean Spray. It's really good, too! (Now that I look at the particulars, it doesn't have that much juice in it, so maybe not as good, according to ingredients, but it tastes yummy and seems to help my throat and that's my story!):-) |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: wysiwyg Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:17 PM Jed, I was lucky enough to get a live tape of a folk performance by a duo that only performed together for a few years; then the husband changed careers and only occasionally performed at all, and then, only on his own. The venue had recording capability on the house sound system, and would oblige requests when performers OK'd recording. I still remember the wife in the pair stopping my my table after their first set. She'd been sipping anti-cold stuff the whole time, and wanted to apologize that she thought I'd probably gotten a poor quality tape. She was honestly convinced that she had given me garbage. Well, they say I have pretty good taste in music, and I recall assuring her that she sounded better than she thought. I'd seen them when they were not sick, too, and THIS is the one I remember. That tape was the centerpiece of my listening experience for years and years. Their music... it reached in deep, and it stuck to my ribs. This was back in the mid-70's, and I STILL recall that night every time I launch into a song in our Sat. night service with less than ideal voice-- because I remember their love of the songs that came through so clearly as the real star of their show-- not them, not their voices, not their skills, but the songs themselves. The job of the singer is to get up and do the songs justice, and let people take from them what they need to take. Thanks for making that possible. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Don Firth Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:27 PM Breezy, I hope you're not saying that people shouldn't make money—or at least try to make money—out of singing folk songs. To some, singing folk songs is not just a "hobby" or a "pastime," it is a profession. There are a lot of people in this catagory. Need I list them? Without these folks, there would be far fewer people who become interested in folk music in the first place. Were people such as Jeb not paid for what they do, many of them would not be able to afford to do it. By the way, members of the "folk scene" are not the only audiences out there. In fact, if one sang only for died-in-the-polyester folk music fans, it would be slim pickin's indeed for those who do sing professionally. But as you say, this is another subject. And quite probably worthy of a thread of its own. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: fumblefingers Date: 12 Jan 09 - 10:37 PM A girl I play with--that sounds funny. A girl, now an almost elderly woman, I play music with takes a big bite out of a fresh lemon a few minutes before she sings when she's congested and has a scratchy throat. It works but it must taste awful. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Gurney Date: 12 Jan 09 - 10:52 PM I used to work with a woman who sucked a lemon, heavily sprinkled with salt and pepper, for enjoyment. Kept a pepper-pot at work for just that. Said it was lovely, and kept colds away. About Will Fly's sandwitch: One of the most notable sandwitches I ever had was a mild onion and cheese, however, the cheese was high-graded with blue cheese to 'lift' it. Lovely. Memorable. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: GUEST,Organizer Date: 12 Jan 09 - 11:39 PM I would prefer that I have the right to cancel a performance if the performer is unable to give 100%. I would expect that a "professional" entertainer would provide me that option. However, I have had several so-called "professional" artists show up sick an hour before the gig who gave mediocre performances. The worst was an autoharpist who croaked through two songs in a 90-minute "show" and proved that even in the best of hands, about 10 minutes of autoharp solos was about as much variety as the instrument could offer. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Anglo Date: 13 Jan 09 - 03:04 PM Many years ago I broke my wrist (yeah, yeah, morris leapfrog after too much cognac). My singing partner and I sing many 2-part a capella songs, but when we accompany I play the instruments. We had a number of gigs coming up. We offered everyone the opportunity to cancel - a few did. Most said, come along and do it anyway. We did, had a great time, so did the audiences. Nobody complained about not getting their money's worth. Another time I had laryngitis, and was forbidden to speak. My partner does most of the lead singing, I generally do the harmony. I played the instruments and sat there. Communication was fun. The audience was mostly in hysterics. Again nobody complained. And another time my partner was in hospital. Rather than a solo show (which I have offered in similar circumstances, again giving the organizer the option to cancel), I brought an available friend, a recognized performer, as my "partner," and we alternated songs, accompanying and singing with each other when it was appropriate. Of course I cleared this with the organizer. The audience had a great time. You do what you've gotta do, and folk music should be flexible enough to adapt. If you really can't perform, cancel. But especially in the States, where "coffeehouse" concert series usually do one a month and book the whole year in advance, it's not easy to reschedule. Villan and Breezy would probably have cancelled me, but they would have missed something different. It's not necessarily the performer's job to reproduce his recordings. