David's Tip of the Day: Dry Mouth

In my early years of performing, dry mouth was a big problem. Between the ages of 16 and 20 I was fortunate enough to participate in local blues harmonica blowouts and perform as a special guest for a local band (Powerhouse Blues Band) when they would open up for bigger names, such as Cotton, Piazza and Musselwhite (bigger name shows paid bigger money, so they could afford having another member on the payroll that night). The challenge was the anticipation of going up in the middle of the show... commonly only playing two or three songs... and it's not until the third song that you start to relax... your bodily fluids begin to normalize and then you're done!

I experimented with different drinks... drinks that would help me to salivate enough to counteract the dry mouth affect, but not so much that I would stall the reeds with saliva. Believe or not, I had a lemon slice sitting on my amp when I opened for Cotton!... it wasn't the best choice ;-)

In the end, I found water to be the best... just not too much (drinking much more water than normal has its own effect). Here are some tools I've found to be helpful for me... maybe they'll help you as well.

1) I arrive early to a show to set up and stand on the stage... getting familiar with the surroundings. We tend to be nervous in unfamiliar settings, so this helps to get rid of that.

2) I used to be careful what I ate and drank before a show... not anymore. No matter how important a show is, I make sure that I'm well prepared (as much as one can be... some sit-in shows there's no preparing for) and then go on with my normal busy schedule and go up and make it happen it's time. I try to remind myself that this is what I do... it's just like playing to a jam track at home, just much more dynamic and fun.

3) No matter how much the limelight is on me when I enter the bandstand, I pause for a moment... close my eyes and say to myself, "relax... play musically... play repetitively." "Relax" helps me to take a couple of breaths and slow down my heart rate... I play MUCH better when my breathing is relaxed and all my muscles are relaxed (tense muscles equal poor tone and slower playing). "Play musically" helps me to not show off... not to prove anything. I want people to appreciate me as a musician, but if I go into an excited state, or "showoff" mode, I'll be very unhappy with the crap that comes out of my mouth. "Play repetitively" reminds me that repetition (and all of its transformations) is the most important element in music, and again helps me to play more musically.