Smoking and Pianists

[starstruck5]

I don't know why, but I have yet to meet a classical piano student or teacher that smokes -I certainly don't! Disgusting habit.

For some reason it seems compulsory for rock and roll and jazz pianists to smoke -though not all do of course -

So who amongst us partake of this filthy habit?

[thalbergmad]

I did up until about 5 years ago, but gave up.

I do miss the good old days when I had a cigar on the go when practising. Somehow, I have never practised so hard since I gave up smoking.

Now that the dangers are so clear, I doubt if there are as many pianist smokers as there were 10 years ago, Jazz pianists, classical pianists or otherwise. Besides, in jolly old England, smoking is banned in enclosed public places, so even Jazz clubs would have to conform.

If you go back 100 years or more, it appears that many pianists liked a goof puff.

Thal

[ted]

Never even tried a smoke behind the bushes as a kid. Both my parents smoked and I was always being sent to the shop to get them cigarettes. I used to get out of the house when they lit up, I hated the stench. They paid a high price for smoking. It was the primary cause of my mother's heart problems and my father's circulatory problems. Dad smoked flat out all his life, puffing away on cigars even while playing tennis. He was a very strong tennis player, still played competitively at eighty-five and lived to eighty-seven; just tough genes I suppose. Many in his parents' families came close to the century. His last year was terrible though, and wholly because of smoking.

When my parents were young no one knew how deadly the habit was and it was made glamorous in films; everybody who was anybody smoked. Nowadays there is no excuse; it is so silly for a young person to commence smoking.

I think the big health problem of our time, of the next few decades will be a diabetes epidemic fuelled by obesity, at least in developed countries. Governments and people are simply ignoring the signs, same as they did with smoking fifty years ago.

 

[costicina]

Ehm..... .. I know I will be stoned  to death fort that but...I'm a chain smoker  ...

[thalbergmad]

GIVE UP NOW

[j_menz]

Risking the wrath of the anti smoker brigade, I'll 'fess up.

Don't smoke while playing, though.

[ajspiano]

Ehm..... .. I know I will be stoned  to death fort that but...I'm a chain smoker  ...

I'd have a go at you if I didn't like tom waits so much.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I learned in my psychology class, smokers were breastfed for too long.

[j_menz]

I learned in my psychology class, smokers were breastfed for too long.

I'd demend my tuition fees back after that.

[birba]

Ehm..... .. I know I will be stoned  to death fort that but...I'm a chain smoker  ...

So was martha argerich.  And lots more.  It seems to have been the thing 30-40 years ago.

[costicina]

So was martha argerich.  And lots more.  It seems to have been the thing 30-40 years ago.

>:(Ehi, are you insinmuating that I'm ELDERLY?!?!

AJ, will you forgive me if I'll send you a video demonstrating that I have a  sexy, slightly raucous voice?

[quantum]

I remember in grade school when a health educator came to talk to us about smoking.  Specifically he brought in lots of pictures of lungs from both smokers and non-smokers.  He also brought in some real specimens of pigs lungs (apparently the are very similar to those humans).  A very thought-provoking display.  That probably cemented my choice to never smoke.

There was one time when a couple of my non-smoking friends wanted to try a smoke after exams.  I blatantly refused the offer. 

[alessandro]

I smoke  I love the aroma of tobacco.  I switched from Virginia blond, mild tobacco to a brand that is flavoured with menthol.   Maybe one day I'll smoke a pipe, there is a huge variety of pipe tobacco's that smell absolutely wonderful.  Don't mind me for smoking.  Sometimes, when people combine smoking and drinking a good whiskey or some brown rhum, or even a beer, I like the way their breath smell.  I also like the scent of the fur of dogs, or the scent of the fur of my cats when they come back from their walk, there is some animality, adventure, mystery  in all this perfumes.   I like my croissant the day after.  Or a slice of bread that is a few days old, with some Gouda Present and butter.  I'm drifting off...

[thorn]

I smoke like a chimney. Aside from being a pianist, I am also an asthmatic flautist. I'm a massive idiot!

[commissiona]

-

[ajspiano]

AJ, will you forgive me if I'll send you a video demonstrating that I have a  sexy, slightly raucous voice?

Slightly??  You need a chainsaw in your throat for some of his music.

