Being we are all relying on our lungs to play our beloved instrument, i am curious to see how many of us smoke them cigarettes (or used to). I am, myself, a smoker and picked up a hohner around the same time i picked up a pack of marlboros. Lets not turn this into a "quit smoking you dumba$$es" thread, i would like to see who among us still smokes, quit smoking, occasionally smokes, have never smoked, or anything in between.
Quit smoking 7 years ago. Picked up the harp about 30 yrs ago but only been really working to learn it for the last 4 yrs. I still miss it occasionally, luckily there are no withdrawals any more. Really glad I was finally able to quit! Hardest thing I have ever done!
I smoked Marlboro reds for many years before I quit for good fifteen years ago. I was a pretty good harp player before I stopped, but since dropping the habit I have noticed an improvement in my control, tone, speed and endurance. I had extra breath and it seemed as if I was able to try learn new things quicker; that might be because since I had so much extra wind, I was practicing much more often. My advice to all smokers:QUIT . QUIT NOW. ---------- Ted Burke http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu ted-burke.com
I quit smoking 11 years ago. I'm in my 50s. Not sure I could still do this if I still smoked.
BTW... banning smoking in bars is the best thing that ever happened to the music biz. Do they still allow smoking in bars in your area? The last smokey bar I played was an Indian casino in California. Yikes!
Finally quit three years ago after ten years of fluctuating between a light and heavy smoker (a pack of reds a day to just a couple a day), but I can't say for sure how it affected my harp playing since I just picked it that habit a couple months ago.
But what I did notice at the time I quit was noticeable increase in stamina in my daily commute. At the time I was riding my bicycle a mile and a half to work. Even though I rode at a very leisurely pace and I was already down to one or two cigs a day there was still a noticeable difference when I went from that small amount to zero cigs a day.
If the drug wasn't so freaking addictive, I'd enjoy it as an occasional treat. But if I let myself smoke at all, it would pretty quickly creep up to a pack a day so I have to draw a hard line. I miss it at times...sometimes I wonder why I ever got into the habit and then other days I am just jonesing for it -- BUT it does get easier as you go...."not smoking" will just become a habit, but you do save a few bucks every day this way!
Admittedly I've only lived in Houston and in California, so maybe I'd think differently in northern climates, but even as a smoker I always felt that we could handle smoking outdoors. I never, ever liked the smoky bar feeling, most likely in part because I came of age just right after California banned smoking in bars.
Last Edited by on Aug 11, 2012 9:29 PM
I smoked quite heavily for 20 years. And a lot pf weed too, for 10 years. Hung around in bars and clubs, playing pool and snooker. Chain smoked pretty much while doing that. quit tobacco 12 years ago, took up bicycle racing. And running. Gave that up about 5 years ago. Started hanging around with the old crew, playing harp in bars, pretty soon began having the occasional cigarette. The more gigs I played the more often I smoked. At the start of this year I broke up the band I was hanging out with the most, not because of the smoking but it was a factor. No smokers in my current band but the guitarist in the other one was a heavy smoker and pot user. I was seeing him a couple times a week and always would join him for cigarettes. And he would always smoke in the shed even if I wasn't. I really think it isn't good for me. As a player as well as an healthy animal. ----------
I quit smoking the day after my first Harmonica lesson 5 years ago. I just finished a 10 day 700 mile challenging bicycle ride. I think it was worth it !! ---------- And I Thank You !! KCz Backwoodz Bluz
Nobody in my current band smokes. I had a bandmate in a former band a couple years ago who smoked heavily and it pissed me off that he always was getting antsy for a break (to run outside and smoke) just when the set was cranking up.
