DOes smoking really hurt your lead playing

phantom_phrenzy · Regular Member Joined: 31 Aug 2002 Posts: 42

my friends and I have a dispute going-

Does smoking really hurt your range and all that stuff?

SUTA

clarion89 · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 1:29 pm Post subject:

As a "wind" instrument player, a lead trumpeter should avoid smoking if possible. Over the long haul, I'm sure it would become a detriment to your playing - lead and otherwise.
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Emb_Enh · Veteran Member Joined: 29 Oct 2002 Posts: 455

yes - eventually
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wiseone · Regular Member Joined: 15 Jun 2002 Posts: 11

Goldenchops55 · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 3:01 pm Post subject:

Can smoking mess up your lead trumpet playing skills? O yes, more than you can imagine. Our band director played lead for a mambo band 40 years ago, he was above an A above the staff all night, nothing in the staff. Emphysima totally ruined his playing. He used to have a strong Double G, but now a High C is a strain for him because of smoking. It totally ruined his career, so he became a band director.

Quadruple C · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Nov 2001 Posts: 1448

[ This Message was edited by: Quadruple C on 2003-10-01 22:06 ]

histrumpet · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 7:42 pm Post subject:

Yes smoking effects ones ability to play trumpet. It also has the ability to shorten your life span.

Cavalier · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 8:06 pm Post subject:

YES!!!

dwm1129 · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 8:54 pm Post subject:

Early on in your life I don't think it matters, I am good friends with a few guys who smoke alot and are monster lead players...after many years though I think it does take it's toll on your health and your playing.

spanky · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Jul 2002 Posts: 535

carl saunders can smoke when he plays and so can maynard, and arturo and wayne burgeron and, oh, sorry, ya, that kind of smoking is not good.

one of these days i'll read these posts correctly

trumpet1 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 218

Well, we know about the health risks that the endless anti-smoking campaign told us...

as far as trumpet playing goes, it messes up your lungs, and in the long term, probably you'll have less air support....and of course, not to mention your trumpet will smell like tobacco and the inside will corrode easier....

_bugleboy · Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2002 7:47 pm Post subject:

Smoking used to be cool in the 40s and 50s. Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Bogie. Great stuff! But now it is seen for pretty much what it really is; a disgusting, habit that is unhealthy and anything but cool. Your hair, clothes, and breath are going to stink and your lungs are going to be coated black with tar, when they should look pink.

If it causes you to contract emphysema, you can just kiss your trumpet playing days good-bye.

And it's completely voluntary.

ejaime23 · Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2002 7:52 pm Post subject:

Yes smoking does affect your lead playing, smoking affects you in all aspects period. But smoking doesn't mean you can't play lead. I know Bobby Shew is a big smoker from what I've heard, and I'm sure he can teach any of us a thing or two about playing lead.

fzr Phil · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2002 2:52 am Post subject:

maybe its my old age (30 very soon), but i get very disturbed at the amount of young people who continue to take up smoking. even within my band lots of them smoke.

The fact that many experienced and outstanding players smoke is purely COINCEDENCE.

To try and justify smoking because it doesn't necesarily make your trumpet playing worse is PLAIN STUPID!

Apart from anthing if you can afford to smoke what must you be missing out on?

in the UK it costs around £5 a pack ~$7.5 usd so that makes it a very expensive hobby indeed!

Phil Martin

a smoker between age ~16-27 who has cut-dow to 0 cigs a year.

PH · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2002 5:16 am Post subject:

Bobby Shew is a friend and a FORMER smoker.

He is suffering from the effects of chronic emphesema and it has severely impaired his quality of life. The medications he takes for his emphesema have had horrible side-effects (probably including weight gain-steroids will do that). His health improves and then gets worse periodically. He is a great guy and it really saddens me to see him struggle so. It is amazing and inspiring to see what he does in spite of his health circumstances.

He is a fine player now only because he plays so efficiently. That is why the smallish Z-horn works so well for him, incidentally. Can you imagine how awesome he would be if he had a healthy respiratory system?!?!?

DON'T SMOKE! Both my mother-in-law and my father-in-law were chain smokers who died 15 years before the average life expectancy for their demographic.

It is really hard to play well when you're dead.

[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-09-19 08:18 ]

comebackkid · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2002 9:06 am Post subject:

spanky · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Jul 2002 Posts: 535

unless you plan on playing in heaven. i bet i don't miss a note.

_trumpetgod_02 · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2002 9:43 am Post subject:

Hey,
In my opinion...YES. Smoking eliminates your lung capacity. And that restricts the ammount of air you use/need to use.
My opinion.
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jamey aebersold · New Member Joined: 18 Sep 2002 Posts: 1

I spend a lot of time helping people to Quit Smoking. A friend in England has written a great book, 48 pages called Quit Easy. He smoked for 42 years and was able to quit. He then worked with smokers and eventually wrote this book. It's not available commercially but he's given me permission to print it and give it out free.
My wife and I just went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse restaurant (we sat in the smoke free room). Anyway, the waitress was a little slow in getting to our table and when she arrived she apologized because she was smoking. She said they can only smoke before they start their shift (6pm) and can't smoke again until 8pm. Two hours didn't seem like much to me but then I'm not a smoker.
I asked her how long she's been smoking and she said 11 years. She seemed quite young so I asked how old she was - age 21. So, she began when she was 10. Her brother got her started. She said she wanted to quit so I went out to my car and got her a book. But before I did she asked if I could get one for her mom. So, I got the books and gave them to her and she thanked me.
Well, five minutes later another waitress comes to our table and asks if she could have a book. Then she says there are about 12 people that work there that smoke so I went back out to my car and got more books. I carry a box of them and give them out where ever I see the need.
So, if any of you reading this would like a book or know someone who wants to quit, just write me at my email and request as many Quit Easy books as you need. They are free and I'll pay the postage. This is my way of competing with Philip Morris and the other tobacco companies that are currently spending over 26 MILLION DOLLARS EVERY DAY ON TOBACCO PROMOTION!!!
Here's my email address:
staff@jazzbooks.com
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Jamey Aebersold-jazz musician/educator/publisher/clinician

ChopsMcgraw · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2002 7:00 pm Post subject:

Man, that is a cool way of doing things. Maybe if more people did the grassroots movement type of thing against big tobacco they would get slowed down a little! Also, when Bobby Shew came up for Jazz Fest last year, he was constantly out of breath, and gave us all a big smoking is bad speech. Smoking has definitely affected his life in a negative way.

ChopsMcgraw