General Music Chat

Yur so funny Greeniemagic!

I wonder what that tastes like??

The "trick" to keeping your voice in good working order is.....................................Wait for it..............................................................Water and rest .

Water is the life blood. Stay well hydrated with water and Sinus' are much less a problem.

Sing in the "correct" key for you. don't abuse your voice.

Get plenty of rest after the show, at least 8 hours.

><))))*>

Haha don't think your getting off with it either Lady, I'm trying YOURS this Sunday and if I spend the afternoon sounding like a chipmunk then your in trouble

The "trick" to keeping your voice in good working order is.....................................Wait for it..............................................................Water and rest .

Water is the life blood. Stay well hydrated with water and Sinus' are much less a problem.

Sing in the "correct" key for you. don't abuse your voice.

Get plenty of rest after the show, at least 8 hours.

><))))*>

Very good advise 'Big El'.(Sing in the "correct" key for you. don't abuse your voice.) That is most important! Water is the best liquid drink for vocals. Gatorade, etc. Dont forget, Your stomach, muscle's, etc- For strong vocalist that project from the diaphragm. Jump rope, Running, exercise! Your health is very important.

Greeniemagic -- Well I swear it does work!! - The story I wrote was absolutely true!! I literally could not speak -- only whisper -- and I sang like a bird through 4 sets!!

Please do let me know if it works for you!! That Hot Toddy was a miracle for me!

Hey Big El! Anyone ever tell you that you look like Taylor Hicks??

HI LONNIE!!

Hey Sis! I see you got your computer fixed. Rock On, Lady!

Nope, not fixed -- It just hasn't died on me yet !!

If I win the money in this contest -- that's my goal -- to win and buy a new puter with the money!! I've been fortunate over the last few days that it's been continuing to work.... although for having High Speed DSL - it's slow enough that it reminds me of dial up at times!

Please trust this post - I'm a classically trained rock singer with a 3 1/2 octave range - I know my stuff!

Things you should not have before you sing:

1) No lemon or hot beverages - room temp water only or if cold, swish in your mouth before swallowing and warm herbal teas. It's true straight lemon is drying unless it is in herbal form.
2) No caffeinated beverages - tightens your chords (this means tea, coffee, soda) so you'll have to strain to sing and then you will be hoarse.
3) No dairy products.
4) No smoking/drugs.
5) No cold medicines.

I swear by Yogi teas which you can find in most large supermarkets - especially Throat Comfort. Herbal lemon tea is okay with honey, but remember, these are only to soothe your throat, they are not a cure. The only thing that is going to help you not strain your voice is following the don'ts above, and doing strengthening exercises for your chords, and also exercising so your cardio system is strong so you can be a stronger singer and have more control. Your instrument is a physical one, so much can affect your delicate chords. If this sounds really anal, it is! But you can do a lot of damage in a short time if you don't sing the right way and have a healthy lifestyle.

If you are hoarse after a show, drink the teas, and use your voice as little as possible between shows. Don't bother whispering, you use your voice more when you do that. And I agree with those that say water and rest are key - hydration is so important and if you're burned out, it will be reflected in your voice.

Does anybody else agree that since they passed the no smoking laws it's made a huge difference in our health as singers and musicians?

Any more questions, shoot me an email at terrilane@terrilanerocks.com.

I've had the hot toddie or whatever it's called and it does work amazing. I just took the brandy and did 2 shots straight, no sugar (cuz i watch my carbs lol) and it worked like that too, but Im going to try it Lady Rockers way because it sounds yummy and maybe Ill get a good buzzzz....btw greenie u have gorgeous eyes...(Im in a relationship with an amazing man! Im not gay , just wanted to pass a compliment to another chick!)

Also I disagree with Terri Lane's comment regarding the "smoking".

I dont want to get into a heated battle over this issue but banning smoking has destroyed a lot of bars and it downpours onto the musician.
Years ago musicians were paid to entertain, not asked to perform for little or no money and bring a crowd with them. Personally Im a rocker, so I dont mind the smoke, the lack of sleep, and the free drinks that fly my way most times....it's a party life. I can see if I wanted to be like Celine Dion, maybe I would look at it differently, but then again most Celine Dion type artists dont have gigs in bars. I dont mind if Im a little hoarsy , actually I like it for my style. Most times it's your nerves that are affecting you anyways, just take long breaths, slow long breaths, hold it for 15 seconds and exhale half way, then release the leftover air all at once. I got this from watching a professional trainer video....it totally relaxes me before a gig, or a job interview, or whatever else gets me nervous. I played a gig once with a strained voice, and I remember telling myself to get a grip on stage, believe in my abilities to overcome this and sing in any fashion it takes to project my voice.....I swear by the 4th song, my voice just "showed" up again ready to rock....I totally believe a lot of it is in our heads and all these remedies are just mindteasers...but I still want to get that buzzzzzzzz

Well - it does work BUT it is very medicinal tasting --

Meaning it tastes like Medicine - Almost like a Vicks 44 or something -

I drank 2 of them - one before we started and one inbetween 2nd & 3rd set!!

......

I dont want to get into a heated battle over this issue but banning smoking has destroyed a lot of bars and it downpours onto the musician.
Years ago musicians were paid to entertain, not asked to perform for little or no money and bring a crowd with them.

That certainly hasn't been the case locally...in fact, what floored me is that the demand for clubs and bars to go nonsmoking was coming from the CUSTOMERS, not the government. So, we're now virtually smokeless at clubs. They can still smoke outside, so no one is left with no choices, but it appears to be a win win for both non-smokers and smokers. I haven't seen any appreciable hit against the musicians' pocketbook because of going smokeless.

Hey thanx for the compliment Kat, tis very nice of you..Didn't get to try the 'toddie' Sunday, had the hangover from hell and was hard pushed trying to keep water down let alone anything else

Ooo... sounds like a rough one