I never have smoked but spent 25 years playing in clubs around the world sucking in air with a harp and vocals, my parents smoked , and most everyone I knew smoked. So in many ways I was a big smoker without meaning to be. I think the no smoking bans for public places is a great thing. If people want to smoke they should do so in places that don't infect innocent people. The ironic thing is the club scene is getting healthy by being smoke free, but the club scene is about dead compared to when people were smoking in them. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
i put cigs down on june 13 of last year after 35 years. i would never presume to tell anyone what to do or how to do it, what worked for me may not for you. for me it just became time due to external factors and a true desire to be free of tobacco. i think playing harp had a definite good effect on my health since more air was coming and going for that time when i did smoke. the exam i had with my doc last year showed no ill effects in my lungs etc and my heart is pumping away. i did manage to add about 12-15 pounds to my frame which has necessitated going up a couple of inches on my britches, but to me that is a very good tradeoff.
for me, i always knew the hazards of smoking. i chose to do it anyway, and i spent a few thousand a year on smokes. regardless of what we could afford to drive or where i could afford to pay rent i always had my 1 to 2 packs a day. it was just a fact like paying the water bill. insidious. this past year our debt is much more manageable and we are driving a 3 year old car instead of a 13 year old. if i need a harp or some plates guess what- i can buy them. we're shopping for a fishing boat and up the line an rv or travel trailer, and if we play our cards right we'll be touring the usa in a few years hopefully meeting some of you folks!
this may have all been possible with a smoking habit, i don't see how. but i feel much better and just as important, my wife can breathe easy in her own home, which she never could before.
we all have the small voice inside that tells us what's right and when it's time. i am fortunate to have finally heard that voice inside me. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
I smoked for many years and quit 15 years ago. I was also a wildland fire fighter. I am convinced Harmonica playing has increased my lung capabilities and did nothing but good for my breathing. Damn things nearly killed me.
I feel it should still be a matter of choice whether or not an establishment wants to cater to smokers or non-smokers. If a Smoker wanted to open a bar and cater to a smoking crowd he should be able to. No one forces a non-smoker, customer, entertainer, or employee, to walk thru the door. I always thought it was strange telling smokers,"Smoking is bad for your health! Go outside and catch Pneumonia." Another funny viewpoint! When Smokers ruled and Nonsmokers started whining, a separate place was made for nonsmokers to escape the smoke. When Nonsmokers took over, They took away those separate places and threw the smokers not only outside but away from the buildings. Remember,I am an ex-smoker over 10 years. I just see it as two separate crowds to cater to!
Last Edited by on Aug 12, 2012 2:38 PM
I have smoked for 40 years! Wife says she'll bury me in ciggie cartons.
The no smoking rules here in NZ have helped kill off good gigs. You can find yourself playing to 10 people(including bar staff) while all the rest of them are outside or worse staying home. Just sayin'
on wednesday i'm quitting after 43 years. well, i did stop for five years once. you gotta mentally work up to these things- well i do.
i need enough wind to play a 3rd position chromatic workout by Rod Piazza. it's called Harpburn. it was easy to play it 10 years ago but now-a-days i'm running short of air. being in a wheelchair and using crutches in 2006-7 slowed me down breath wise too. (well that's what happens when you get acquire a bone disease at 23. stuff breaks down.) looking forward to not being a pariah anymore. ---------- MP affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
I now regret that I used to smoke. Now in my 70's I am normally healthy due to plenty of exercise & playing the harp. But my lungs are scarred from years of heavy smoking. I quit in my 30's but every time I catch a cold it lingers & goes into my lungs and I need a prolonged course of antibiotics + puffers before I come good.
I have lost many friends over the years all as a result of smoking eg throat & lung cancers. Painful, but now avoidable, diseases.
In one way or another we all die of a shortage of breath. Two Grandads smoked(non filters)one died at 85 one at 92. BUT i in no way endorse smoking as a way to live longer.In fact i am such a hypocrite that i promised both my kids at sixteen that if they weren't smoking at 21 we'd give them 4000$ cash. Neither smoke but the son has dabbled in some other things ..but he's fine now. Wife two kids and a mortgage..that did it ;-0
eharp: I was actually thinkin about hitting that open jam tonight, but other plans came up, i just got a new telecaster that i was hoping i could unveil. Noketheless, i would definitely be down for a jam soon
I smoked cigarettes for over 14 years. I actually got into the harp because i stopped smoking and wanted something to take my mind of it, that was around 6 yrs ago.
I still smoke a little green but i don't smoke cigarettes or tobacco anymore.
I do alot of mountain biking now and i keep myself very fit, so there isn't any room for tobacco in my life now. Even if i'm very drunk(the only time i'm temped by a cigarette)my body seems to reject tobacco and makes me sick and i no longer get cravings which took a few years to go away entirely.
