I have an audition tonight for Man of La Mancha. This is one of my three favorite shows, and I think I would be perfect for the part of Sancho Panza. I'm the right physical shape, and I've proven time and again over the last three years that I have good comic timing and that I'm a good "character actor." Also, though I'm primarily a tenor 2, my voice can go high enough into high tenor to hit his notes.
However, I woke up yesterday a little bit congested, and I'm still feeling it today. Not horribly so--not a cold or anything like that, yet. I can still sing. But I'm worried about this robbing some of my outer notes from me when I need them most. (What's frustrating is that this is probably caused by my grueling schedule lately due to Harvey.)
So I'm wondering if anybody has firsthand experience with some of the voice-enhancing gimmicks that are theatre lore. I've heard, for instance, that folks on American Idol sometimes swallow a spoonful of olive oil before singing. I've also heard from someone else that honey is good. I find milk products to be definitely harmful. Soda tends to help me sing well, contrary to what I've always heard, but it causes me to need to burp. Also, I will not be allowed to have soda in the theatre when I audition--only water. I've heard that you don't want to cool your throat, but I find that cold water cuts through any gunk in my throat, if that makes any sense, better than anything else.
So I know there are quite a few vocalists on Hatrack. Anybody have any first-hand experience with any vocal folk remedies?
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
(*no ideas but following, interested)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Icarus, while i have no clue about voices, I have a clue about sinuses. Flush them with salt water, using a neti pot, if you can get one(health food store), or just a bottle of saline spray, turned sideways.
Here's what yu do. It is nasty at first, but I am teeling, you, it will make you feel so much better.
Turn your head sideways(You can do this in the shower), and shoot the saline spray into your nostril in snort-gag formation. Or, get a little shot glass with salt water(it should taste like your tears), and sort of pour it in your nose as you snort it in.
It is gross, but try it a few times a day, and it will moisturize, clear, and cleanse you sinus area.
(Edit: CT, I sent you an email)
[ February 21, 2005, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Though I am not a vocalist, the remedy I've always heard used was hot tea or water with a ton of honey; the steam could also help clear you up a bit, if you're not overly congested.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Not a singer, but a speaker -- warm water with lemon.
Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :
If the issue involves the throat, gargling salt water is supposed to be helpful. I tried it once, but it was too gross. Honestly can't remember if it helped. Pop has worked for me in the past as long as it's not caffeinated, so you're not weird. I'm too far removed from my singing days to remember all the tricks, but then, I never followed them anyway. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Oh yeah -- gargling warm salt water works great. I did it last Sunday between services to keep from totally losing my voice. (I had the gunky-cough cold).
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Lemon (about a half-centimetre to a centimetre should be enough), hot water and honey to taste.
Also, don't warm up before singing for too long so you're tired- preserve what voice you have!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Don't do lemon or any citrus right before you sing, though. Do the lemon a little before, then follow immediately with honey. Otherwise you'll get a raw throat.
Also, avoid milk products. For clearing the sinuses, I suggest sudafed and nasal saline, misted into the air and sniffed out of the air twice in each side, every 15 minutes.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, and do avoid the cold water; it can cause you not to be able to hit those high notes you're already reaching for.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote: Just do use a lot of it because it reverses when too much lemon juice is ingested.
Do, or do not?
My throat is not actually sore, I'm just worried about congestion. I did a tiny bit of singing (like four measures) last night, and I still had my high notes. The thing is that, on the one hand, I want to practice my audition piece, and I want to practice Sancho's songs, in case they ask me to sing them "cold," but, on the other hand, I worry that singing to practice will take away from what I can do tonight.
Anyway, thanks for all the advice so far. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Practice, but not at full strength. And if no sore throat, avoid citrus all together.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
It's a little late, but when I start to get that tickle in the throat that presages a sore throat, I do this. Take a hot shower, as hot as you can stand it. Let the hot water beat down on your chest and throat. Ingest steam. Gargle with it. You get the idea. You're just trying to cut down on all the virii in the throat and lungs.
