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Smoking & playing sax

42K views 108 replies 61 participants last post by  Captain Beeflat 
#1 ·
How many of you are smoker? Do you think it really harmful on our skill (but many Master player are heavy smoker...)?

:cry:
 
#5 ·
I've heard that it contributes to pads wearing out quicker.

I would think that the bigger issue is death but that's my two cents.

If I purchased a vintage sax from a smoker I would send it off to my tech for a bath before spending serious time with it in the shed. Again a personal preference.
 
#7 ·
I smoked pretty heavily up until about two years ago...I definitely noticed a decrease in lung capacity after a point, which contributed to my quitting. I never heard anything about wearing my pads out quicker though...maybe I should take my horn down to the shop again...
 
#8 ·
I used to Smoke and it did affect my playing considerably. In fact, I found that to play Bass and even to some degree Bari effectively, I needed to be in shape to make the phrases I wanted to. I had to quite smoking and start exercising. It's easier to play when you don't smoke, the smoking is just another thing holding the player back.
 
#9 ·
I used to smoke all the time and I never noticed it effecting my playing. However after I stopped smoking I noticed that I have a lot of backpressure in my mouthpiece that wasn't there before. I suppose it's due to the added breath support I'm capable of now. I'm currently looking for a new mouthpiece that might alleviate some of that pressure.
 
#14 ·
I have no personal gripe against smokers. In fact, their habit and its detrimental effects on the human body keep me in business. However, lets not lose sight of the simple facts: smokers lung functions deteriorate substantially faster than nonsmokers, on average. We all lose puff after about age 23, but smoking is the best way to lose if faster. And 50% of smokers will die of a smoking related disease. There is a good reason that insurance companies load your insurance premiums!. The only good news is that whenever you stop you are likely to see some benefit.
 
#16 ·
I've played the horns over 50 years now and have smoked 40 of those years. I have no smoking related issues with blowing the horns. I believe that smoking should be mandatory and introduced at an early age the philosophy being that something's gonna kill you sooner or later so you may as well enjoy yourself. Personal observation proves to me that the propaganda generated by the anti-smoking folks is not true. Far more people smoke than do not. Tobacco is a huge generator of revenue for most governments and it would be unpatriotic to quit and the thought that my contributions to society,through taxes on tobacco, is a truely unselfish sacrifice gladly made for the betterment of my fellow man. Smoke often and heavily!
 
#22 ·
It seems that many horn players smoke. I'm including our brass playing counterparts. I think it may be that we like the feeling of the smoke going in to our lungs- we are very aware of this part of our bodies. And hanging out in nightclubs is part of the lifestyle... nothing like a few drinks and then a smoke. We know that the alcohol isn't great for our health... what the heck...

I have been know to smoke lightly, but I can go weeks without. When I was a heavy smoker for about a year it DEFINITELY effected my playing.
 
#23 ·
One thing to realize is that even Cannonball Adderley smoked. In fact, he has a cigarette in his hand (or his mouth, or an ashtray on the table) in most of the photos that have been taken of him.

Here's the link to some of them, just click on "gallery"
http://perso.club-internet.fr/barybary/

The photo in the middle of the bottom row cracks me up every time I look at it.[/img]
 
#24 ·
Smoking

I tried to explain to a very attractive female acquaintence, who was a smoker, what a smoker smells like to a non smoker.
Next time there is a bushfire, take a frozen chicken out of the freezer and when it thaws soak it overnight in the cheapest perfume you can find.
Wait till the fire has been put out then take the chicken to the site and roll it around in the damp ashes until it's well coated. Then hold it up to your nose and inhale deeply.
She gave up!
:p
 
#25 ·
I smoke, I don't find it so much affects my playing as it does, say, climbing a long flight of stairs - which I have noticed isn't quite as easy as it was when I was 17. It's evil, it's nasty. Even though I smoke if I'm in a (California) resaurant and smoke wafts in from the outside while I'm eating I can smell it. Although I miss it in the bars, it helped mask the pungent odors of urine and stale beer.

I've heard that it contributes to pads wearing out quicker.

I would think that the bigger issue is death but that's my two cents.
ROTFLMAO
 
#26 ·
I've seen multiple family members of mine die from smoking related illnesses. It's not pretty and they all gave the same advice to all the young people around - "Don't ever start smoking".

Whether or not you perceive that your lung capacity is down - it is. There are numerous studies that prove this. Whether or not you have a family member who lived to be 100 and smoked every day for 80 years - we can point out lung cancer victims who die at 50.

Desmond died because of smoking.

Cannonball had a stroke with he was at a greater rick of having because he smoked. He was also overweight.

I don't smoke and make it a point to not frequent many places that allow smoking. Kudos to what they did in California with the smoking ban. I hope they do it in my neck of the woods. Frankly, any place that allows children to be present should have a ban on smoking. As adults we can choose to live our lives in ways that may not be healthy but I can't think of a single good reason to expose children (who don't have a choice) to these things. I also firmly believe that while you have the right to smoke I have an equal right not to be exposed to it since there is a good chance that my exposure to your second hand smoke can be bad for MY health.

End of rant.
 
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