Im smoking a cigar as I read this,I also smoke pipes for about 10 years,I dont inhale it,and my habit is getting less and less with tobacco and I dont know why,Im not trying to quit,Ive never smoked cigerrets,But i have smoked alot of weed,And its starting to hurt my lungs,I in the last year started eating it,on a cracker with peanut butter,And im a firm believer of medical usage after eating it,Its great for pain relief and apatite that smokeing cant touch,Ive been on pain meds for 10 years daily and the medical plant helps,But i still find myself smoking and it does hurt my lungs and im noticing it alot more now then I used to when I sing and play for a while. ---------- Hobostubs
Stopped smoking 30 cigs a day back in february. Still smoke my pipes but only as an evening treat and I feel nice and healthy most of the time. Still a shit harp player unfortunately :P
This coming October 23rd will make it 40 yeas since my last cigarette. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Saw William Clarke once, had the cigarette between his fingers of his right hand as he cupped the mic, didn't miss a lick. 'Course he's dead now. Had a big tumbler of brown liquor on a stool within arms reach too. Just to keep the pipes clear I guess.
"BTW... banning smoking in bars is the best thing that ever happened to the music biz. Do they still allow smoking in bars in your area? The last smokey bar I played was an Indian casino in California. Yikes!"
I couldn't go anywhere before the smoking bans. I'm asthmatic and one of my triggers is cigarette smoke; it's put me in the hospital before. Even sitting in the no smoking section of restaurants was tough with smoke drifting over from the smoking section.
I cleaned my friends parents house once. His mother is a chain smoker and a terrible house keeper. There was a layer of dust/tar on top of the refrigerator half an inch thick. Just from a harmonica maintenance standpoint I imagine cigarettes are a nightmare. ---------- Nate Facebook Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
update: i noticed last week cigs are at nearly $6 a pack now. for me that would come out to somewhere around $100 A WEEK to support my habit. instead, we have rearranged some finances, paid off some credit debt, and once i do one more thing we're getting that fishing boat. today we paid cash for a 10 year old pickup truck to tote the boat. life is good! ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
They estimate harm from tobacco could be reduced by around 95% if people switched to electronic cigarettes and Swedish (snuff / snus) tobacco. They were talking about the 30 year study on snus on 60 Minutes that found virtually no harm. And I just heard about the study suggesting there is no heart damage from electronic cigarettes. Nicotine is not great for you. But it is a small part of the harm. ---------- Since I learned to overblow, I don't use my car horn so much any more.
People call it a damn bad habit, but I am not convinced. If I were in my home office I could do as I pleased at my desk while I work. I wouldn’t have to go outside and away from the door to a place where I won’t bother the uncultured sissies who just like to complain about anything that doesn’t suit them. Ah well, there is no help for it, the package in my pocket is calling to me and I have to go outside and indulge myself in what has come to be perceived as a nasty habit.
Outside and alone, I pull the package out of my pocket, remove the contents, and tap it gently on my palm to prepare things. Does the tapping really do anything or is it just a ritual, does it matter? I bring it to my lips and take a deep draw. Don’t talk to me now about bad habits and disturbing the non-partakers. This is pure relaxation and I don’t see how anyone could not like the pleasant change this makes in the surrounding area. I draw as deeply as I can and then let it out, wondering who ever came up with this wonderful experience, as the G cord resolves to a C on my harmonica.
I quit about 12 years ago. I didn't really notice any difference in playing the harmonica. Someone smoking around me doesn't bother me at all. I agree with paulbunyn on the fact that if a business owner wants to allow smoking they should be able to. I support freedom of choice and taking resposibility for your actions. I dont like brussel sprouts, but I'm not going to insist that someone who does like them to refrain from eating them. ---------- Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
@eharp, "having a bone disease shouldnt make you feel like a pariah." :-) now that was funny!
well, i'm down from 30 cigs a day to 3. fairly soon it'll be zero.
in three weeks i've gained half an octave on my vocals and can play handstand 3rd position Chromatic harp indefinitely w/out getting winded. i feel very good. cheers! Mark ---------- MP affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
