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Drinks for singers?

brendanbrendan Enrolled Posts: 6
edited January 2014 in Vocal Health and Wellness
I know water is best, but i drink a lot of various teas like from different herbs and i've also heard lemon water is good. Just wondering what Ken or other singers prefer while singing or about to sing. And also the effects, if any, from drinking teas?

Best Answers

  • kamikazekamikaze 2.0 PRO Posts: 193
    Answer ✓
    Well I like to stick with water, but what I used to do a lot(not so much anymore:p) is to get either water or tea, put some honey and lemon juice in there, and heat it up a bit. Im not sure how well this works, I had just heard a year or two back to try it out. Now Id say water is still the best, but just some tea, maybe chammomilr or lemon? With a pinch of honey, I hear is good for clearing up the throat. But always remember, water rocks:)

    Hope this helps:D
  • Ken TamplinKen Tamplin Administrator, Moderator Posts: 446
    Answer ✓
    Room temperauture water is by far the best. Avoid anything with caffeine and carbonation. Alcohal is not not smart as it will dry you out (and make you thyink you are singing better than you really are ha  ha)

Answers

  • blogtekblogtek Enrolled Posts: 2
    A huge Thank You Ken from me is in order.  I feel as if I could sing professionally.  I've only been practicing these techniques since Oct.  I'm on volume 3 for just about 3 weeks and my ability and confidence is high.  What should I do next, a session with you, a demo?

  • DaverevadDaverevad Member Posts: 44
    Hi Blog, 
    I'd like to hear a demo from you - especially if you have a before and after.  
    you could open up an account (like many of us here have -- it's FREE).. at: 

    http://www.soundcloud.com

    And you can upload your demo's to that site.  

    You could bring inspiration and motivation to those that are feeling a little weary or intimidated.. 

    D.
  • CrappyAppleCrappyApple Enrolled Posts: 8
    When I was in a cover band not too long ago ...  mostly water and some flat ginger ale. Whats tough about a cover band is it's a 4 hour night. That's a LOT of singing.  Needless to say, keeping the pipes wet is huge. Water seems to work the best for me though.


  • KokonuhtKokonuht Member, Enrolled Posts: 658
    Agreed. Plain H2O is best!
  • matthewmatthew Enrolled Posts: 4
    what about energy drinks that apparently hydrate better then water?  are they good?
  • neil501nycneil501nyc Enrolled Posts: 5
    Agreed. Water, water, water at room temp. while singing. Having said that, I take an herbal tea in the morning before a 7am vocal warmup/practice. I feel it helps my body wake up and at the same time opens up my sinuses, throat, and head. It doesn't cost me anything. During warmup or singing, however, it's only water.

    Good points above about caffeine! It's found in most sports drinks because it helps the carbs become more easily absorbed. (Great for athletes, but not for a singers.) It is for this very reason - absorption - that pharmaceutical companies also use caffeine in many common over-the-counter pain relievers. So beware, read your drug labels. Ken discusses much of this in his video on staying healthy.
  • Is drinking 2 cans of Diet Coke a day an issue?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited May 2014

    Yes and No.  : ^ )

    From the purist perspective, ALL caffeinated soft drinks are diuretics and it would be better to avoid that.  If you are having any vocal issues at all, a cola is a bad idea.  That said, I am guilty as charged for occasionally imbibing in a diet coke at a gig.  I always have a couple of two-liter room-temperature water bottles on my drum riser, and I guzzle between songs liberally.

    Worse by far would be a beer.  Talk about something that almost instantly robs your body of water... plus the alcohol can make you think you sound better than you do.  A shot of whiskey or Tequila just whisks everything off your vocal cords, leaving them dry as a brittle bone.  It also can greatly compromise your mental acuity. You may think you're sounding great when maybe you're not so hot.

    One drink, be it alcoholic or non-alcoholic, won't necessarily ruin your voice, but why even go there?  We know better.  We spend time and money to make our voices the best they can be.  So why do anything other than hydrate ourselves like we know we're supposed to do?

    Yeah, talking about the "evils" of Diet Coke does seem a little strict...  but nothing beats room temperature water.  And as most of you probably know, when you drink the water, none of it goes directly to the vocal cords.  It takes at least 20 or more minutes for the water to get into your bloodstream via your digestive system.  It WILL, however do a great job of refreshing your dry mouth and upper throat.

     

    Bob

     

  • andrew804andrew804 Member Posts: 5
    I am surprised that nobody has mentioned throat coat or similar tea products. Usually they a licorice flavored, caffeine free teas with ingredients that purportedly aid singing (slippery elm, wild cherry bark, etc.).

    I have friends that swear by them, but they really don't help me. I have acid reflux and allergies, so I tend to produce a lot of mucus.

    For me personally: lots of water, saline flushing, and inhaling steam are the best ways to keep hydrated.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    Ken discourages the use of Throat Coat, for the reason of its name: It coats the throat.  Then you start trying to clear it off your cords.  A coating on your cords is not something that will help you sing.  There are not many products Ken recommends for the throat. 

    We're talking about drinks here, so we haven't gone into some of the treatment items like inhaling steam with tea tree oil, or drops of colloidial silver.

    Green Tea is something that a lot of singers drink, including Ken.

     

    Bob

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited May 2014
    There are claims that diet coke has negative health effects (although I don't think anything has been conclusively proven or else there would be warning labels on the diet soda).

    Nevertheless, from a general health perspective, it may be worthwhile for me to give up diet coke and see if there is any improvement in voice and general health. I don't drink coffee but I do like the  caffeine buzz of the diet soda, which water and juice beverages does not replicate.

    Does Ken  pretty much abstain from caffeinated drinks altogether (like morning cup of coffee) ?

    Or is it just to be avoided close to performance times?




  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    I know about a year ago he kicked the coffee habit and switched to green tea. 

    I went cold turkey on coffee a few months back.  I eventually backslid and now allow myself about half the coffee I used to drink.  I still pump lots of water on gig days.

     

    Bob

  • BassnVoxBassnVox Enrolled Posts: 15
    What about Gatorade's, etc? Just wondering.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    You know, Gatorade tastes good when you're dehydrated to help you feel better, but I think it's got sugar and salt, not to mention sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, gum arabic, glycerol ester of rosin, and yellow dye #5.  Yum!!

    Uh, make mine water...

  • HodgepodgeHodgepodge Pro Posts: 29
    I've been drinking carbonated water when I practice or gig.  I feel like it's made my larynx feel cleaner than when I drink straight water.  I think it clears up excess mucus for me.

    What's the problem with drinking Perrier?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    I didn't know there was anything wrong with Perrier.  But Murphy may have something to say about that.
  • HodgepodgeHodgepodge Pro Posts: 29
    LOL @highmtn, yeah I've gotten to know Murphy well over the past decades :)

    So far it's worked out well for me, I squeeze some lemon in mine as well.  I'll report back if I have any bad side effects from it.

    Granted, I'm a weekend warrior, so maybe the once a week experience won't really translated well to the pro's doing this more often.
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