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 13 Jan 09 - 03:37 PM Hi Anglo I don't think that I would necessarily have cancelled in your case, becuase you had the decency to get in touch with the organiser and discuss it. You did the right thing and recognised that you had a contract with the organiser. It has to do with the performer who thinks that they can do just what they like and ride rough shod over the organiser. They think that it doesn't matter if they put in a poor performance, they are more concerned about getting their money. In such cases the organiser can lose his/her credibilty with their audience and this can result in people not coming any more. I pay good money and I expect a performance that goes with that. I have only once cancelled a group. They were a trio and one of them couldn't make it. They asked if 2 of them could do the gig instead. I said that I booked the trio and thats what I wanted. They understood and I put somebody else on. Incidentally these are our artist booking policies that we expect when we book an artist. So before we book somebody we tell them to look at our contract as well as send us their contract terms. if we are in agreement we book. http://www.faldingworthlive.co.uk/artist_bookings.htm We owe it to our audience to apply our policies. They pay the money. Without them, we don't have a concert. Cheers Les |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 13 Jan 09 - 03:57 PM Take heart. By some accounts, the best I ever sang was while navigating through a Darvon haze the afternoon after having two wisdom teeth removed. Total lack of inhibitions? Dunno, but my singing partners seemed to agree. I never took up serious drinking or drugs, though, despite their suggestions that it might help the group. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: GUEST,Jed at the Library Date: 13 Jan 09 - 05:21 PM As a performer, it is my job to deliver the music. There is always some sort of compromise, the room, the gear, the weather, the crowd - but it is still my job to deliver the music. So I've learned to do just that, no matter what distractions there may be. Singing with a cold is one of those distractions. I was feeling like sh*t but managed to do a good show and had a very enjoyable time, even though I was sick. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: GUEST,Jed at the Library Date: 13 Jan 09 - 05:28 PM les - I read through your policy and it looks like it's based on common sense and reasonable expectations. I don;t know that I'd have told you I was feeling poorly, if I was working your club - to be quite honest - because I'm sure I'd have done OK anyway and I was the only one who was going to suffer. And because as I said I make a living at music - at performing fokl music - and I cannot afford to stay home just becasue my sinus is stuffed! To be fair, most people go tow or at the office or the school or the factory when they have a cold ... but at those places they often have sick pay. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Don Firth Date: 13 Jan 09 - 05:49 PM Not a case where I was sick, but I tend to think I might have been a bit "impaired" at the time. Good thing I didn't have to drive that night. But it worked out quite well, apparently. I was singing at "The Place Next Door," one of Seattle's nicer coffeehouses. While I was holding forth out front, Bob Clark, owner of the place was back in the kitchen, experimenting with various kinds of fruit drinks that he thought he might add to the menu. He came up with something fairly tasty, and between sets, he brought me a glass of it for my assessment and approval. But—he added a little something to it that he thought I might enjoy, but since "The Place" didn't have a liquor license, he wouldn't be adding the extra ingredient to the customer's drinks. One helluva belt of vodka! The drink was so smooth and tasty, the booze went down the pipe very nicely, but there must have been a lot of it. Anyway, for the rest of the evening, I sang a whole bunch, was thoroughly enjoying myself, and getting round after round of enthusiastic applause from the audience. I knew it was going well, but as far as I could tell, I wasn't doing anything that I didn't usually do. But song-wise and entertainment-wise, it was a great evening. The next evening when I came in to sing, Bob Clark said, "Boy, you were really on last Saturday! I think I want to keep you a little bombed all the time!" Like I say, I don't know what I was doing that was any different. I really wished I'd been there. . . . Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: JedMarum Date: 15 Jan 09 - 12:38 AM Ha Don! Good story. I don't even drink - but at this point, I don;t suppose it would actually enhance my abilities! still, ya never know... |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: PoppaGator Date: 15 Jan 09 - 03:18 PM Jed ~ still here? I'm curious about that very nice "Annie Laurie" video, specifically in how the guitar was recorded. I know that you have some expertise (or, at least, some opinions) about pickups, and I thought about refreshing the recent "Acoustic Guitar Pickups" thread for my question, rather than thread-drifting this discussion, but here goes anyway: Did you play though your Laravee's pickup for that video? If so, please identify the equipment. The sound is absolutely lovely, and basically "acoustic-sounding," but there seems to be way too much sustain or echo for it to be purely "natural." (I don't really know which term to use, which just shows how audio-tech illiterate I am.) If there's no electronic amplification or enhancement involved, what other explanation can there be? (May you recorded in a tiled bathroom?) I read people's opinions that "no pickup can possibly deliver a pure acoustic sound," but I am not such a purist that such comments really worry me. I'm interested in amplification that can enhance my guitar's sound while adding volume, and without making my finely crafted spruce-and-mahogany box sound like a slab of oak with a couple of humbuckers screwed onto it. I do not not expect, or even wish, that a high-quality acoustic guitar with a pickup sound exactly like that same guitar played "straight," but I am interested in learning which rig allows the listener to hear the difference between a good instrument and a lesser one, and for the sound to be more closely akin to the intrument's natural sound than to a generic fuzzy electrified tone. