OK, so I’ve been having this problem lately more and more. I find that as I’m playing my flute, my lips start drying out pretty quickly from me blowing all that air over them. After a little bit, my throat starts drying out too. This is really affecting my ability to play, because with dry lips I’m just not getting a clean airstream. But I can’t just lick my lips every time I take a breath.
Does anyone else have this problem, or am I just a freak? (Yeah, I know, the first certainly doesn’t preclude the second!) How do you deal with it?
James, for a guy with bronchitis, you’re getting in these replies pretty fast!
Water is the best advice. It’s winter (no kidding, you say?) and you’re likely to be as dry inside as your house/apt. is, so you actually need as much water now as in the summer (for different reasons). Drink between tunes – you’re taking in alot of dry air this time of year when you go for a breath, and if possible, play in a humidified room.
I’ve thought about using ChapStik or something, but I don’t want that to build up on my flute. And I don’t think drinking more water is very practical, considering how much I drink now (at least while I’m at work – I go through lots). I have found that taking breaks between tunes to drink some water helps a bit, though.
Yeah, I have the same problem, and use lip balms of varying sorts. For me, Blistex(R) lip ointment is really good, and I carry around various lip balm sticks, too. One is made from hemp oil, not bad, but not as much fun as you’d think, either.
I think peeplj is on the right track, too. Considering how much I do my “hydrating” with coffee, tea and beer, I’ve gotta be my own worst enemy. But water? You know what fish do in it. Eeew.
On 2003-01-31 21:03, Gordon wrote:
James, for a guy with bronchitis, you’re getting in these replies pretty fast!
Can’t lay down just yet, makes me cough too durn much!
Can’t play now, makes me cough too durn much.
I can still type though! I may make about as much since as if you let a housecat chase a ferret over your keyboard, but fortunately making sense is optional when posting to the internet.
(Ha ha only serious…)
So until the decongestant takes effect for tonight, ya’ll gotta put up with me.
On 2003-01-31 21:04, Steven wrote:
And I don’t think drinking more water is very practical, considering how much I drink now (at least while I’m at work – I go through lots). I have found that taking breaks between tunes to drink some water helps a bit, though.
Think of it like exercising. Regardless of what you drink at work, if you were biking in a race or running, you’d drink lots more water than normal.
I find playing a wind instrument much like singing. I drink 2-3 times more water when playing or singing than I would under “normal” circumstances.
Add into the discussion that most folks are walking around in a mild state of dehydration anyway (since most of us are not very conscientious about water consumption). Like James, I consume extra water throughout the day, particularly if I know that I’ll be playing publically that day. That helps a lot.
And as my doctor says, “Drink until your pee is clear.”
But I agree that drinking
water or sprite is a
good idea between tunes.
But let me ask this:
does anybody’s nose itch
while they play, especially
at moments of great
emotion and enthusiasm?
This has plagued me all
my life, and I believe
my itchy nose destroyed
my career as a folk singer,
because it itched when
I sang and I couldn’t
scratch it because I
played the guitar and
I couldn’t ignore it either
because it itched too
much.
This problem is very common with Shakuhachi flute players due to the large embouchure. My teacher always provides hot tea, to moisten lips during the lesson. I think green tea is best.
Jim –
The itching nose can be a number of things, some to do with hydration, some not. You might try using a saline spray (like Ocean, or some cheaper, generic salt water solution) because inside your nasal passages there may be dry spots that itch while you play (or sing). The more vibration taking place in your nasal passages and sinus cavities, the more itching.
If it’s external, try a skin moisturizer.
Thanks for all the good advice. I’m actually going to a flute workshop in an hour or so, and I’m taking along a big bottle of water to keep me hydrated while I’m there.
Water, most definitely. Last night after carousing I was feeling particularly dehydrated, and drank oh, say, 3-4 pints (US) of filtered water. So tasty. I had forgotten the simple pleasure of it, never mind the unarguable benefits. This morning my lips were not chapped. What more can I say?
I know this is going to sound really weird…but I’ve heard that people actually use the oil on their noses to moisten their lips. In fact, watch makers use to use the oil off their nose to lube up the small gears in the watch. Maybe you ought to try that.
The oil off of the nose makes sense as it’s probably the closest thing to lanolin which is well known for its emollient properties on human skin. AND it’s free!
Sorta OT: I learned a trick in Japan for getting rid of the head on a glass of beer: wipe a finger across your forehead and then swipe the fingertip a bit around foam. This won’t work on a Guiness, regular beer only, as far as I know. I haven’t done an extensive study on a lot of different brews. As a US citizen this strikes me as a bit funky, but I still do it to this day.
Erik