Klarinet Archive - Posting 000532.txt from 1995/04

From: Lorne G Buick - Music TA <lgbuick@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Something from my dentist
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 10:03:55 -0400

On Thu, 27 Apr 1995, Steve Kobb wrote:

> After many years of neglecting my clarinet, I'm starting to get back into it.
>
> Naturally, my embouchure is weak and my lower lip hurts like hell after a
> few minutes of playing. I started to think about something I did back in
> high school band. I would chew up some paper and create sort of a cap for
> my lower teeth, so they wouldn't cut so deeply into my lip.
>
> Recently, I asked my dentist to create a little plastic devise that does the
> same thing, only it presumably would last longer than a chewed up wad of
> paper. After thinking about this for a while, several questions occurred to
me:
>
> * Does anyone else have any experience with a protective appliance like
> this? Does it work? Was it worth the money to get it made?

Greetings, glad to hear you're getting back to the clarinet. I did have a
tooth cover made for me out of acrylic once and it ended up much too
thick, so it disrupted my embouchure too much. If you do go this route
make sure the material is such that it can be very thin and still be stable.
But I don't recommend it- see below...
>
> * Maybe my premise is all wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be clamping down so hard
> on the mouthpiece. Maybe if I had a different reed strength and mouthpiece,
> I wouldn't be in the market for something to cover my teeth. Is that right?

Maybe... you do need to spend a lot of time building up strength in your
embouchure and making sure you're not biting (ie using the lip muscles to
apply pressure to the reed, not the jaw muscles). Changing reeds and/or
mouthpiece might help, or maybe not.

What I do recommend is some stuff called (I think) Lip-Eze, made by
Charles Bay- it's a sort of heavy wax paper, which you fold up and put
over the teeth just like ordinary paper. I use it all the time, it holds
its shape and lasts for months (long enough that I end up having to use
peroxide to clean/ disinfect it!) and costs next to nothing. It may be
available at your local music store, or I'll find his address for you if
you need it.

Here's to less pain and more fun in music-making.... lgb