Help! Losing my voice and I have a gig in two days (New Year's Eve)

[rim]

I've searched through some of the stuff already here but I still have questions.

 

Honey - good or bad?

Lemon - good or bad?

 

I know to drink a lot of water. I'm drinking green tea with honey right now.

 

This started happening last night after band practice but I don't think that's the cause. I've been fighting something last couple of days because I've been congested and coughing up greenish phlegm. I have band practice tonight, too, which I can't cancel. Should I not sing tonight (I also play guitar)? Fortunately, I'm not the lead singer but I do sing some lead to give the other singer a break. And I sing a lot of backup vocals.

[LateGreats]

Tea with lemon and honey is always a good bet. Bring some to the gig and drink it while performing as well. Keeps things loose.

 

Also, get a humidifier and sit by it. Put it on the night stand and run it while you sleep. Helps me.

 

And don't talk, or at least talk as little as possible. Sounds stupid, but it works.

[madjack]

First of all, if you are losing your voice because you are sick, nothing you do short of getting well will solve the problem. Also, you can do major damage to your voice by trying to force it while you are sick.

Depending on what exactly is wrong, a shot of antibiotics may cure the problem.

That said, if you insist on trying to sing;

1. Don't Smoke. Anything.

2. Don't drink any alcohol.

3. Don't do any difficult songs.

4. Stay away from milk products for a couple of hours before you sing.

 

Lemon will dry your throat, so don't use that when you are getting ready to sing.

 

Make sure your green tea is fairly weak, as it contains caffeine which is a diuretic. Stay away from colas and coffee and try to stick to plain water.

 

When you must perform, drink lots of room temperature or slightly cooled (not chilled) water and nothing else.

 

Good luck.

 

John

[Singin' Dave]

Good advice above by madjack

 

and get TONS of sleep

[MONGOOZ]

lip sync????

 

(sorry....it was too easy)....honey helps.....sometimes a LITTLE sip of some smooth whiskey helps a little.....and according to my dad (the doctor)...salt water helps (gargle with it...don't drink it)

 

[rim]

LateGreats, good suggestion on the humidifier.

 

madjack, I was considering getting antibiotics from my doctor but I'm not sure there's enough time for it to work by Saturday - will ask the doctor and maybe if I get it today, there might be enough time. Good point, too, on the caffeine in tea - I wouldn't want another "problem".

 

I'm limiting my talking at work - thank goodness for e-mail and IM.

 

Thanks.

[mr3lions]

This just happened to me recently although mine was from too much singing and not illness.

 

Here's what I did.

 

-Vitamins (It turns your pee a bright yellow colour - cool)

-lots of hot water (I used lemon and honey to make it easier to

drink and because I was told bitter tastes promote saliva

which leads to lubrication. Others have posted otherwise!)

-lots of sleep (as mentioned above)

-humidifier (as mentioned above)

-I put vicks on my throat (honestly I don't know why)

-Most importantly I spoke (whispered) as little as possible for

the two days before the show

-a long slow THOROUGH warm up on the night of the gig.

[JacieFB]

To add to what everyone is saying, talking as little as possible means not whispering, either. Evidently, it's just as hard on you as talking.

 

Nothing more stressing about a gig than not knowing if you can count on your voice. I play bass and sing lead vocals...I can play bass in my sleep, but I have to stay on top of things for the vocals.

 

Good luck!

[bonscottvocals]

Also, AVOID COUGHING!!! That's like screaming. All of the advice that madjack gave you is everything that I would have given. I would only like to add that coughing, even clearing your throat a little is just like yelling - and it can damage your vocal chords. Drink lots of liquids, bearing in mind that you should stay away from citrus, caffeine, and alcohol, and to keep your cough down, use warm honey, gargle with saltwater throughout the day, and don't talk unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

One more thing that I do is right after I gargle, I chew two, normal sized aspirin. Not Tylenol or Motrin or generic thereof, but aspirin. St. Joseph's, Bayer, or some other brand. I then swallow them. Yes, it's as nasty as anything you can imagine, but it takes down any swelling that may be occuring in your throat. Make sure that you let it set as long as 15 or 20 min's, then drink an 8 oz glass of water. This works - I know first hand.

 

To minimize effects of a cold, use Zicam, it really works.

