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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Suppressing swallowing.
Suppressing  swallowing.
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tookatooka
2490 posts
Sep 19, 2011
11:49 AM
I've never experienced this before but the other day I was doing a video take for the BYBO3 thing you may have heard about (incidentally, you have 42 days to get your entires in), when halfway through a piece I just had to stop and swallow. WTF! Completely threw me. Anyone know how to stop a swallow occuring? I tried but had to give way because the requirement to swallow was overwhelmingly strong, but at the wrong time.


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Well punk, Do ya wanna Blow Your Brains Out?

nacoran
4641 posts
Sep 19, 2011
12:11 PM
I've had that happen once or twice, usually in the middle of a song where there aren't many pauses. When you have to swallow there isn't much you can do except try to hold off until you get a chance to do it when it won't interrupt what you are playing.

Beforehand though, you can try to head it off so you don't end up in that situation. Avoid dairy products for an hour or so before playing, since they will produce a lot of phlegm. Outdoors you can spit. An antihistamine can help cut down the phlegm a bit, and warm tea helps. You can also see if you are leaning your head forward or backward. If you are playing looking up at the sky you may get more saliva pooling at the back of your throat which may trigger swallowing. Of course, if you lean forward you may get more drool on your harp!

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Nate
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KingoBad
929 posts
Sep 19, 2011
1:17 PM
I hadn't had the experience before either, but on Saturday I was busking here in Indianapolis outside a starbucks. A lady walks out with a big iced coffee and my mouth just started watering. I've learned to play pretty dry, but for some reason just got me gushing. It was like Sylvester the cat playing the harp. I actually had to swallow and breathe during my breath time. I was fairly successful until the very last note, which I had a sort of dramatic pause to swallow a giant reserve of spit.

I will keep this in mind the next time I play outside an eating/drinking establishment...
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Danny
7LimitJI
538 posts
Sep 19, 2011
1:57 PM
Ref the dairy products. +1 for the phlegm.
I'm off them and have been for a couple of years.
Soya milk!
Hardly had a cold since.

The more you play, the less spit and other involuntary things you get
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toddlgreene
3332 posts
Sep 19, 2011
2:45 PM
"What, a swallow carrying a coconut?"
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Todd L. Greene

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Andrew
1434 posts
Sep 19, 2011
2:45 PM
You can't just put on one of these and play without practising, you know!
http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Guzzler-Helmet-Yellow/dp/B000QV9XDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316468682&sr=8-1
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Andrew.
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Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup.
HawkeyeKane
208 posts
Sep 19, 2011
2:52 PM
"African or European?"
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Hawkeye Kane
HarmonicaMick
306 posts
Sep 19, 2011
3:16 PM
@ HawkeyeKane: and your point is?
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Honkin On Bobo
781 posts
Sep 19, 2011
4:07 PM
"@ HawkeyeKane: and your point is?"

I think his point was, that bit is STILL funny well over three decades after the Pythoners first wrote it. well, at least to us old codgers anyway.

Last Edited by on Sep 19, 2011 4:08 PM
HarmonicaMick
308 posts
Sep 19, 2011
4:36 PM
@ H.O.B. : Do you mean Monty Python? I grew up cracking my ribs to that stuff, but I'm still completely lost. Oh well, it matters not.

Oh yeah, back on topic. Swallowing. My first ever post on here, under another handle, some 1500 posts ago was entitled 'Finding Time to Swallow'. Boy, did oldwailer and some of the others rib me over that one. I wish I could add something constructive to the thread, but can offer little. All I can say is that when playing solo for long periods, I do find it easier to manage that side of playing now than I did then. I suppose it's one of those things that you just get more used to dealing with, but which can't easily be described in any book or, for that matter, internet forum post.
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YouTube SlimHarpMick
Honkin On Bobo
782 posts
Sep 19, 2011
5:21 PM
Mick,

Yeah, Monty Python and The Holy Grail (mods: I know, religion...your honor..may I have a little latitude). now then, the Swallow reference is a running gag in the movie with the debate centering on the air speed of swallows, laden or un-laden (with coconut), and with question of African or European variety bailing the boys out of a tight mess at The Bridge of Death.

