Tip for all you singers out there....- Page 2

[pndmnd]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 9:40am

If you take any kind of decongestant, you need to make sure to blow your nose... A LOT. That will help prevent the drainage down the back of your throat. Decongestants loosen up the congestion, Antihistamines dry it up. If it's a cold and not allergies, I take Zicam as soon as it starts (I'm not a big fan of the Airborne taste, either--kind of like really bland Tang!). Also, I know that some studies say echinacea doesn't actually work, but I've been taking it for colds for more than ten years and feel that it really helps me. The way that I was taught to take it is taking 300-400 mg (I usually take 3 capsuls) once a day for the first three days that I feel something coming on. Then I take a break from it for about two days, and then I do three more days. I was also taught to get the "Standardized" kind. It's sort of hard to find, but Nature's Resource makes some that is. You just have to look carefully at the labels. Anyway, my theory is that the reason it doesn't work for a lot of people is that they don't take the standardized kind.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 9:58am

Radioactiveduck---Try eliminating any dairy products 6-8 hours before you sing. That might help your "frog."

[neocomposer]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:09am

To add to this, I have a friend who has songs on the radio and swears by "Tylenol sore throat". Mostly for when she has lost her voice because of a cold. I've never tried it though, and I have only rarely seen it around.

[hot_brdwy_diva]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:29am

has anyone tried "entertainer's secret" ? It's some kind of spray. I've seen it around but never tried it.

[Annie23]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 12:00pm

Thanks for all these tips! I'll have to try them!

[TinyDancer]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 12:15pm

i believe the recipe for that sinus 'douche', or as some people in the biz call it 'nose juice', is the following:

1 liter of water
1 heaping tspn of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide

shake well and rinse.

(i'm pretty sure i worked with your teacher on a show, and she handed out as closing night presents a whole manual of these homeopathic remedies she had discovered or created because during the run so many people were needing/asking her for them.)

i'll just cut and paste the rest from the packet (gotta love scanners)-

"you can up the 1 tspn of baking soda to 2 tspns if your nose really is runny- but try it with just the one tspn at first.

you can wash your sinuses out up to 3x a day with this remedy.

put one end of the netty pot up against one nostril.
lean over a sink (and tie your hair back if it's long)-
tilt you head towards the side of the 'empty' nostril and pour.

relax your throat and just let it 'wash'.

repeat on the opposite side.

then, pour a little into your nose, pinch both nostrils and lean your had back (to wash the cavities)...
lean back over the sink and then blow your nose for as many times as you need over the next 30 minutes.

make sure the water is room temperature or on the cool side-
the cool temperature of the water will bring down the swelling in the sinuses (although TOO cold and you're asking for one of those 'ice cream' headaches so don't refridgerate it).

also-
do this a hour before a show (or 45), not at half hour-

at hour to curtain-
do the rinse-
blow your nose as many times as you need to get rid of the stuff in there-
and then WARM up.

your placement will be in that 'stuffed up' place but with open resonance. It will pop you up into your mask- by about 15 minutes to places you'll feel normal..but up until then you'll feel like you have a stuffed nose (don't panic).

you can also use the nose juice every day as a preventative measure during allergy/cold/flu season.

also, if you're just not able to pop into the mask- it's perfect before that 8th show of the week- it puts you in a healthy place above the chords so you can WARM UP in correct placement- and by the time the sinus washes stuffiness wears off- you're in correct placement for the show. But you have to remember to warm up gently while you're 'stuffed up', because if you don't warm up- it will all drop again in about 45 min-hour. if you warm up, the placement stays.

you can also gargle with this mixture-
although i would only do it once in the morning-
it just clears your phlegm off and disinfects everything."

hope this helps you all.

tinydancer

[jynni]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 1:24pm

If you live in an area that actually gets winter - you need a humidifier.

It doesn't have to be fancy (I got a $20 one) but any humidifier will help save your voice from the dry scratchy ick of winter.