 

Lastly, the advice not to sing when your throat hurts is good. Believe it or not, your vocal chords are delicate muscles that have no pain receptors. By the time your throat hurts, the damage you're doing to your vocal chords is intense. Back off. Singing is like doing sprints, where talking is like a walk, and screaming is like an all out run. The problem with sprints is that you're going fast, then slowing down, then speeding up, then... You get the cyclic idea, right? Try running, walking, jogging, etc. randomly and you'll see what I mean.

 

Good luck, and have a great gig.

[mrcpro]

Everything madjack said. Above all, don't sing tonight and don't drink anything cold. If you're singing regularly like me cold liquids will do you in even when you're healthy.

[JacieFB]

 

Originally posted by bonscottvocals Also, AVOID COUGHING!!! That's like screaming. All of the advice that madjack gave you is everything that I would have given. I would only like to add that coughing, even clearing your throat a little is just like yelling - and it can damage your vocal chords. Drink lots of liquids, bearing in mind that you should stay away from citrus, caffeine, and alcohol, and to keep your cough down, use warm honey, gargle with saltwater throughout the day, and don't talk unless it's absolutely necessary. One more thing that I do is right after I gargle, I chew two, normal sized aspirin. Not Tylenol or Motrin or generic thereof, but aspirin. St. Joseph's, Bayer, or some other brand. I then swallow them. Yes, it's as nasty as anything you can imagine, but it takes down any swelling that may be occuring in your throat. Make sure that you let it set as long as 15 or 20 min's, then drink an 8 oz glass of water. This works - I know first hand. To minimize effects of a cold, use Zicam, it really works. Lastly, the advice not to sing when your throat hurts is good. Believe it or not, your vocal chords are delicate muscles that have no pain receptors. By the time your throat hurts, the damage you're doing to your vocal chords is intense. Back off. Singing is like doing sprints, where talking is like a walk, and screaming is like an all out run. The problem with sprints is that you're going fast, then slowing down, then speeding up, then... You get the cyclic idea, right? Try running, walking, jogging, etc. randomly and you'll see what I mean. Good luck, and have a great gig.

 

 

 

The exercise analogy reminded me that you should gently warm up, if you don't already do so before you sing.

[bonscottvocals]

 

Originally posted by JacieFB The exercise analogy reminded me that you should gently warm up, if you don't already do so before you sing.

 

 

+10000 -- and don't forget the warm down. Just like a runner has to walk a little, you need to warm down your vocals.

[JacieFB]

Originally posted by bonscottvocals +10000 -- and don't forget the warm down. Just like a runner has to walk a little, you need to warm down your vocals.

 

 

Absolutely!

 

 

I like to warm down with an ice cold beer and a shot of 1800!!!

 

 

(Which is fine, if you don't have to sing the next day!!)

[doubleR]

 

Originally posted by rim I've been fighting something last couple of days because I've been congested and coughing up greenish phlegm.

 

 

 

That's usually a sign of a sinus infection or bronchitis (I've had both). See your doctor before it gets worse.

[THBv2.0]

Lots of good advice here. I'd add 1000mg of vitamin C/hour. It sounds like a lot, but it's what the body can absorb. Also, try drinking non-drowsy TheraFlu just before the gig.

 

 

 

 

If all of what you've read here doesn't work - Jack Daniels.

[Super 8]

Any of you guys ever have to call off a gig because your singer can't sing?

 

What do you guys do when you've got a gig and your singer is sick and seriously has no voice?

[LateGreats]

 

Originally posted by Super 8 Any of you guys ever have to call off a gig because your singer can't sing? What do you guys do when you've got a gig and your singer is sick and seriously has no voice?

 

 

I never bagged out on a gig for any reason, though a few times I really should have. Just my own personal work ethic I guess. I just found some kind of range for the songs and got through it as simply and painlessly as possible. It helps that it was originals and people didn't know the songs enough to know I wasn't singing them to the best of my ability.

[mr3lions]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I think this is relevant.

 

In terms of warming up what do you guys do? I've always done humming of various scales and such. Not really very much as the background vocals on the first couple of tunes were usually all I needed. Now I'm a solo acoustic act I find I need to warm up properly.

Thanks in advance

[worthyjoe]

Wow, I was just going to start a thread on this. It's that time of the year I guess. I had to cancel a gig last winter because of sickness and I seem to get one of those a year. And it was only because I had absolutely no voice. I also believe in sticking it out for a gig but not if I won't be capable of singing the songs. I have had good luck with booking agents and bar owners being understanding of sickness. It's not like they can get mad at you for getting sick. (atleast they shouldn't). I work with some pretty harsh booking agents (I guess they all are) and they've been understanding when it comes to being sick. I absolutely hate cancelling gigs.

