Does playing a wind instrument make CPAP adjustment easier?

Mad Dad · Post by **Mad Dad** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:38 am

How interesting. This is my first time to visit this site as I was researching various cpap masks and I come across drum corps fans.

I am a drum corps nut as well. My son aged out last year with the Madison Scouts...which have always been my favorite corps.

However, Telly, the SCV are certainly in my all time top 5. Their Phantom of the Opera shows are among my favorites. Were you in during any of the Bottle Dance years? SCV won the very first show I ever attended in Richmond, Ky in 1974.

Great to meet other fans.

I am a drummer so I don't know about the relationship to wind players from direct experience, but I would have to think it would help the situation.

Now concerning masks...have any of you heard anything concerning the CPAP Pro system that has a mouthpiece you insert between your teeth and does not require straps and head gear?

Mad Dad · Post by **Mad Dad** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:49 am

Telly...I should have watched you SCV YouTube link first. Obviously you were in during one of the Bottle Dance years.

AWESOME

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:24 am

WOW!!

I've probably seen both Mary's brother and Telly on the DCI finals. Both the Vanguard and Scouts are top-notch competitors.

Never having played a wind instrument OR a drum, I've always been impressed with the performance precision and musical quality. I was a dancer, and played violin, so found the public television coverage of the finals a must-see.

I am also a singer, having been a Sweet Adeline for over 20 years. My chorus was fortunate enough to have competed at the international contest three times. THAT would be another show for PBS to cover--it is totally amazing to see the finalists from the chorus competition. The Sweet Adelines are definitely NOT dressed in the 1920's Gibson Girl type outfits, and the choreography done while singing is equally impressive to the DCI groups.

Link to 2007 Sweet Adelines International Chorus Finals (Webcast Version)

If you will click on the Rich-Tones link, you will be able to see and hear the Champion chorus’s performance package. As a totally amateur organization, IMHO the quality is impressive. EVERYTHING is sung a capella (no instruments) from memory and in close harmony.

Should you decide to visit, you will get a feel for the fun I experienced as a member of my chorus’ front row! It was a LOT of extra work, too--but TOTALLY worthwhile! All of the front row participants would agree, IMHO.

For sound, here is a link to the quartet that won last year in Detroit. They have songs with better sound quality, and sing well, too!

Link to the 2006 Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champion “Spotlight”

I don't know if singing IS a positive in xPAP treatment, but certainly any breath control activity has to make one more aware of breathing. I should suspect that the neural pathways may be a bit more developed from such activity. Any advantage derived probably would be most beneficial as long as we have continued to use the skills and control learned.

Thanks for the interesting links, Telly. I very much enjoyed them.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:45 am

I was thinking more along the lines of straight up diaphram strength. You just wouldn't be as bothered by the pressure I'd imagine. I wasn't.

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:07 am

Singing well requires diaphragm strength and control, as well as using proper vocal techniques and diction.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:07 pm

birdshell wrote:Singing well requires diaphragm strength and control, as well as using proper vocal techniques and diction.

I'm sure it does. I can't sing worth beans. I consider vocal cords to be a wind instrument.

telly · Post by **telly** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:16 pm

Mad Dad wrote:Telly...I should have watched you SCV YouTube link first. Obviously you were in during one of the Bottle Dance years.

AWESOME

Not only that MadDad. We were playing The Finale to Tchaikovsky's 4th as our closer all the way up to finals. Our director had decided to pull out the bottle dance as a "surprise" only for DCI Finals.

We practiced into pillows in our hotel rooms. We only practiced the drill in public once. The crowd was buzzing as the rumor was traveling around the stadium, "Will SCV pull out their signature "Bottle Dance"?

All of a sudden, the drums kick in and we play the lead in to the song. The guard steps up and

THE CROWD GOES BALLISTIC! In my whole life, I have never experienced such a roar. I could not hear my own horn, nor any horn near me. But believe me, I was pumpin' Quadruple Forte FFFF white hot heat.

Unfortunately, that video doesn't exactly do the moment justice. Only the 3rd sopranos (trumpets) are heard as they are pointed into the mics. The picture is pretty grainy too.

But I will probably spend the rest of my life chasing down the feeling of that moment. You can't bottle things like playing the "Fiddler on the Roof's, Bottle Dance" to a crowd of 30,000, every one of them cheering for you. That blew my mind.

The mystique of "Bottle Dance" is that SCV won many national championships with that show stopping ending.

telly · Post by **telly** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:33 pm

The Anaheim Kingsmen in their heyday - 1974

Heh heh. All this talk has me talking to old friends in the drum corps world. Turns out that DCI championships are gonna be at the Rose Bowl and the host corps will be the Anaheim Kingsmen Alumni Corps.

Get this. I have been asked to join up to perform at DCI Prelims with a 200 member hornline (usually there are 60 or 70 horns in corps like Madison or SCV). It's gonna be louder than a jet airplane. I have not marched or played in 25 years and will have to get my chops back in shape, but I just might do it. It's a huge time commitment, and the cadet uniform is $400, but it's a chance to recapture the ol' youth and to get my chops back.

I think it's TOTALLY geeky, but kinda cool.

In the early 70's the Kingsmen won the first DCI crown and were in existence long before SCV and were always champions. They are a class corps, but died a horrible death in the 1980's.