[thorn]

Yep, same here, frequently performing bassoonist, nearly a pack a day.  The guy that sits right next to me at work, excellent jazz trombonist, pack 'n a half.

Yay for smoking wind players! Amount wise, I'm in between you and the trombonist.

[birba]

Believe it or not, a lot of opera singers smoke.  Especially basses and mezzos.  I accompanied Gegen Grigorian, a russian drammatic tenor, in a recital and he smoked a pack a day!!!!!!!!

[iansinclair]

OK... I smoke.  I have for almost 70 years, and I haven't died of it yet...

Nowadays I play piano, mostly for my own enjoyment, and sing (baritone with occasional excursions into bass or low (up to F above middle C)) in various small choruses; most of my life I was an organist and choir master (I'm retired now) -- and in high school and college played french horn.

I happen to know a lot of ballet dancers -- about half of them smoke!  And as someone said, singers, ditto.

Smoking is not good for you, physically.  It is also very difficult to quit and it may, in some circumstances actually be counterproductive to quit (the balance is between physical and mental health).

If you don't smoke, don't start.  If you do, quit if you can -- but not if you wind up on other mind altering chemicals, whether doctor prescribed or otherwise.

[fleetfingers]

I do not smoke and never have. I am trying to rid myself of an addiction to diet Pepsi and that is hard enough! Can't imagine quitting smoking. I admire anyone who has done it.

[starstruck5]

Just goes to show what a sheltered life I have led -didn't realise there were so many pro musicians who smoke.  Though I can understand why -learning music at such a high level is enough to drive anyone to drugs -having said that -I am not going to start now! The best way of giving up.

My father used to smoke like a chimney -he could destroy all the oxygen on the planet with a single draw and blow -or so it seemed to me -I grew up a secondary smoker and my chest has never been great because of it -even smokers used to say they didn't need to smoke themeselves when my father lit up.

[chauncey]

I heard that smoking (in general) makes your hands shake a bit on their own after a while due to poor blood circulation. To the smokers out there, is that true? Wouldn't that be ironic if your a pianist that smokes then?

[chauncey]

I heard that smoking (in general) makes your hands shake a bit on their own after a while due to poor blood circulation. To the smokers out there, is that true? Wouldn't that be ironic if your a pianist that smokes then?

[starstruck5]

I heard that smoking (in general) makes your hands shake a bit on their own after a while due to poor blood circulation. To the smokers out there, is that true? Wouldn't that be ironic if your a pianist that smokes then?

A point so good you had to make it twice -lol

I always thought it was old age that did that though - It actually doesn't matter to smokers what it can cause -they have a sophisticated filtering system, a cutting down next week system and if that fails, a it never did my gran any harm and she lived until 96 system. Amongst other wonderful systems I can't even guess at.

[j_menz]

Just remembered - Liszt smoked. 'nuff said. 

[costicina]

I'm thinking to quit... but it is damned hard!!!!   
But no, my hands don't shake for smoking, at least I don't think so.. or they do?   

You have instilled in me the worm of doubt 

[flyinfingers]

I do not smoke and never have. I am trying to rid myself of an addiction to diet Pepsi and that is hard enough! Can't imagine quitting smoking. I admire anyone who has done it.

I think ingesting nutrasweet ranks right up there with nicotine.  It would be in your best interest to rid your body of probably the greatest toxin put in food along with nitrates!
Years ago, my husband was having bad headaches and we couldn't figure out why for a long time.  Turns out, it's from nutrasweet, aspartame, sucralose, etc.  We were drinking crystal light -- POISON!
There's a reason why it's addicting!  My brother was having joint pain, quit the diet coke and it was gone!
Personally, I mostly only drink water and now I'm on a coconut water kick, but really don't like the taste.  Oh, or water with two tablespoons of chlorophyl every morning goes down real easy.
Try some coconut water!

[fleetfingers]

I did recently try coconut water. Yuk! My sister handed me some and said, "It kinda tastes like spinach." So, of course, it tasted like spinach to me and, needless to say, was not to my liking. It's supposed to be very good for you, though, so way to go.

As for the diet pepsi, I only started drinking it about two years ago. Like you, I have always been a big water drinker. Somehow, I ended up drinking soda occasionally, then every day . . . then 2 cans a day, then 3. I started to get headaches until I would drink some. And I read that it was the aspartame, not the caffeine that I was addicted to.

