Christine wrote:
> Well, according to Shirlee Emmons, drinking water up to an hour before > singing is good for hydration; but later than that or during singing actually > strips the mucus from your cords, which you need, of course, for lubricaiton.
I've studied with Shirlee and have the greatest respect for her, but that advice doesn't work for me. It's true that you can drink too much in the course of a day, and your body (or at least my body) starts "flushing" out the excess, and I have experienced the mucus going right along with it. But I do need to drink as I sing, and this is likely exacerbated by the fact that my thyroid went out for a long lunch break many years ago and forgot to come back, which affects my fluid balance constantly. But anytime that you're breathing through your mouth repeatedly over a long period of time, and especially in a dry room such as you would be in winter, you're going to dry out the vocal folds. The room my recital was in on Sunday was a case in point - like the desert. Unfortunately, composers just didn't plan well enough for us always to take long, leisurely breaths through the nose.
> I'm not sure exactly how that works because it's not like the water actually > comes in contact with your cords unless you're CHOKING,
My teacher (David Jones) gave me a suggestion years ago that does work. If you're desperate to rehydrate fast, you can gargle with some plain water, and tiny bits of it will splash down around the vocal folds.
> but all I can say is > that since I started following Ms. Emmons' recommendation of eating apple > wedges prior to singing, I have not suffered from dryness at all during > singing.
Sounds like good advice, except for those of us who have fruit allergies. My allergies are barely noticeable compared to what they were like as a child, and I do eat apples, but they cause just enough irritation in the mouth and throat that I wouldn't do so before a performance. I do better with Fig Newtons - just a couple, because more is too much sugar and will gunk me up - but a couple seems to give the fluids in my body something to "latch onto" to stay put. It also gives me a bit of quick energy. It also makes me happy at intermission. :-)
Robin Lynne Frye Mezzo-Soprano Voice and Piano Teacher New York, New York > In a message dated 01/16/2001 8:47:30 AM Central Standard Time, > classicalsinger@e... writes: > > << One of the funniest things concerning water intake I ever heard was > Fedora Barbieri... in a master class she said not to drink water. > "Nobody drank water when I was singing." She hated that singers always > have to have their water bottles and said it is bad for you because it > makes you stop making saliva. >> > > Well, according to Shirlee Emmons, drinking water up to an hour before > singing is good for hydration; but later than that or during singing actually > strips the mucus from your cords, which you need, of course, for lubricaiton. > I'm not sure exactly how that works because it's not like the water actually > comes in contact with your cords unless you're CHOKING, but all I can say is > that since I started following Ms. Emmons' recommendation of eating apple > wedges prior to singing, I have not suffered from dryness at all during > singing. > > Christine Thomas > Wauwatosa, WI > <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html"> > http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html</A> > > "I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a" > > > >
|
| |