I kinda feel honored.
And who says that once you pass age 21 that you shouldn't do something you love.

God Bless Senior Corps.
http://www.xkingsmen.com/

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:56 pm

Telly, you have really described well the feeling of doing the plan, and doing it well, when performing. Those kinds of performances are the fabric of which heaven must be woven.

My chorus was so fortunate to experience that many times, and there is NO aging-out in Sweet Adelines. In fact, one of the nicest aspects of the barbershop world is the family participation, from teens up to ??

I personally hope that you will DEFINITELY participate as an alumnus, as there is no age limit to the feeling. The teamwork, the thrill of the crowd screaming and applauding--it cannot be beaten, IMO.

Personally, I was very thrilled to attend a performance of "Blast" and see quite a few DCI aged-out musicians and dancers enjoying their continuing careers.

Please keep us posted!

telly · Post by **telly** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:21 am

birdshell wrote:There is no age limit to the feeling.

No truer words were spoken.

As you can see by my avatar, I am now offically a member of the Kingsmen Alumni Corps. The chops are not quite there, but the heart is willing. Give me 3 or 4 rehearsals and a bit of daily warmups and I'll be at around 80% of my 16 year old self, which would do the job. By June, I hope to be just as good.

Today the corps performed with around 100 brass horns in front of the NAMM convention, which is HUGE. It rattled the windows opposite the Convention Center. KILLER. "Mambo" smoked!

After that, we rehearsed. Tomorrow, more rehearsal, next weekend, etc. etc. Repeat until August. No vacation this year. All taken up with recapturing a feeling of playing in front of 30,000 screaming fans at the Rose Bowl.

Why not?

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:03 pm

Awesome, Telly. That is truly the BEST--who says one cannot go home again?

Chops will return, but nothing like motivation in the NAMM performance, hey? It reminds me of the thrill at a parade as a small child, when my chest would reverberate with the bass drums and the music would play. I suppose one never loses that.

BUT--what do you mean, no vacation? This will probably do more for you than MANY vacations. Change of pace, exercise, comraderie, FUN...sounds idyllic to me.

Keep us posted, and I hope it helps with the xPAP treatment.

Best wishes,
Karen

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:26 pm

I think living in Oklahoma qualifies as playing a wind instrument. When out walking into this wind we have here is way harder than breathing against my c-flex set at 1.

JeffH...LOL

telly · Post by **telly** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:20 am

birdshell wrote:Awesome, Telly. That is truly the BEST--who says one cannot go home again?

So true. It was a lot of fun this weekend (Fri. Night, Sat. all day, Corps Party Sat. Night, Sun., all day–whew). I did my best but I'm really sore from doing those old school high mark times. It's been 27 years! The back of my legs are killing me. But I got sun, forgot about my problems and we finished learning two drills: opener and drum solo which is SO cool. It's "George of the Jungle" and starts off on the tympiani

BUM BUM BUM BUM de duh de BUM GEORGE GEORGE...well, you know.

Chops will return, but nothing like motivation in the NAMM performance,

Hey, I actually played some notes today, so HOPE IS STILL ALIVE. My breath supoort needs work, but I hope to be playing my parts by next Tues. 10 days of gradual reintroduction and lip slur exercises will get me back baby!

Oh man, at NAMM they cranked it up a notch from the previous night's rehearsal. All the OOT (out of towners) were in. You gotta be out in front to feel the full impact of around 100 horns and 40 some odd drums, which I was (did not/could not play/did not know music yet). 50 year old moms flingin' their rifles up in the air–catching them perfectly. Awesome.

If you didn't know, NAMM is a mostly for rock musicians, so it was funny to see all these Marilyn Manson types get blasted in the fact with pure old school drum corps and delivered by old dudes (and dudettes).

hey? It reminds me of the thrill at a parade as a small child, when my chest would reverberate with the bass drums and the music would play. I suppose one never loses that.

Oh most definitely, I love that too. We got 6 pitched bass drums that play this really cool patterns, which have a melodic quality. It's neat. Hey, and we are marching tymps, xlos and marimba. Old school baby. They don't do stuff like that now. The kids are smarter today, they just place them on the front sideline.

SISSIES!

BUT--what do you mean, no vacation? This will probably do more for you than MANY vacations. Change of pace, exercise, comraderie, FUN...sounds idyllic to me.

I'm sure it will go by fast, but I still want to run away to some exotic locale. I have not had a trip in 1 1/2 years....and that's outta character for me.

Keep us posted, and I hope it helps with the xPAP treatment.

Oh, I think i will. I am gonna lose weight as it takes a lot of energy to blow through a baritone while your playing at FFFF while doing a high mark time. So that will help. Another thinig is that my neck will get smaller and more muscular. I'm sure this will all be benefits. Plus all the "good feelin's vibes" you get from playing music, especially with other people.

Gotta get that software now so I can do some benchmarks.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:42 am

Ok, I really must say this.

If you ever need a bagpiper, let me know.

*bows out*

telly · Post by **telly** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:43 pm

blarg wrote:Ok, I really must say this.

If you ever need a bagpiper, let me know.

*bows out*

Hmm. Maybe "The Kilties" would have you?

Video is Here>>>

Oh, that's right. You live in OR, nowhere near Racine, WI. .

Does playing a wind instrument make CPAP adjustment easier?

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Re: SCV

Telly in the Kingsmen?

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