I have not bought soda at the grocery store for 2 weeks! I get a 32oz. sometimes when I'm out, and actually have been getting the regular kind (not diet) with all the real sugar (apologies to my waistline). But this is only once or twice a week, compared to 2-3 cans a day. Hopefully, the habit can be gone for good; but I fear that I may never be completely cured. Like alcoholics that relapse and struggle their whole lives. I should have never started.    I have quit and started again several times this past year.

[costicina]

...I lead an exemplary life: healty food, a lot of gym, no alchool (sigh!  )...Only sex and cigarettes ....  I'm afraid that some resarcher will find soon that sex too is dangerous for our health. But as we say in Italy, what's the point to live like a ill person to die like a healty one? 

[emill]

hello Margh ....

May I suggest a better exemplary life:  healthy food (more vegetables, fruits and fish), just enough gym (NOT a LOT of gym), a little alcohol (there is such a thing as healthy drinking ) LOTS of SEX, and absolutely NO Cigarrettes!!

Good Luck!!!!

[iratior]

This brings back an amusing memory.  When I had a music theory course in college, the professor chain-smoked so much, he would try to play the piano and hold a cigarette between a couple fingers at the same time!  Sometimes he miscalculated and burned the keys!

[musicus15]

I am one who partakes of this "filthy habit" - sometimes a pipe, sometimes a cigar, although not while playing the piano. I always try to find the optimum times for this, such that it will help me to relax and clear away all tensions and fears. And never around people who find it objectionable.

I don't know why, but I have yet to meet a classical piano student or teacher that smokes -I certainly don't! Disgusting habit.

For some reason it seems compulsory for rock and roll and jazz pianists to smoke -though not all do of course -

So who amongst us partake of this filthy habit?

[musicus15]

I'm totally with you on this. Cigars and pipes. They help me relax like nothing else.
Many famous pianists smoked.

I smoke  I love the aroma of tobacco.  I switched from Virginia blond, mild tobacco to a brand that is flavoured with menthol.   Maybe one day I'll smoke a pipe, there is a huge variety of pipe tobacco's that smell absolutely wonderful.  Don't mind me for smoking.  Sometimes, when people combine smoking and drinking a good whiskey or some brown rhum, or even a beer, I like the way their breath smell.  I also like the scent of the fur of dogs, or the scent of the fur of my cats when they come back from their walk, there is some animality, adventure, mystery  in all this perfumes.   I like my croissant the day after.  Or a slice of bread that is a few days old, with some Gouda Present and butter.  I'm drifting off...

[musicus15]

Smoking cigars has never made my hands shake, but it might be a nice symptom if it helps me play Ravel's Ondine.

I heard that smoking (in general) makes your hands shake a bit on their own after a while due to poor blood circulation. To the smokers out there, is that true? Wouldn't that be ironic if your a pianist that smokes then?

[musicus15]

Excellent thoughts! BTW, how do you say in Italian your question? I want to tell it to an Italian friend of mine. Thanks.

...I lead an exemplary life: healty food, a lot of gym, no alchool (sigh!  :'()...Only sex and cigarettes ....  I'm afraid that some resarcher will find soon that sex too is dangerous for our health. But as we say in Italy, what's the point to live like a ill person to die like a healty one? 

[dogperson]

Excellent thoughts! BTW, how do you say in Italian your question? I want to tell it to an Italian friend of mine. Thanks.

Musicus
You are replying to posts from 2012.  Don’t expect replies

[musicus15]

You are correct, I didn't expect a reply.

Musicus
You are replying to posts from 2012.  Don’t expect replies

[anacrusis]

You are correct, I didn't expect a reply.

Then why bump an old thread? No point in just adding a random comment if you are not looking to revive the topic.

[dogperson]

Then why bump an old thread? No point in just adding a random comment if you are not looking to revive the topic.

He posted this in one of his thread resurrections:

Excellent thoughts! BTW, how do you say in Italian your question? I want to tell it to an Italian friend of mine. Thanks

He was either looking for a reply or just wanted to practice his typing skills.

[musicus15]

Fine - I see your point.

Then why bump an old thread? No point in just adding a random comment if you are not looking to revive the topic.

[ijackr]

I did for over 5 years ago, but quitted

[julill]

I cannot imagine how is it possible to smoke and play great music both hands at the same time. It's risky because of a fire... so these two things are cannot go together, as for me