We've all been there, eh? Here I sit, next gig a few days away, and my throat is unusable due to a bad cold. So I'm depending on you muso/medics to come to the rescue and give me your top tips on getting the pipes up and running. Croak!

1) try and sing from the stomach so that the air bypasses your throat

2) take lots of throat lozenges

Lucky

I use chloraseptic spray; 3 pumps in the back of the throat and it has a numbing effect. Do NOT use anything HOT as it will create too much mucous and you will not get a clear voice.

You might want to just do Barry White and Lou Rawls songs all night.

Good luck and Hope you feel better.

If it is very bad, like your voice is almost gone, don't sing and just rest it out and let it run it's course.

If it is like a thick throat that gets better when you clear it. Just do a good warm-up routine and you should be ok. Avoid falsettos, and try to do some "Elmer Fudd" impressions, and hum scales so that your nose and pallet vibrates. That is a good start.

Hope you feel better.

Cheers!

DocZ

1. Advil Cold and Sinus
2. Avoid alcoholic beverages because they tend to dry out the throat
3. Avoid smoke
4. Throat Coat tea (doesn't taste great, but sure does help with a sore throat) I make a full pot and take it with me in a Thermos bottle and sip on it throughout the night.

Traditional Medicinals

In my case, my voice is my primary instrument. Many, many years ago, while working for a local radio station as a newscaster, I had to provide a 5-minute newscast every 30 minutes. Back then we did very few taped cuts and most everything was what was referred to as "Rip & Read", which meant you pulled yellow news sheets from the Teletype machine and read the information live.

Once in a while, when you had a severe cold and sore throat, you still had to provide that 5 minute broadcast until you could find someone else to sit in. The solution was simple. A veteran newscaster said "Just eat a sour onion or dill pickle a minute or two before going on the air and you'll be good for 15 to 20 minutes." He was right. The vinegar used in pickling was a great anesthetic for the throat, cut the mucus and washed it away and for the next 20 minutes I had my normal voice back.

I've only had to do this as a singer a few times, but it definitely works for me. Give it a try--you have nothing to loose.

Good Luck,

Gary

Throat Coat is good stuff. With a bit of honey and lemon juice it tastes good to me. My pipes have been beat up for over a year. As much as I miss singing, I do only a few vocals now, instrumentals work well and people seem to like it. Good luck.

Glenn

Thanks everyone. I'm chowing down the Advil Cold and Sinus tablets and sucking throat lozenges and things seem to be improving slowly. Thanks to all you SZ Medical Staff.

I use Hall's Mentho-Lyptus Cough Drops while performing to keep the throat from getting dry ... http://www.drugs.com/pdr/halls-mentho-lyptus-drops.html
I use the ones in the bag ...

Good luck ...
t.