being sick and playing?

[trumpetbabe69]

ok, so, when you're sick, do you still play your instrument? Because if i have a cold, and i play my instrument I'm always afraid that the germs will like.. get stuck in there and I'll be sick longer. What does everyone else do/suggest i do?

[trumpetislife]

i dont practice when im sick cus i cant play very well. but i do if im in band class or something. but maybe after you play you can was out your mouthpiece (or you hole instrument if you would feel better doing that) so you kill the germs.

[stickshifty]

If I'm forced to play while I'm sick, then I usually boil my mouthpiece with lots of salt afterwards. But when I have anything remotely wrong with my ears, then I refuse to play because that will lead to really bad ear infections (apparently all the fluid gets pushed into the ears when you play and makes for bad ear infections). But since I'm not on top of all my part when I'm sick, I make it known to my bd whenever I feel like crap (it's nice to have a scapegoat for not playing well).

[chrissyjean]

like they said, clean your instrument really well after you do practice if you're sick, because I've practiced, started feeling better, and gotten sick again. Not cool.

[noxcuses]

trumpetbabe69 said:

ok, so, when you're sick, do you still play your instrument? Because if i have a cold, and i play my instrument I'm always afraid that the germs will like.. get stuck in there and I'll be sick longer. What does everyone else do/suggest i do?

I feel that it is important to get my instrument on my face every day, so yes, I play when I am sick. When I am sick, I let my mouthpiece soak in rubbing alcohol for about 5 minutes at the end of the day...(kills the germs)...though I DO wash it with water after I finish "sterilizing" it so that I don't have to taste alcohol when I play my horn the next morning, lol. Then when I am "well" I take my horn with me in the shower to clean it (not a thorough cleaning by any means, it's not even that necessary, I just do it to clean it out...run some soap through it to kill most of the germs and all, snake isn't really necessary unless it's been 2 months or so since the last cleaning).
I can say this, however:

1. I do not get sick a lot. And when I do get "the bug" that happens to be going around at the time, I usually am "well" much faster than everyone else who is sick.
2. There is a difference between not feeling well and being genuinely sick. For me to actually say that I am "sick", I physically can not get out of bed (well, you know what I mean). I also would be running a fever of 100 or higher, which does not happen to me very often. So when I am "truly" sick, then no, I don't play my horn unless I absolutely have to (e.g. dress rehearsal or concert). But again, I do not get sick that often.
3. I never play other peoples' mouthpieces unless they have been sterilized with rubbing alcohol first. This is the quickest way to not only spread illness, but cold sores and other things as well.
4. I live a healthy and active lifestyle. I think that it is important for musicians to be active, as well. It not only keeps us from getting sick, but we feel better about ourselves and therefore are able to play our instruments better.

And...I'm not really sure what the point of my post is. I guess part of it was to answer your question, the other part to give advice on how to stay well, especially during this time of year when it seems that EVERYONE is sick! :-)

[friskylurker]

i have an eternal cold-like thing... it's probably actually allergies, but whatever. i don't get actually sick very often, though. i've missed one day of school for illness in the past 8 years or so. and come to think of it, i think i only went home early, not missed all together. but yeah. i just get minor colds and stuff, and i play anyway.

[SaxGirl]

If I'm sick, I usually won't play because:

1) If I have a sore throat, it hurts to pass the air past my throat.
2) If I have a cold, I can't breathe properly.

But I usually end up playing anyway because I'm cooped up at home and have to do something to keep the boredom away.

[Tales From Band Camp]

If I get sick or my sinuses start acting up, I don't play. I have found that my sinuses get really worse when I play.

[bariclaribob]

When I'm sick, I try to avoid practicing outside of band unless I really need to. If I do have to practice, though, I don't use my good reeds, and if I'm afraid my germs will stay on my mouthpiece or in the main part of the instrument, I sanitize the whole thing. The worst thing is marching sick. I remember for one parade, I had a terrible cough, couldn't catch my breath, and couldn't play half the time. The worst part: this was the one time I had to march in the first rank.

[samthered]

I usually attempt to play when I'm sick, or have allergies. The worst thing is my ears go funny, and I sound really flat to myself, and I'm not sure if it's just me or not.

[hchswiregrasshorn]

Sometimes, I actually play somewhat better when I'm sick. I don't know the explanation. Of course this is like when I'm only a little sick, like a cold. But I try not to play when I'm sick, but it catches up to me on performances sometimes. I've gotten sick at the same Brass Symposium two years in a row.

(Slightly off-topic)


However, I have had close calls with fever blisters. One came up RIGHT after my All-State Audition last year. Literally, I finished my audition, went to put my horn up, and it appeared. Another one at the last Brass Symposium. One came up the day before the placement audition. Fortunately it was JUST to the left of the mouthpiece placement, so it didn't effect my playing.

[talkitiveflutist]

I play when i am sick. i love playing and praticing. But its really annoying when you are in band and you have to stop to cough/sneeze. then you loose your place in the music. but i can't hold notes or hold slurs as long.

[bariclaribob]

melophonesam said:

I usually attempt to play when I'm sick, or have allergies. The worst thing is my ears go funny, and I sound really flat to myself, and I'm not sure if it's just me or not.

Yeah right! You are always in tune! Unlike me.

Anyway... to supplement my previous post...

The other thing about playing when you're sick is the possibility of phlegm. (Yes, it sounds gross, but it happens.) It makes your spit all thick and nasty, and makes tonguing sixteenth notes a pain in the neck.

[ilovemyflute]

oi play when i'm sick but only when it's like a cold or something small like that. then i just use this one disinfecting stuff that my bd has for mouth pieces.

[trumpetspride]

With me, I figure that if I feel well enough to go to school then I can play my instrument. I usually don't practice though because the stuffy nose thing/sore throat doesn't mix well with trumpet...

If you are worried about the germs...maybe just wash your mouthpiece when you feel better. The germs inside the instrument probably won't hurt you.