How CPAP, alcohol, caffeine, and maybe wacky tobacky affect harp playing
Hey y'all,
I'd like to start a discussion about the role that CPAP, booze, caffeine, and weed affect our performance as harp players. Here's why.
In April I began CPAP therapy after being diagnosed with mild apnea. It took a little while getting used to, but I love it now--better sleep, feeling more rested in the morning, and my practice sessions are going better.
Last month after I came down with Covid (I'm over it now), I cut out alcohol and cut way down on caffeine. Now I just have one glass of iced coffee in the morning and that's it. So between the CPAP therapy, no booze and a lot less caffeine, I'm playing much better and am more productive overall.
I started a discussion like this on a Facebook harp group, asking how people were affected by alcohol. A lot of people (more than I'd expect) said that usually have some marijuana before practicing or playing a gig and do better. I don't have any experience with that, so I can't comment on it.
But I'd be keen to hear how CPAP, alcohol, and caffeine (or for the last two, the absence thereof) affect your practicing and performance.
Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough reply, UkuleleRob65! See you at the SPAH conference?
DrSpoons: I'll be attending by the virtual method this year. The only SPAH Convention I've done in person was San Antonio in 2016, but I'm hoping to make next year's.
I had severe apnea-induced oxygen deprivation during sleep some years ago, and CPAP was a lifesaver. I don't need it as much now, though.
One thing I noticed when I first started using it was that it was pushing air into unfamiliar pathways, opening up my uvula (spft palate) to flow air between the oral cavity and nasal passages in ways that were new to my experience. Eventuall ythat stopped - I'm assuming my nervous sustem figured out how to strengthen the uvula' response. I can't say it affected my harmonica playing, though, excpet by being more alert and less likely to crash out mid-afternoon.
Thank you Winslow. I'd like to talk with you about this at the SPAH meeting.
Sorry to say, I'm staying home this year, as I'm caring for someone who is severely immunocompormised by leukemia and just starting a round of treatment with yet-to-be-discovered side effects.
Here's to 2023 in (shhh, I'm not supposed to spill the beans just yet) that town on the Mississippi named for a French king (sort of).
Relax and enjoy learning
Is having false teeth a hinderance to note bending ?
Is having false teeth a hinderance to note bending ?
It depends on the nature of the false teeth. Some of my students find that a plate that covers the roof of the mouth either affects its shape (and therefore that of the resonance cavity that forms in your mouth) or introduces leakage that compromises bending.
But there can be no blanket answer on this.
If you're new to bending and experiencing difficulty and frustration, you're far from alone - anything but! So your frustration may or may not be the result of having dentures.
Doc:
Jumping right in. I hope I don't sound too preachy about this sort of stuff, but I'll share my own ideas nontheless.
Smoking: Smoked for a while in college, 50 years ago. My wife and I each called it quits as a wedding gift to each other. 49 years into our marriage we're both healthy, and happy together. And I have the benefit of reminding her that all of my harmonicas (and other musical instruments) have been costing less than the huge amount of money we've saved on tobacco. More seriously, the health hazards of smoking tobacco are really well known, and it pains me to see musician friends who can't quit. (And about a year ago a fellow musician gave me a gift of a really old Hohner Goliath tremolo harp. Unfortunately, the original owner appears to have been a cigar smoker, and try as I might, I've never been able to get the stink out of it.)
Booze: I have more than a small number of pro musician friends who are non-drinkers. While it's a private thing for some of them, Mark Hummel isn't shy about talking about his own experiences, and why he's sober. If one finds it impossible to lay off the booze from time to time, perhaps it's time for both health and performance reasons to think about giving it up completely. For myself: Any time I'm performing anything anywhere in front of an audience, no alcohol until I'm off the bandstand or stage for the night. I've worked with too many musicians who felt that they needed a touch of alcohol to "loosen up" before performing. Unfortunately, things can get too loose. A while ago I worked in a cabaret pit band with a singer who felt that way. He'd have a few on show nights, and became arhythmical. While it was sort of fun for the audience, it was not fun for the band. Being sharp on the bandstand may take even more sobriety than safely driving on the highway. Now ... if someone else is driving me home, I'm happy to let the bar profit after I've performed and before I leave the venue. I've also found that evening practice sessions go a while lot better if I cut down on drinking at dinner.
MJ: I may not be qualified to talk about dope. I've used creams with THC in them to free up a trigger-finger problem I have with one of my fretting fingers. If I don't use it, guitar, banjo, uke, and even a harp mic, can be painful. So long as I don't have to share the stage with any drug-sniffing dogs, all is good. (In fact, avoiding being on stage with any kind of animal is good.) As for getting high for creative purposes, it may work for some people. But from my own experience in college when I wrote or recorded music while high, and thought at the time "wow ... I'm really nailing it here!," but then discovered when I listened to or read my stuff later when sober and found that it was crap, I figure best to avoid such drugs.
CPAP: Good for you for using the breathing equipment. I have a brother-in-law for whom it's been a lifesaver. I have a really mild case of sleep apnea of a very distinct type: I snore only on nights where my wife has to get up early the next morning. I check with my doctor annually, and thus far I've been fortunate not to have any problems, but if I ever do, I won't hesitate to use one of those devices. Along with effective practice, nothing does more for one's harp playing than a good night's sleep.
Caffein: God's gift to humanity. Need I say more?
Good, healthy harpin' to ya'