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Bellestarr Date: 15 Jan 09 - 05:34 PM Alcohol is poison and helps absolutely nothing but your disposition. If you want to use being sick as an excuse to drink something fun, fine, but don't convince yourself that it's medicine. Milk does NOT make mucus -- that's an old wive's tale. Check for yourself on reputable medical websites. Try a NETTIE POT to sluice out your sinuses -- you won't ever be without one again (particularly this time of year). They sell them online and at health stores. Use 1 cup of water in the Nettie pot to 1 tsp sea salt (not Morton's-type) twice a day and you'll sing like a bird. It also really helps chest congestion, which comes from post-nasal drips out of sinuses -- lungs do not manufacture mucus themselves. I got all of this from a dear friend who is in the Kingston Trio, tours all over the world all the time and doesn't have the option of not being able to sing. Good luck. Belle |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: dwditty Date: 15 Jan 09 - 05:48 PM Get a sinus rinse (Netti Pot, etc. - I like the Ayr product better). Available at most pharmnaciis, supermarkets, etc. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: GUEST,Jed on a borrowed PC Date: 15 Jan 09 - 06:36 PM Poppa Gator - that video is simply natural. The room was NOT sonic reflective -it was open, carpeted and high ceilinged. That guitar accounts for the sustain. If you scroll back through the comments you'll more then one about the guitar's ring! I beleive if I strummed a chord on it and let, it would ring until next week! As for pickups - I love the L R Baggs products, in particular their iBeam blender. It has a standard, under saddle pickup blended with an iBeam mic. It has a beautiful, complex sound and it is quite natural. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: PoppaGator Date: 18 Jan 09 - 09:31 PM Jed, I'm impressed. Still, the recording mic and rig get a bit of credit, and of couyrse the room, non-sound-reflective though it may have been, certainly had to be quiet. Thanks for the answer(s)! And here's hoping you're completely over that cold. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Ref Date: 19 Jan 09 - 09:02 PM Sinus rinse: Take a small measuring cup (Half cup is best) 1 level measure KOSHER salt (any other salt has bad additives in it) 1 rounded measure baking soda mix thoroughly in a container mix one teaspoon in two cups of Medium hot (Whatever's comfortable) water and apply to your sinuses. I use a squirt container and do it in the shower every morning. Alternate nostrils until your container is empty. I used to get sinus infections 4-5 times a year with ear infections and bronchial problems. Now I get 1-2 per winter without complications. It has also reduced my susceptibility to allergies. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Big Al Whittle Date: 20 Jan 09 - 03:19 AM Kosher salt - I never heard of that. do they ritually kill the sodium or the chlorine? Its not a bad idea, snorting stuff to clean out the sinuses. I don't think I'd trust myself to get the quatities or the concentration right. Supposing you sniffed the wrong way and got brain damage. Do they make a propietary brand to do that with. My father used to use TCP. But then again - he did many strange things in the bathroom. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: treewind Date: 20 Jan 09 - 03:58 AM You can't sniff the wrong way! I do this when a cold threatens, and I'm sure I have fewer sinus headaches and clearer breathing as a result. I didn't know about pure salt though - I wonder if that would make a difference? *** We've just done a folk club gig where Mary had almost lost her voice. We contacted the organiser a few days before (at which point she could hardly speak, let alone sing) to see what they thought - choices included playing tunes all night (we do a lot of instrumentals anyway) or cancelling. We've played the club many times before and they know us: they said come anyway. As it turned out, Mary managed four songs and we played lots of tunes and it all went down very well, and it's reassuring to know we can do that if we have to. Anahata |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: Rasener Date: 20 Jan 09 - 04:37 AM Blimey Do you do that 365 days of the year Ref? How big is the squirter? Imagine two cup fulls of water with salt up your nostrils every day. Is there a risk of drowning or choking? The biggest risk I see is the salt, which is not good for high blood pressure. |
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Subject: RE: Singing Sick From: JedMarum Date: 20 Jan 09 - 06:44 PM PoppaGator - the recording mic as simply the little thing in he camera. It was a low cost Sony (if that's not an oxymoron) and had no special mic attached. The guitar is simply that beautiful! |
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