The smart trombonist's eatery

[AndrewMeronek]

To start with a slightly funny and embarrassing incident:

Recently, I made myself some home-made hummus for the first time. It turned out great: I didn't peel the chickpeas and kept the skin so the hummus ended up being more on the side of "light and fluffy" than "smooth and silky" but that's OK. Keeping the fiber from the skins is a win.

Anyway, before a rehearsal I wanted to grab a quick snack which turned out to be my homemade hummus with some crackers. Delicious. I bite into a cracker, and lo and behold, I get some extra crunch. Fairly quickly, I figured out that I had just eaten a whole raw garlic clove . . .



. . . and off to rehearsal I went.

I apologized to everyone, but also everyone definitely knew and made clear that they knew exactly how much garlic I had eaten, which was somewhere between a pound and a gallon.

So - what are some good, healthy and non-chemical-warfare foods that people recommend when music ensues?

[bitbckt]

Bananas.

[PhilTrombone]

Yogurt, perhaps.

An orange - I find the acidity clears out one's mouth.

[bassboy]

I always thought it didn't matter that much as long as I brushed my teeth before playing.

[tbdana]

I never eat before playing. I don't like the concept of blowing chunks of food into my horn. Yuck.

[AndrewMeronek]

I never eat before playing. I don't like the concept of blowing chunks of food into my horn. Yuck.

Normally I would agree, but sometimes this rule must be broken, and sometimes I just don't think about it. For example, doing a nice wedding gig where the band gets a nice plated meal before playing, usually during speeches or some other prep to the dancing. I don't pass that up.

Musicians gotta eat.

[AndrewMeronek]

Yogurt, perhaps.

An orange - I find the acidity clears out one's mouth.

Good point, I get that effect too. Fruit is definitely cleaner if one must get something. There's a definite contrast to playing right after downing a hearty Mac & cheese.

[mgladdish]

I'm with the "gotta eat" camp. Playing hungry is just miserable and hard work.

[andym]

Just use a garlic press and don’t count on a blender to get every clove. When making hummus, I use a stick blender so I can aim at any lumps that are left.

Here’s my performing food question: where do people stand on cheese. My wife is a singer and will avoid dairy for days before a performance because she feels that it gunks passages up. My trombone teacher, on the other hand, talked about ordering a pizza for the middle acts of an opera if the trombones are tacet. Clearly, he was not worried about dairy. Anyone else have a thought?

[mgladdish]

Just use a garlic press and don’t count on a blender to get every clove. When making hummus, I use a stick blender so I can aim at any lumps that are left.

Here’s my performing food question: where do people stand on cheese. My wife is a singer and will avoid dairy for days before a performance because she feels that it gunks passages up. My trombone teacher, on the other hand, talked about ordering a pizza for the middle acts of an opera if the trombones are tacet. Clearly, he was not worried about dairy. Anyone else have a thought?

In his podcast, Ian Bousfield talks about treating diet "as an athlete" and cutting out histamines a week or two before a big performance. I can't remember the exact specifics but it was really quite regimented.

Personally I've not noticed any corrolation between what I eat and how I play. But maybe I need to pay more attention to understand why I get the ocassional day or two where everything just feels off?

[Gfunk]

To answer the OP’s question, rice cakes are a good neutral snack that fills you up. I take them to long rehearsal days. I also keep granola bars or the like in my bag and stash a few for emergencies in other places like my car.


For the effects of food on performance, while trying not to derail too much, I will say it does matter. I knew of someone that found out they had a soy allergy because their bad playing days aligned with when they ate sushi. They kept a practice journal with what they ate and put the two together.

I could talk for a long time about how many many aspects of our physical health affect our playing, but this isn’t the place for that. For dairy specifically I will say that more than half the world’s population have an intolerance. The lactose tolerance is actually the derived trait. A large amount of people probably would be better off not eating dairy, though the likelihood of adult lactose tolerance is highly dependent on ethnicity.

[andym]

The link of dairy to histamines and trouble with activities that require a lot of air and breath control seems reasonable. I imagine it could be highly dependent on each persons immune reactions to histamines. I haven’t played a lot since I had a bone marrow transplant and so this could be different for me when I get back to playing because I have a whole more immune system.

Lactose intolerance also sounds like a reasonable factor to consider.

Thanks for the comments.

[tbdana]

I like to eat an entire package of graham crackers just before going on stage for a major solo piece.

[jfumasoli]

I always carry Cliff bars just in case, cause when I lose it, it usually happens fast. Rather have this than some lousy fast food too. It's hard when you are running from 1 gig to the next.

[AndrewMeronek]

I like to eat an entire package of graham crackers just before going on stage for a major solo piece.

