my throat hurts?

[mick_wilson]

I am new to sax and wind instruments . When I was playing a couple of days agoI felt my throat go tight and i got a sharp pain straight across the front of my throat and now all my muscles at the front of my neck hurt and its difficult to swallow, and ive lost my voice?what am Idoing wrong ? and how can I prevent this please ? this prevents me practicing :cry: as it ever happened to anyone else? or am iI the only one? please post reply or send email :_)

 

[justin_chune]

If you are sure that your throat condition is sax. related then you have been over doing it. I think you should stop playing until your throat recovers. Have some soft reeds, like Rico 1.1/2, or similar ready for when you resume. The idea is to produce the sound with as little effort as possible. Saxophones are played with well controlled exhaled breath, and there is no hard blowing involved. Hard blowing could account for your sore throat, I suppose.

I've seen the difference between blowing and breath support explained like this. Blow on the back of your hand and note the temperature of the air. Quite cool? Now open your mouth and your throat and breathe on the back of your hand. Quite warm? Play the sax with warm air. Get well soon.

Why couldn't you get a sore mouth like the rest of us. 🙂

 

[jonf]

Hi Mick, and welcome.

Try some Difflam, it's a sort of spray anaesthetic for sore throats. You spray it on, and it has an immediate effect. Was recommended to me by my wife, who was a nurse in a GP surgery for years.

I would also add a personal recommendation of a large scotch in the evening. Don't try this before playing, though. 😛

Oh, and seriously, if it doesn't go off, go and see your doctor.

 

[mick_wilson]

Thanks GUYS
Yes i think it may be due to sax playing tho i am using rico 1.5 reeds. I have also been stuffing a te towel in the horn to soften the noise i make lol. I thik i pulled my throat singing after a few stiff whiiskeys and had a sore throat before i bought the Sax but I was playing it on Wednesday and i Felt a sharp pain like a knife go across my throat the day after my neck hurt under my adams apple and i cant speak lol could also be an infection. will have to sit it out and practice fingering techniques for a while. 8)

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Mick and welcome to the forum! Now I'm not a doctor but it sounds to me like playing the sax may have aggravated a pre-existing condition, and the advice in this thread so far seems pretty good. Hope you enjoy your sax when the throat is better

 

[mick_wilson]

Thanks Bobbyg Im glad i joined this forum. my Grandad was a sax player in a Military dance band and he tried to get me interested when i was about 5. as if im gonna get interested however now i am well its a different story im 44 and just starting however i can play bass .drums, guitar, and a bit of kboard plus vocals. To be honest guys even tho im in pain at the moment I AM ENJOYING THE SAX MORE THAN ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT IVE TRIED . i cant wait to get stuck in and look forward to receiving help from u guys as I need it.

 

[Bobby G]

Hey Mick, sounds like you've come to sax in the same way I did: I'm 51, had piano lessons as a kid, discovered guitar and bass in my teens, played a bit of drums on home recordings and as a member of the Inshore Trawlermen (all songs fish-related), but saxophone, which I started on about 4 years ago, is the best Enjoy it, the more you play the better it gets!

 

[mick_wilson]

Great news guys my throats still a bit sore but im back to squeking again 🙂 .well sometimes i squek some times my tone is dull and sometimes clear?? im going through the forums for some ideas?

cheers
Mick

im happy now i can practice one more even tho i squeek occasionally 😱

 

[joebasile87]

remember that playing the saxophone is no different than doing anything that involves precise muscle control. you MUST warm up properly before going crazy on birdlad 😛. for a beginner i would really suggest playing in a comfortable range (low F to middle F) on long tones. hope this helps with the soreness.