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(2 votes) 
Regulars
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This seems rather weird, but...
Often I notice that I experience nasal discharge when playing my fiddle. I have no idea how this happens, but it does seem to occur quite regularly. I frequently find myself keeping a handkerchief or kleenex handy, and sometimes I even need to stop in the middle of a song so I don’t dribble on my wonderful instrument. That is truly aggravating.
It could be allergy, of course. I live in Florida where something’s always blooming and there’s often wind to keep things stirred up. But it happens regardless of the weather. For some reason playing fiddle seems to trigger the drip even when I have not been outdoors.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Researching the all-knowing internet, I have found all sorts of physical problems caused by playing the fiddle -- we all know it’s tough. But I have not found anything that suggests that the fiddle is connected to the nasal passages!
Anyway, I’ll appreciate any comments, even if you think I’m nuts.
Regards to all.
Strabo
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If this isnt a joke, I would assume its something to do with an allergy to the rosin you are using.
Cant beat a sunny day
Regulars
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Not unusual, at least for me. I tend to sneeze a few times just after starting to practice. After sneezing and blowing my nose, it goes away.
I'm assuming rosin dust is the culprit. For you, I'd suggest blowing your nose early on in the session and see if that changes anything.
Regulars
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Just a thought, a vibrating box that you hold with your head and some mucous in the sinus cavity
Sounds like a recipe for some flowage to me.
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
Regulars
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In addition to possible rosin or banjo allergies, one's breathing rhythms tend to alter when one is playing music, and that might be contributing? And I don't want to imply that the OP is a mouth-breather, lol, but that too - if you breathe more through your nose than usual when playing the fiddle?
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
Regulars
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Thanks for your comments.
No, this is unfortunately not a joke. The nasal discharge makes practicing definitely more challenging.
I had not considered that rosin dust might be the cause, but that seems like a plausible explanation. I researched "hypoallergenic violin rosin” and discovered that I am not alone: https://maestronet.com/forum/i.....-rosin/.
So I have followed the maestronet guidance and ordered a block of Geisel hypoallergenic rosin. Geisel is a German outfit that makes no fewer than 17 types of rosin!
In the meantime, I’ll give my strings and bow hairs a good cleaning and play with the least rosin necessary to make reasonable tone.
Anyway, I guess that the fiddle is indeed connected to the nose! The vector is the rosin dust.
Again, thanks!
Strabo
Regulars
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Here’s a follow-up report: I purchased a block of Geipel hypoallergenic rosin. It does not grab the strings quite as well as my previous rosin (Gatchell) but I think I’ll get used to it.
More importantly, it does not seem to irritate the membranes in my nose so I can look forward to playing without interruption.
One more problem solved. Now for the next one...
Regulars
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@Strabo -
Thanks for sharing that info!
I had not heard of either of those rosins before, but glad to know there's another hypoallergenic rosin available.
Rosin can cause Contact Dermatitis - many people have problems with it. It's an inflammation caused by 1 of 2 kinds of substances, an irritant or an allergen - both kinds are bad for our lungs.
According to the Contact Dermatitis Institute Allergen Database, Colophony is the culprit.
Besides rosin, it is recommended to avoid products that list any of these ingredients:
• Colophony
• Abietic alcohol
• Abietyl alcohol
• Methyl abietate alcohol
• Disproportionated rosin
• Colophonium
• Rosin gum
• Tall oil
• Abietic acid
The list of products we come in contact with, on a daily basis, that might contain Colophony - is remarkable!
For more info: https://www.contactdermatitisi.....ophony.php
...even though I use the least amount of rosin possible, I can see where it might be adding to some of my health issues.
- Emily
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Alergic to rosin makes sense to me. Try whipping your bow outside carefully so that you don't hit anything with the bow to get excess rosin off every time you rosin the bow. Also, wipe the strings off more often with a good microfiber cloth and be careful not to move that rag around too much afterwards.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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