I know this might edge into medical advice, but I’m really just looking for tips and tricks to help me regain my voice.
Background: I sing in a rock band. We have a gig tomorrow. A Saturday night in a club we like to play in, good audience, cds to be given away, everything. But I’ve got this stinking sinus infection that is leaving my throat and respiratory system in tatters.
I’m doing several things to try to combat it. Drinking plenty of fluids, including herbal tea, taking Zicam, Echinacea, extra vitamins, and trying to rest my voice and my body as much as possible.
This got me wondering, though. What do big time singers with a big show that must go on do in these situations? Do they have a Dr. Feelgood shoot them up with megasteroids or something? Is there something I can do?
If any of you fine upstanding dopers know any tips or tricks, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!
Slippery elm lozenges and agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) tea with lots of lemon and honey. Let the lozenges dissolve in your mouth, don’t swallow them. Gargle with the agrimony tea as you drink it. You can get both at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. If you can’t find agrimony alone in the bulk herb section, go ahead and use Throat Coat tea. It’s not quite as good, but it’ll help.
I’ve had a bad throat near to opening night on a couple of occasions, but not so much due to infection as just being worn out from too many rehearsals and probably a bit of dust inhalation from scenery building etc - resulting in very hoarse throat, dry cough and loss of voice or diminishment of range.
What works for me tends to be:
-Avoid all cold drinks and food - ice water might feel like it’s doing my throat good, but it tends to prolong the symptoms
-Spices such as chilli, black pepper, mustard and horseradish seem to get things moving again and help to shift stubborn catarrh that you didn’t know was even there
-Very temporary relief may be had by taking a little sip of warmed brandy, or better still, if you have access to the stuff, sloe gin (I guess a good cherry liqueuer might work). Make sure this isn’t going to mess up any medication you might be taking
For normal phlegm, bread with no butter/margarine/jelly/jam/whatever and straight lemon juice each work (separately), but I do not know that they are appropriate for actually losing one’s voice.
As an ex debater/ debate coach, I have had much experience curing voice loss. The number one trick is to take a towel, soak it in hot water, then wring it out. Put the towel over your head and just breath. That should make you feel better pretty quickly, actually.
Thanks, Why Not. I’ve had the Throat Coat tea before and it worked moderately well, so I ‘ll try your suggestion of Slippery elm lozenges and agrimony tea. Dang, maybe I should add some Eye of Newt and get a real bitchin’ brew going!
I’m doing some of the things you mentioned, Mangetout. I’ve been eating spicy food and drinking mostly herbal tea with honey and lemon. I assume you mean avoid eating right before, not for the next 24 hours.
Steam is definitely helping, too, Diosa. I took a shower an hour ago and just kind of lingered and took in the steam. It was a good relief.
Thanks to all for your suggestions!
I’ll have to check back in the AM; I have to get 3 rowdy kids to bed without talking. Maybe I’ll mime their bedtime story tonight.
I’m sorry I don’t have any advice…but I was about to make this SAME post a week ago.
I play guitar and, well, I call what I do singing, but I ain’t quittin’ my day job
I can’t imagine anything helping laryngitis. There is simply no way ANYthing is going to recover my voice when I’ve got a cold. I lose about 90% of my voice. And, even if I were to recover mostly, there’s no way I could sing with any range, much less on key and in tune. I can barely do that w/o a cold.
So, I’ll repeat your question: What do professional singers do? I see a LOT of concerts, year 'round, and I have never had a show canceled due to a singer’s case of laryngitis. But it must happen…?
A few years ago, I was leader of an “alumni band,” from the classes of 1963-1979 of my high school. We played at an all-class picnic and kicked ass!
The day of the gig, my throat was raw and sore, and I felt l ike I was losing my voice. The female lead singer of this incredible group gave me some lozenges called Fisherman’s Friend.
I have no idea what is really in those things. They taste like crap but they work! The ingredients say menthol and eucalyptus. There’s gotta be more! It kept me going throughout the entire gig and still feeling good and talking after we were done.
Hie thee to a local drug store and pick up a package. You’ll thank me later.
Ok, thanks all for your suggestions. My throat’s doing pretty well. I think I’ll be able to sing tonight just fine. The sinus infection has moved on and is now occupying my head and lungs. My ears are stopped up… Oh, well, I feel fine and what’s a little congestion? I’ll have the rest of the long weekend to recover.
Rock on! ::sign of the devil and a couple of head bobs::
At the last minute, he had a relapse, as well as infecting the drummer and the bass guitarist, so they dropped one of their CDs onto a tray and lip-synched the whole set. (Of course, to avoid doubling up the sound–since the CD has no separate tracks for the instruments–they had to fake the entire show, which got a bit problematic when they got to the part where the drummer improvises (live only) by throwing his sticks in the air and drums just kept going with the drumsticks twirling twelve feet over the drummer’s head.)
I was leading the music on Sunday morning. Because it was a Bank Holiday and I could not get any singers, I was on my own with a guitar. I quite enjoy leading solo.
My usual prep is Nasal Spray and chewing AirWaves (menthol chewing gum) to keep things clear. I warmed up, the practice was fine, I was really happy.
Second song in, I inhaled some spit, held back the cough long enough to finish the song. I had a quick drink to clear things, but ended up rasping (requiring a real “push” to get lyrics out) for the rest of the service through irritated vocal cords. It’s happened before, sometimes really badly.
Does this happen to anyone else. Anyone got any ideas to help this sort of thing.
It went pretty well; good crowd, good energy. My voice didn’t work well when I had to push out some higher lines, though. I compensated by downing a couple of single malts and going into Townshend mode.
Oh, well, I feel fine and what’s a little congestion? I’ll have the rest of the long weekend to recover.