Any smoking whistlers?

[Henke]

Just out of curiosity. Are there any smokers here that play whistles or flutes or both?
I'm not a regular smoker myself, I smoke cigarettes rarely on parties and so on and cigagars on New Years and such occations. I would expect that regular smoking has a bad impact on playing.
Any experience?

[Wanderer]

Just out of curiosity. Are there any smokers here that play whistles or flutes or both?
I'm not a regular smoker myself, I smoke cigarettes rarely on parties and so on and cigagars on New Years and such occations. I would expect that regular smoking has a bad impact on playing.
Any experience?

Are cigagars bigger than regular cigars?

I used to be a regular smoker, 2 packs a day for about 13 years. I smoked for about the first 3 years of my whistling. It definitely had an impact on how much breath control I had and how winded I would feel after playing.

I've been quit now for 8 years, with only the occasional pipe, cigar or hookah (maybe once or twice a year..sometimes not that often).

[straycat82]

Can I have a "Hell No!" option? I never understood players of wind instruments and especially singers who smoke.
I guess for some singers it could help add to their aesthetic (I.E. Shane Macgowan, Tom Waits, etc).

[colomon]

I don't smoke, never have. But on the other hand, the best whistle player and the best flute player I know both smoke....

[Tommy]

I have never smoked, well nothing with a name on it, and I have plenty of breath for playing whistle. Breath control increases when the diaphram is used instead of the chest. There might be some smoking musicians that say smoking does not bother their playing.
But I don't think their is one that would say it helps.

[anniemcu]

I voted 'no', though there are a couple of tunes I can play pretty darned well and fast.

[Loren]

I would expect that regular smoking has a bad impact on playing.

Hmm, dying of cancer, 20 years or so prematurely, might have a bit of a negative impact, I'd imagine........



Loren

[Mitch]

At the time I was growing up and the place I lived, smoking was pretty much compulsory. The man who inspired me to take-up woodwinds was Ian Anderson who also was a heavy smoker. Yes, smoking reduces my ability to sustain breath at my age - but when I was younger, I could keep a note going on oboe for 2.5 minutes before people stopped me. Smoking has 3 main operators:

1. the carbon monoxide from cigarettes in the blood triggers a ballance production of red blood cells that sustains a longer supply of oxygen to the body. This has the effect of prolonged concentration and very strong short-burst energy. Many olympians were heavy smokers.
2. The cumulative emphasema caused by the toxins in smoked tobacco gradually destroys the lung capacity and kills the tissue that exchanges oxygen to the blood.
3.. The cumulative affect of nicotine is a permanent narrowing of the blood vessels. This makes itself known in your 40's when the extremities start to be more affected by cold and will go numb as the nerves shut-down for want of oxygen. This can be countered by taking Gingko and Ginger herbs - can't tell you how long that will last - for me Gingko is 3000 milligrammes twice a day or my fingers can't feel my whistle. there has to be a sunset on that - and careful what the buggers mix with it - geurana is not a safe stimulant and ginseng has a diminishing return - watch out for your prostate!

Better to not smoke.

For the young, smoking will enhance your ability to play woodwinds. BUT will shorten your life, the last part of which will require an oxygen bottle just to keep you ticking at rest - if you stand up you will probably pass-out unless you hyper ventilate for the effort. As the end nears, blood seepage into the lung cavity and throte will produce coughing fits that will last for several hours spitting thick mucus and blood. It's even money that one day you will turn off the valve on the bottle or hang around until the coughing fit lasts from waking to time to your last sleep. Cancer or heart attack might seem like a mercy.

[Screeeech!!!]

I occasionally pipe or bong pure green. I find that the increase in sensitivity throughout the senses allows me to find aspects within my music on all instruments that are otherwise not apparent.

The Burke DASBT is amazing when high. I took it to Amsterdam on a recent visit. Lots of fun.

[Mitch]

Blah ...

If you think the green enhances your music then you can't be anyways concerned with your audience.

Go off and smoke yourself into another dimension - the audience is still here and won't pay for the ticket to join you.

If you play to an audience of one = you alone, then get as stoned as you like. Enjoy - eat some meusli too.

As far as I'm concerned music = Player + Audience. If you smoke, you aint playin no music that I wanna hear. And I've seen plenty good players wreck themselves that way. Why not go all the way and snort as much coke as you need to feel OK? After that you won't have much time for music while you're dealing for yer next hit. Just get some phones and let Lou Read sing you out to the end.

gimme a break

[Jack]

Can I have a "Hell No!" option?

(emphasis added) I'll take that option, too.

[Tommy]

President Bill Clinton played sax, and he never inhaled.

[straycat82]

I occasionally pipe or bong pure green. I find that the increase in sensitivity throughout the senses allows me to find aspects within my music on all instruments that are otherwise not apparent.

The Burke DASBT is amazing when high. I took it to Amsterdam on a recent visit. Lots of fun.

IMHO any "musician" who plays to an audience while inebriated in any way, be it due to alcohol, reefer or not sleeping for three days, is not serious about their music and has no respect for their craft. Especially in the cases where others are paying to hear you. If you take your music seriously then you won't dilute your senses with that garbage. There have been some local musicians/groups where I live who regularly show up 30-40 minutes late for gigs, drink all night while on stage to the point that they can't even remember their own lyrics. When confronted they say "I'm a musician, man!" as if that makes it okay. Well, that is not a professional musician, I'll tell you that much.
As Mitch said above, if you're gonna do that in your personal whistle playing time, that's your prerogative but if you get on stage like that you are disrespecting and cheating everyone in the house.

[amar]

a nice cigar for me every now and then thank you.

[Bloomfield]

Can I have a "Hell No!" option?

(emphasis added) I'll take that option, too.

So you can express moral outrage?