The signs of an ill-spent education, I remember this and pot smoking evenings listening to Dark Side of the Moon....diffential calculus...not so much.
nacoran
4643 posts
Sep 19, 2011
7:48 PM
Well played Todd. :)

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Nate
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Matzen
305 posts
Sep 19, 2011
9:23 PM
I'm with 7LimitJI. I had a problem too, but I went off of dairy for 2 weeks (which is hard since I'm from Wisconsin!) as a kind of experiment and it cleared up! Plus I just feel better in general.
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Last Edited by on Sep 19, 2011 9:24 PM
HarmonicaMick
309 posts
Sep 19, 2011
11:43 PM
@ HOB: Oh yeah, I remember. Very funny, with the little old bridge keeper chap flying off.
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toddlgreene
3333 posts
Sep 20, 2011
5:14 AM
And now, for something completely different...

Quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail or the entire run of Flying Circus is fair game here.

Any quotes from Life of Brian, Meaning of Life or Spamalot will have to be reviewed prior to approval.

Quoting, paraphrasing or even the mere mention of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is strictly forbidden, as is attacking each other with pointy sticks.


So let it be written. So let it be done.

Now, back to your epiglottis discussion.
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Todd L. Greene

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Last Edited by on Sep 20, 2011 5:14 AM
tookatooka
2491 posts
Sep 20, 2011
7:42 AM
I don't see why "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" should be forbidden. After all it isn't from the Monty Python team. It's one of Terry Gilliams projects, isn't it?

Anyway. Bugger the epiglottis issues, this is far more fun. Now then, is this going to be a five minute argument or shall we go for the full half-hour?
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Well punk, Do ya wanna Blow Your Brains Out?

MrVerylongusername
1951 posts
Sep 20, 2011
7:45 AM
"Quoting, paraphrasing or even the mere mention of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is strictly forbidden, as is attacking each other with pointy sticks."

What if some great homicidal maniac comes after you with a bunch of loganberries?
toddlgreene
3340 posts
Sep 20, 2011
7:47 AM
You're going to shoot me!
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Todd L. Greene

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HarmonicaMick
310 posts
Sep 20, 2011
8:00 AM
"Anyway. Bugger the epiglottis issues, this is far more fun."

No, it isn't!
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toddlgreene
3341 posts
Sep 20, 2011
8:01 AM
"Now then, is this going to be a five minute argument or shall we go for the full half-hour?"

Sorry Tooka, this is Abuse. You want 12a, just down the corridor.

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Todd L. Greene

cchc Pictures, Images and Photos
tookatooka
2492 posts
Sep 20, 2011
8:26 AM
What about the "getting hit on the head" lessons?
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Well punk, Do ya wanna Blow Your Brains Out?

Miles Dewar
1121 posts
Sep 20, 2011
9:43 AM
I smoke a blunt before I play. That Always helps. ;)
nacoran
4650 posts
Sep 20, 2011
11:00 AM
Todd P. is probably waiting in the wings for fear of triggering a thesaurus worth of synonyms.

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Nate
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HarmonicaMick
311 posts
Sep 20, 2011
12:14 PM
Todd, I told you once.
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toddlgreene
3342 posts
Sep 20, 2011
12:49 PM
"Todd, I told you once."

No, you didn't.

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Todd L. Greene

cchc Pictures, Images and Photos

Last Edited by on Sep 20, 2011 1:12 PM
tookatooka
2493 posts
Sep 20, 2011
2:04 PM
He did.
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Well punk, Do ya wanna Blow Your Brains Out?

toddlgreene
3343 posts
Sep 20, 2011
3:14 PM
No he didn't.
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Todd L. Greene

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toddlgreene
3344 posts
Sep 21, 2011
4:42 AM
Buz, the original topic is EXACTLY why the original poster has not complained about his thread turning into a Monty Python festival...the mundaneness of to swallow or not to swallow, versus learning to defend yourself from an attacker armed with fresh fruit...Tooka made a good choice.
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Todd L. Greene

cchc Pictures, Images and Photos


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