Singing...Tea or Coffee

H

Henri Devill

New member
What's the best thing for singers to drink when they are tracking?
Is wine any good for the voice{a good buzz helps the performace..LOL}

Don
 
just regular temp...

Things Singers should Avoid!

If you have problems at gigs, or you find that some days your voice seems dry, I'm not going to go into the normal nag about smoking although you should try to avoid anything that is likely to dry out your voice before a performance, so here are a few tips on what to avoid before & during your show:-

1. Orange or Citrus Juice - Anything acidic can affect your throats lubrication.

2. Milk - furs up the throat, avoid drinking Milk, Cream, Tea and Coffee prior to singing.

3. Dry Ice Machines - The chemicals used dry up the throat. If the effect is an essential part of the show use a Fog Machine with cooler (water & glycerine based) or Haze Machine (chemical based but non-toxic). Both can still affect the voice if inhaled, make sure you have plenty of water to lubricate the throat.

4. Eating heavy meals prior to a gig / studio session - the food doesn't have time to digest and sits heavily in your stomach. This makes it harder to control vocal reach and volume.

Try to drink plenty of water during the day to keep your body hydrated and voice lubricated. (Beer doesn't count!). Keep a bottle of water at your near!

;)
 
I know a couple of pro level opera singers that swear by honey and lemon. Alcohol with a lot of sugar can act as a pretty good solvent to clear mucous from vocal cords, especially for smokers, but it comes at the price of drying out the vocal cords also. If I've had a cold, a lot of times I will use Southern comfort followed by a whole lot of water.
And DJC, what you've heard is true. Many years ago, we were in a hotel where we were staying to see a Janis Joplin concert. In the next room over, a caterwaul of screaming began that was so horrible that we thought some woman was being raped or killed.
We pounded on the door, and it opened up to reveal Janis Joplin, soaking wet, dressed in a towel, with a bottle of SoCo in her hand. She said, "I'm sorry, I'm warming up, am I bothering you?"
We managed to stammer out that indeed, she was not, apologized, and went back to our room. I think she used the steam from a really hot shower to compensate for the drying effect of the alcohol. I have found this works for me also, but I believe one shot is a better choice than most of a fifth. You'll notice she's dead, and I'm not.-Richie
 
...it will have something to do with how long will you perform. For short (say about 10-15 minutes singing 3-4 songs), tea, honey or lemon will be just fine. The drying effect wont be that bad. But if you take longer (2-3 hours rockin' show) do just regular water....

:)
 
I dont believe it! I thought everybody knew it!

Drink warm Ginger tea. Ask any Doctor or better yet, an EENT doctor.

You could chew on a piece of ginger as long as the skin is peeled off. It tastes awful, but your throat will thank you for it. (it also suppresses cough)

Try it. Then thank me later.
 
I'll second the don't eat before singing advice. The food sits in the top of your stomach and restricts your ability to fill up you diaphragm with air to sing.
 
Yes, honey.

I'm a big fan of hot tea w/honey, for singing.

Especially, if you are already a little phlegmy to begin with (especially if you've got one of those *chronic* conditions which stems from the refusal to quit smokin herb for long enough to ever recover completely from the common cold).

Cigarettes are really good if you are going for that Louie Armstrong sound. <9c;
 
Cigarettes are for pussies.

Jim Beam Black or Jack Daniel's straight.

If Jim's not handy I'll call up his cuz Jack from Tennessee.

Otherwise, room temp water, but that's boring and it lowers your BAC.

Rock on!
Pat
 
I like Tequila with a beer chaser myself. After a few of those I wonder why I'm not on American Idol.
 
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