"The Beacon" a local and surrounding cities newspaper for seniors, does an annual "Beacon Fest Expo." Lots of venders and seniors it seems.

It's a large convention center but she only wants the music available for the immediate 50 or so chairs that will be in front of the platform. In other words not knocking the walls down. She sad last year some of the vendors complained about the music being too loud for them to conduct business.

I was recommended to her and she wanted me to do a half hour at 11:00AM tear down and then do another half hour at noon. She had a different an entertainer lined up every hour. I told her I had more than a guitar to put away and politely cancelled.

She called back and asked if I could play from 7:00AM to 8:30 AM and stay and use my sound and operate it for the other entertainers until 2:00PM. I gave in and said yes. I played on Bourbon Street in the 60's from 6:00AM to 8:00AM but all I did was play sax.

I tried singing this morning and it's not as easy as 2:30PM. Any suggestions will be helpful. What about honey and lemon? What about cough medicine etc?

Come on all you old pros. You must know something.Tell us your secrets please.
Thanks again for any help,
Boo

Boo, stay up all night drinking. You'll do great.
Seriously, it is a little tougher to get "up" for morning jobs. I find after the first song or two everything is o.k. though.
If only you had a Bose L1, the volume would be great for all, and not too loud for any.
DonM

Don's post beat me to it ... actually, I was going to suggest getting up at about 4:00AM ... ...
I've told this story before, but a few years back I was asked to join a band that played classic rock ... rehearsals were on Sunday mornings at 9:00AM ... the first rehearsal I went to the lead singer sang "House of the Rising Sun" .. I told him that the last time I heard that song at that hour in the morning, we didn't know it was that hour in the morning ...

t.

LOts of Hot Tea w/Honey..

THINGS SINGERS SHOULD AVOID

Having problems at Gigs? Do you find that some days your voice seems dry? I'm not going to go into the normal nag about smoking although you should try to avoid anything that is likely to dry out your voice before a performance, so here are a few tips on what to avoid before & during your show:-

1. Orange or Citrus Juice and caffeinated drinks - can affect your throats lubrication.

2. Milk & other dairy products - furs up the throat, avoid drinking Milk, Cream, Tea and Coffee prior to singing.

3. Dry Ice Machines - The chemicals used dry up the throat. If the effect is an essential part of the show use a Fog Machine with cooler (water & glycerine based) or Haze Machine (chemical based but non-toxic). Both can still affect the voice if inhaled, make sure you have plenty of water to lubricate the throat.

4. Eating heavy meals prior to a gig - the food doesn't have time to digest and sits heavily in your stomach. This makes it harder to control breathing, vocal reach and projection.

5. Smoke filled environments - pretty impossible to do if your playing pubs n clubs but do what you can by taking a wander outside for fresh air during the breaks.

6. Asprin - can contribute to tinnitus and vocal chord hemorrhage

7. Excessive loud talking and yelling - can lead to vocal strain

8. Coughing and clearing your throat - swallow or sip water instead.

9. Alcohol - although a small drink may help to relax you, alcohol may numb the chords and too much will cause lack of control (vocally & otherwise!!)

10. Sing out of your range - save the top notes for when you can sing them correctly and don't over-reach or you could end up damaging your voice!

Pace yourself at a gig - move vocally demanding songs to the middle or end of each set to allow your voice to warm up beforehand (a vocal warm up before the gig is also advisable) and then rest your voice during the breaks.

Treat allergies and infections promptly and rest your voice when ill. Drink plenty of water during the day to keep your body hydrated and voice lubricated, 8 - 9 pints is recommended. (Beer doesn't count!). Keep a bottle of water at the side of the stage!

I wouldn't recommend hot drinks

I find that singing long, low notes quietly while you are taking a shower (lots of moisture in the air) and gradually moving to middle range notes (but don't work the upper range) gets the vocal chords lubricated and loosened up while you are getting ready for your morning gig. And drink at least a pint of water after the shower.

And all of Taike's tips are spot on..... Plenty of sleep, plenty of water, you should have no problems.

You know, I do all the wrong things, never warm up, drink plenty of hot coffee, eat too much too close to work, etc. Do you suppose that's why I sound so bad!! It's hard to incorporate an accidental burp into a love song. Rock 'n roll is different.
DonM

DITTO! For me, it really doesn't make any difference when I have to sing. After that first song everything goes just fine. A good, hot shower before leaving for the job is all that is necessary to moisten the trachea and vocal folds. Then just take a bottle of water with you to keep hydrated and you shouldn't have any problem at all.

Good Luck,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

[This message has been edited by travlin'easy (edited 03-29-2007).]

