Tin, low and Irish flute v/s Tobacco...

[AlonE]

Hi all!!


A few days ago playing my whistle to rutine, stop a while and smoking a cigarette, smoke and then return to play, but when he played the melody (Bachelor's walk) that I feel short of breath, and I had to change the points where they took air, felt a pressure in the chest and felt very reached... I was missing the air.....!!!!!!!!!

This me his thinking if it is compatible snuff smoking and playing wind instruments, in this case is: Tin whistle, Low whistle and Irish flute?


what do you think?

Many people smoking and can play quietly in spite of years of tobacco?

What legendary players for example: Matt Molloy, Mary Bergin, Donncha, etc.. have this habit?

I want to play my whistles and a future irish flute and low whistles for the rest of my life, I do not want to take 40 years old and just blowing a whistle in G.

Thanks!!



Worried Man.

[charlie_butterworth]

I cannot say what other players have experienced and I don't smoke, but my guess is that any activity that decreases lung function cannot be good for playing the whistle.

Decreased lung function from smoking, caused by inflammation or whatever may have two or more detrimental effects - decreased lung volume capacity (due to inflammation, mucus, etc.); increased feeling of beathlessness. Of course, I am not a medical doctor, so my above explanation is only a guess.

Either way, I expect that should you give-up smoking, then you'll not only get better lungs, but also be less prone to smoking-related health issues, but I am sure you know all this.

Charlie

[azw]

Hi, AlonE:

In the US, the tobacco industry worked very hard to present the idea that smoking wasn't dangerous, or at least to create doubt in people's minds. They were very successful in delaying the development of a consensus that smoking was very bad for health.

In a marketing class I remember reading that the US tobacco industry was focusing on new markets in developing countries. The industry had created a cynical model to guide their business. In the first stage, poor people begin smoking as a way to appear glamorous (i.e. to appear to be richer than they really are). The number of smokers increases as the disposable income increases in these developing countries. After decades of smoking, people begin dying of cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other health problems. Eventually, everyone will know someone who has died or gotten very sick from tobacco use. This bad news creates a slow shift toward increasing awareness of the grotesque consequences of tobacco use. The public is slow to acknowledge these risks, in part because of tobacco industry attempts to confuse the public. Finally, however, the level of smoking slowly declines. Of course, there will be some who continue to smoke and some new smokers who begin smoking, but the industry needs more smokers to maintain itself. So the industry must then move to other developing countries in order to find a new generation of customers.

The US is now in the tail end of this progression. The tobacco industry still targets young people here in order to maintain a flow of US income, but for the most part it's looking to South Americans, Chinese, Indians, etc. to keep the profits flowing.

Short version: The tobacco industry knows that you're killing yourself and they're doing their best to obscure that fact. They're grateful for your patronage and hope you'll live to be a 90-year-old smoker. But they know that's very unlikely, so they're already making plans to move on to find new victims!

[kkrell]

There were flute players that I had contacted to be on the Wooden Flute Obsession CDs that could no longer play flute (or at least not up to their own expectation), due to Emphysema, asthma, or allergies. Matt Molloy was sidelined in the late 1970's with tuberculosis. He had essentially diagnosed himself because his phrasing was different, and had to insist his Doctor get X-rays. So, I'd say smoking, and anything else that impairs breathing, is not a wonderful thing for flute players. Despite this "theory", I'd say there are plenty of great flute players who smoke, or have been around heavy smoking.

Kevin Krell

[Cayden]

A while ago I saw a little bit of film of Seamus Ennis playing the whistle from one side of his mouth, fag hanging from the other. Also try find the clip of Michael Dwyer playing the whistle, his fingers brown with nicotine stains.

[jlunt]

The amount of air I had to work with greatly increased when I quit smoking. When I went back to smoking, it immediately dropped back down. Hmm... maybe I need to think about quitting again. By the way, I smoke cigars, not cigarettes, but I don't think what you smoke makes a difference.

[Bothrops]

Smoking has no compatibility with wind instruments playing.

Not only that smoking is bad, but I'd say that it'd be good that people who play wind instruments do some physical excercises, mainly cardiovascular (running, hiking, jumping the rope, riding bicicle, etc.), to increase cardiorespiratory capacity.

[mahanpots]

... but I don't think what you smoke makes a difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM_vLk1I6G4

Michael

[Craig Stuntz]

Also try find the clip of Michael Dwyer playing the whistle, his fingers brown with nicotine stains.

I'd love to find that, albeit not for the nicotine stains, but a Google search turns up nothing, and the TG4 archive clip I found referenced elsewhere no longer seems to be on their site.

[dwest]

Tobacco smoke damages wind blown instruments period, no matter whether they be bellows blown or mouth blown. It, smoke, will also damage acoustic stringed instruments as well.

[fancypiper]

I was smoking cigarettes when I first started playing whistle, but I quit smoking around 18 years ago.

I can't tell a great difference in lung capacity, but while I was smoking, my doctor was surprised at how clear my lungs were and after a surgery, I could peg the breathing exercise gadget after about 4 days of practice.

I feel that I may have just a bit more lung capacity now, but I don't currently peg the gadget. I haven't practiced using it.

[Jason Paul]

But where would you be now if hadn't quit smoking 18 years ago?

Jason

[Cayden]

I'd love to find that, albeit not for the nicotine stains, but a Google search turns up nothing,(

It was on Come West along the Road/Siar an Bothar, possibly the fourth season, I thought it was lovely.

[AlonE]

I had left a year ago just to be able to play my whistles better than, but because of a woman I return to fall into vice, which is now committed a mistake .......

Thanks!

[Ronbo]

AlonE

Stop smoking. Stop now. Run away from this woman if you have to. No matter what they tell you, 90 percent of smokers die from it if they keep at it long enough. I have seen smokers carrying around oxygen bottles and still lighting up. They don't live long after it reaches that point.

The problem is that you don't notice a problem until it may be too late to do something about it. And don't let somebody tell you "We all have to die of something." That is pure crap. It is the worst form of death you can imagine. I have seen it up close and personal, and there is NOTHING good about it. You can live well without tobacco. You really can't live with it.