[BrassSection]

I don’t eat all Sundays before I play, but my horns all seem to run smoother after my 3rd cup of strong dark roast coffee before I play, or even some between songs during practice, unlike the guitar players munching donuts when they arrive. I obviously eat too much after playing. Did a recent mid year self evaluation, my New Years resolution was to lose 20 pounds. I only have 24 to go.

[Mamaposaune]

I like oatmeal or some type of non-sugary cereal if I'm going to a rehearsal or gig from home. If I have to eat on the run, I'll bring bananas, grapes, mixed nuts with raisins, or an energy bar.

[HawaiiTromboneGuy]

Spam musubi.

[harrisonreed]

Spam musubi.

And spicy ahi poke, chaahan, pulehu chicken, and a heaping pile of mac salad!

[Joebone]

Consider the garlic consumption of Irving Fazola, a legendary New Orleans clarinetist...per Wikipedia:

Irving Henry Prestopnik was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.[1][2] After receiving the nickname "Fazola", he used it as his last name. Influenced in early life by Leon Roppolo, Fazola was playing professionally by age 15.[1][2] In New Orleans he worked with Sharkey Bonano, Candy Candido, Armand Hug, and Louis Prima.[1] He joined the Ben Pollack band when it came through town and performed with it in Chicago and New York City.[1] After brief time with Glenn Miller and Gus Arnheim, Fazola became a member of the Bob Crosby band in 1938.[1] He achieved some fame with this band, ranking as top clarinetist in the DownBeat magazine polls of 1940 and 1941. After leaving Crosby, he worked in bands in Chicago, New York, and New Orleans, including time with George Brunies at the Famous Door, before settling in New Orleans in 1943. Although musicians told him he could find greater fame and fortune in New York, he told them he felt more comfortable in his hometown with its wonderful food, which he ate in large quantities. According to Pete Fountain, Fazola drank heavily, which contributed to his weight and his early death.[3] He died of a heart attack at the age of 36 in 1949.[3]

Fazola influenced Fountain, whose style resembled Fazola's and who substituted for Fazola at the Opera House the night of his death. Fountain owned one of Fazola's clarinets, but he said the odor of garlic from it was so strong that it was nearly impossible to play. The clarinet was built on the Albert System in which the fingers stretch more than on the Boehm system that Fountain used. The "woody" or "fat" sound of Fountain derived in part from a crystal mouthpiece similar to the one Fazola had used.[4]

[HawaiiTromboneGuy]

Spam musubi.

And spicy ahi poke, chaahan, pulehu chicken, and a heaping pile of mac salad!

works for me!

[OneTon]

I like to eat an entire package of graham crackers just before going on stage for a major solo piece.

I never eat before playing. I don't like the concept of blowing chunks of food into my horn. Yuck.

I am confused.

[JohnL]

I like to eat an entire package of graham crackers just before going on stage for a major solo piece.

I never eat before playing. I don't like the concept of blowing chunks of food into my horn. Yuck.

I am confused.

I think the graham cracker line was intended as a joke.

[OneTon]

I am confused.

I think the graham cracker line was intended as a joke.

Oh.

Would you buy a used trombone from this person?

[tbdana]

I think the graham cracker line was intended as a joke.

Oh.

Would you buy a used trombone from this person?

Yes, you are confused.

Sorry, I don't have any for sale. But if I can think of a good joke about a trombone for sale, I'll probably post it just for you.

If you take my two quotes together you get to the truth: I don't eat before playing because I don't like blowing chunks through my horn, and the notion of eating an entire package of graham crackers just before going on stage for a major solo is, for someone like me, the stuff nightmares are made of.

Please tell me you didn't think the comment about eating a whole pack of graham crackers just before playing was serious. You knew it was a joke, right? Riiiiight????

[OneTon]

Oh.

Would you buy a used trombone from this person?

Yes, you are confused.

Sorry, I don't have any for sale. But if I can think of a good joke about a trombone for sale, I'll probably post it just for you.

I’ll take the fifth. But a quart is better than a fifth, right?And I’m only interested in unicorns: One owner. Low mileage. Only played in church on Sunday mornings.

[AndrewMeronek]

The food jokes reminded me of this little gem:

[Posaunus]

For dairy specifically I will say that more than half the world’s population have an intolerance. The lactose tolerance is actually the derived trait. A large amount of people probably would be better off not eating dairy, though the likelihood of adult lactose tolerance is highly dependent on ethnicity.

Many cheeses are actually rather low in lactose (the lactose in the raw milk is converted to lactic acid in the cheesemaking and aging process) and can be comfortably consumed by those who are lactose-intolerant.

https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes ... intolerant