 

I have to play tomorrow night. I'm the lead singer/guitarist of a 3 piece. I'm stressing out. I've been sick with a cold since xmas eve and am feeling better but am still congested. I'm honestly not sure if I will be ready by tomorrow. I've been resting as must as possible but had to come into work today after missing tues and wed. I'm going to try singing a few songs tonight after work and see how I do. This sucks.

[LateGreats]

 

Originally posted by worthyjoe Wow, I was just going to start a thread on this. It's that time of the year I guess. I had to cancel a gig last winter because of sickness and I seem to get one of those a year. And it was only because I had absolutely no voice. I also believe in sticking it out for a gig but not if I won't be capable of singing the songs. I have had good luck with booking agents and bar owners being understanding of sickness. It's not like they can get mad at you for getting sick. (atleast they shouldn't). I work with some pretty harsh booking agents (I guess they all are) and they've been understanding when it comes to being sick. I absolutely hate cancelling gigs. I have to play tomorrow night. I'm the lead singer/guitarist of a 3 piece. I'm stressing out. I've been sick with a cold since xmas eve and am feeling better but am still congested. I'm honestly not sure if I will be ready by tomorrow. I've been resting as must as possible but had to come into work today after missing tues and wed. I'm going to try singing a few songs tonight after work and see how I do. This sucks.

 

 

The power of positive thought also helps. Think healthy thoughts!

[mr3lions]

"Any of you pretty ladies in the audience wanna come sing a song with band???"

 

it's worth a try even if your voice isn't sore

[doubleR]

 

Originally posted by worthyjoe Wow, I was just going to start a thread on this. It's that time of the year I guess. I had to cancel a gig last winter because of sickness and I seem to get one of those a year. And it was only because I had absolutely no voice. I also believe in sticking it out for a gig but not if I won't be capable of singing the songs. I have had good luck with booking agents and bar owners being understanding of sickness. It's not like they can get mad at you for getting sick. (atleast they shouldn't). I work with some pretty harsh booking agents (I guess they all are) and they've been understanding when it comes to being sick. I absolutely hate cancelling gigs. I have to play tomorrow night. I'm the lead singer/guitarist of a 3 piece. I'm stressing out. I've been sick with a cold since xmas eve and am feeling better but am still congested. I'm honestly not sure if I will be ready by tomorrow. I've been resting as must as possible but had to come into work today after missing tues and wed. I'm going to try singing a few songs tonight after work and see how I do. This sucks.

 

 

 

Some of you "regulars" may remember a thread I started a few weeks ago. Our band had its first "real" gig (a paying gig at a club, as opposed to a backyard party freebie) on the Saturday December 17th. Well, that Thursday I got hit with the flu big time--102 fever, so sick I slept all day. I was hoping that by Saturday I'd be OK to make the gig, but as soon as I work up Saturday morning I knew there was no way. I was still so weak and lightheaded that I could barely make it off the sofa.

 

The gig was a 45-minute drive away, and the room was up a flight of stairs (no elevator), and we were playing from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am. As it turns out, our other guitarist got a friend of his to fill in, and they said the gig went really well.

 

Playing a gig with a sore throat or a cough is one thing, but if I had attempted to show up that night, it would have been detrimental to myself and my bandmates.

 

Bottom line--no one likes to cancel out on a gig, but there comes a point when your personal health and safety takes priority

[zendog54]

I had major laryngitis one year for a New's Years Eve gig in a band where I did about 85% of the lead vocals.

 

 

I was scared {censored}less...it was a private party and cancelling was not an option.

 

 

 

That was the night I learned of the *magic elixir*.....

 

 

 

The bass player brought a bottle of Jack Daniels. He instructed me to procure a glass full of ice. I proceeded to sip that heavenly nectar throughout the night, and I'll be damned if it didn't save my ass. I made it throught the first set okay, and my voice actually got stronger as the night progressed.

 

 

 

 

 

Now I drink it at gigs just for fun.

 

 

 

:)

[worthyjoe]

I just realized that I don't own a humidifier and am going to pick one up on the way home from work. I should have done that yesterday but I wasn't thinking. Hopefully one night will help. I also may spend some time in the bathroom with the shower running for a while.

[worthyjoe]

So.... I realize that wise people have advised not to drink at all in this condition and I understand that is prudent advice... but it's just not happening.

 

That said, will I be better off drinking mixed drinks? I usually stick to beer.