When I had my first singing lesson the teacher recommended that I put a small amount of glycerine on the back of the tongue and let trickle down the throat.
It appeared to work to loosen the vocal cords.
I also have a boiled lolly with me to suck prior to singing.They I understand contain glycerine as do some cough medicines.

I hope this helps.

Cousin Ken

Man, Boo, I'd be tempted to turn over and go back to sleep, but I guess that's
not an option.


7:00?....A.M?....DAMN!


Russ

Here's the scenario. Around here $50 for a nursing home is tops. I have two that pay $35. Once or twice these two gave me $50 for one hour. Don't forget I'm unknown around here in the music-entertaining field. I laid brick in this area since 1977. I really just started play music again in public maybe 5 or 6 years ago and it was slow going and still is.

When I turned her down She changed the whole show at the last minute so that I could play for 1 and a half hours straight instead of playing half an hour tearing down and playing another half hour after another entertainer played thirty minutes. She has maybe 4 or 5 other people doing something. I expect there will be a few folk singers with a guitar and that's all they will have.

She asked how much I would charge to let my PA set up and run it for the other players. A sound company with a PA wanted $700. She's a very nice lady I told her to make me an offer and she said $200. I told her $250. If everything goes OK, I figured if she called next year and wants me to play or run the sound or do both, I�d ask for $500.

It's not as easy here playing what I play to get gigs. DonM wouldn't do as well here as he does in Shreveport but he would do much better than me. Every where you go it�s country country country. I was told this by an older musician in maybe 1960. He said that country music was and always will be the biggest audience in the USA. Well I laughed because Rock and Roll and Dixieland is what was happening in New Orleans at that time.

But after many years of paying attention I have to admit, every town I�ve lived in has a few rock and rock & roll stations. Heck we even have a Hispanic station on the radio here in this small town, but most cities have 8 to 15 country stations. With the exception of Chicago and towns like that you can�t get a jazz station. At least that�s been my experience. One friend got me in his truck to hear the radio he was paying for. He said there�s jazz here. All it was is that acid fusion stuff. Three tunes in a row of that bores me to death. Give me all the old Tenor Sax Giants and a few Alto players too.

I'm pig headed. I'm doing my Jazz Standards for my self. I do a little country, lots of rock and roll from the 50�s. At first I thought I'd make a lot of money. Ha! Ha! I used to play more weddings in New Orleans in a year then they have in this city in 10 years. The DJ thing is big here. I�m not going to do DJ. Those guys don�t know a Bb from a hole in the ground. Ha! Ha! With extremely few exceptions. You ever see a DJ play a sax. I consider myself an above average Sax player. No not Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, David Sanborn etc., Those guys are so far above average it isn�t funny. So I play for my self for the fun mostly for the present. In a couple of years I'll probably get tired of this and put the sax away again.
Boo

Actually Boo is selling himself short. He is an excellent sax player and his keyboard and vocal abilities have improved tremendously. If you were closer, Boo, I'd hire you!
DonM

I hear ya, Boo. It's kind of the same in Lexington. Luckily, there are some upscale restaurants and private events (usually horse farm related) that hire jazz players, not for the talent but the believe that it adds "class" to events where the music is in the background.

I'm pretty well established, but it's longevity, not talent.

Hang in there. We have similar likes and standards, so I admire your convictions and wish you all the best. (7:00 A.M....REALLY?
(Really like Dexter Gordon).

Regards,


Russ

Russ,

Maybe you mis-read my post. If you're asking if I play as good as Dexter, the answer is no. I do try to emulate him and I come close on ballads. However, I can't even tap my foot as fast as the uptempo stuff he plays. Ha! Ha!
If I could play as good as Dexter, I'd hop a freight train to NY and play on the corner with a tin cup. Someone would hear me and make me famous.

[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 03-30-2007).]

I asked Susan, the honcho (owner of the Beacon News) to see about getting the manager of the Two Rivers Plaza to let me set up Tuesday and she agreed. That way at 5:30 Wednesday instead of running around worrying about setting up, I can start humming and singing around the house to get loosened up.

I�m going to take DonM and Gary's advice and drink as much coffee and boos as I can and eat as many eggs as I can eat at 5:30AM, so as to be able to burp on the 3 or 4 country tunes I intend on starting with. Friends In Low Places, On The road Again and Boot Scooting Boogie

Where would I be without DonM and Gary? Up the creek without a paddle.

Boo, I just think that anyone who knows and appreciates the music of Sonny rollins and Dexter Gordon has his/her act together.

GREAT STUFF!

Russ

Hey Russ do you know Darn That Dream, Foggy Day, There Is No Greater Love, Tangerine and other tunes like that? If you do you need to get to the Shreveport Port Jam when it happens again. We can just set up outside and jam for a while before everyone gets there. Ha! Ha!
Boo