Seems to help me prevent/mitigate sore throats, if I catch it early enough.
Since you're going to sing, maybe it shouldn't be 'as hot as you can stand it', just hot.
Break a leg.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
So do the salt water thing instead?
Honey?
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Whatever you do, I think it's best to do it about an hour before you sing. In fact, I would recommend that you don't drink a ton of water right before you audition. When you're constantly drinking, your saliva glands get tricked into thinking that your mouth has plenty of moisture, so they seem to slow down (in my totally unprofessional experiments.) However, when I drink a lot of water that day, all the way up to about 40 minutes or so before I sing, I never suffer from dry-mouth.
Also, you may think me crazy, but I find that eating something about 30 minutes before singing helps me be really flexible...something small like a bagel or a donut. I also would recommend that you do your heaviest warming up and practice at least an hour before you sing, if not more. If you warm up really really well 2-3 hours before you sing, drink all your water, and then sing through the song once or twice in the 30 minutes before you sing, you'll be really set.
The lemon vs. honey vs. warm vs. cold vs. all that other stuff seems to be relative. You'll have to experiment and see what works for you. I like gargling with Listerine myself. It cleans you out REALLY good.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Well, I had my audition. I was really quite limited by the time I got to sing. I could sing alright, but I could tell I didn't have my best stuff, and I wasn't nailing my audition piece like I should have been able to. However, the other men in my group (we were divided into groups of six) really sucked, wo I was easily the best singer, dancer, and reader of the bunch. (Well, maybe not the best dancer, but at least not the worst. It really helped that Cor auditioned Sunday, and she taught me the dance steps! )
So I made callbacks, which means I'm still alive. Callbacks are Thursday, so I need to get ALL of my range back by then so I can do a bang-up job. Last night I gargled with salt water before going to bed, and drank nothing else afterward. Today I've been drinking tea with about a teaspoon of lemon and about three teaspoons of honey. I just guessed at these quantities--basically, kept adding until I could taste it. The salt water gets disgusting, but the tea is really quite pleasant. (Oh, and it's decaffeinated tea, before anybody asks.) I've had two cups of tea so far, and basically I'm having one per class period. (We're on block scheduling Tuesdays and Wednesdays.)
I'm trying to preserve my voice during the school day, but it's hard. Then we have a pick-up rehearsal for Harvey Wednesday night, which won't help. I get the feeling we won't be miked for this rehearsal . . . I'll have to hope for the best. I'm tempted to take Thursday off from work, even though I basically don't have any sick days. (Actually, I think I have 3/4 of a day left.)
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Hot/warm honey-lemon "tea" is what my Mom always prescribed. I overdid the lemon once though.
>.<
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Glad to hear you at least got a callback.
I don't know about the lemon/tea thing. But I know some people who use anti-snore spray, sprayed on the back of their throats right before performing, to help loosen up the vocal cords a little.
I don't know of a particular brand -- but it is common in health food stores. Many times it has a peppermint oil base. I typed "anti-snore spray" into Google and got lots of hits, so you might read some of those.
Farmgirl
Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
Good job Ic.
On the tea with honey thing, I often heard that and the few times I've tried it before auditions and performances or whatever, it really messed me up. The thickness of the honey just made my throat feel even worse. But I've never heard anyone else complain about it, so I guess I am just the exception. :shrug::
Good luck with callbacks.
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
You did it right before, AR?
I'm thinking I won't do it right before, but the question now is what can I do between now and Thursday to heal as quickly as possible.
Anti-snore spray, huh. (I've heard that minty things immediately before performing were bad for your voice. Any idea?)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Celestial Seasonings makes "Throat Soother" herbal tea, which I have found quite helpful, especially with a little honey or sugar.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Icarus, I think you are a big chicken for not snorting the salt water. I'm just saying.
Posted by Lady Jane (Member # 7249) on :
*sad* I thought this was going to be about ventroliquism.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Wasn't there a big argument about this a while back, Elizabeth, in which people claimed that the body grew resistant to the water-snorting thing, until you needed to do it all the time? Or was this on a different forum?
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