I need your help badly Talkbass and it is for real !

[BillyRay]

I had a lecture this morning on the subject of my master's thesis (all went well) but talking for 3 hours no stop in a dry room has lead me to have a pretty severe case of "cactus throat". It is itchy, scrachy and it hurts, pretty much as if I had the flu.

The problem is, I have a gig TONIGHT and need to sing lead on half a dozen tunes + supplement backup for a few numbers. I can drop the backup singing if need be (and it is pretty lightweight) but can't really have the guitarist sing my numbers since they are not in his range + he doesn't know the words.

Any tips before the performance to insure that I'll have some juice for at least the lead songs. Tips during performance are also great. I know drinkign water is good and I'm doing it right now, but is there anythign else I can do ?

[Mr. Pickles]

warm tea with honey
either that or a pint of Guinness

[Mon Rominee]

lemon honey lozenges, or tea with honey. no, the excess sugar isn't the best idea, but these would help the throat feel "lined" and moist... don't drink sodas or the like tho...

lots of water. all through the gig, yes.

[bassteban]

And when your voice eventually 'goes', tell the crowd 'this is our metal set'.

[Deacon_Blues]

Steam bath for 10 minutes might help a bit. Just tea is not as efficient as you need to get the steam to pass through your vocal cords.

Then, on the gig, support more than usually. Don't try to hold back or push too much though, as you might make it even worse if you're not 100% sure about vocal technique. Have water available on the whole gig as well, it's better than nothing.

By the way, if the vocal cords have gotten a bit swollen, you've better stay as quiet as possible until the gig.

[MonetBass]

+1 to above. And drink lots of water during the gig.

[BillyRay]

Thanks guys.

[Chef]

I like to keep a bit of brandy with a lot honey and lemon in it on stage for nights like that.

[bassadicct]

a nice glass of milk always helps me

[bongomania]

Steam treatment: fill a big bowl with boiling water, set it on a table and lean over it with your face, put a towel over your head and the bowl to keep the steam in. Breathe deeply.

If you can get to a health food store, look for lozenges with slippery elm, it works great.

There's also a singing-throat-healing technique from Bel Canto: sing the words "mnyum mnyum mnyum" (kind of like "yum yum yum" but the extra "mn" at the beginning works the tongue back and forth more). Sing them like scales, or sing intervals like thirds, fourths, etc. Sing them from your lowest comfortable range to your highest comfortable range. Do that for ten minutes or so, then do it again an hour or so later, whenever you have the chance. It is supposed to help the throat recover from stress.

[BassChuck]

Southern Comfort will get you through any gig. But you'll pay for it in the morning, throat-wise that is. Strickly an emergency item... but well worth keeping in mind.

[lunarpollen]

Definitely rehydrate yourself! And slippery elm bark lozenges will help as well (I've even seen these for sale at some music shops), or tea containing slippery elm bark. "Throat Coat" tea is one such tea. Slippery elm bark is not something that you really can taste or feel, like many other substances. It's extremely mild to the senses but does wonders for your vocal chords.

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Steam treatment: fill a big bowl with boiling water, set it on a table and lean over it with your face, put a towel over your head and the bowl to keep the steam in. Breathe deeply.<SNIP>

Reminds me of a scene in one of the Crocodile Dundee movies...

[Spector_Ray]

I always chew gum to keep my mouth moist and drink water during the gig.