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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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