Klarinet Archive - Posting 000352.txt from 1996/05

From: Karl Krelove <KClarinet@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: involuntary air leak
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 22:04:25 -0400

>I have a student who is losing control of the air , in
>that air is involuntarily escaping from her nose while she is
>playing. This happens after about 45 min. or so of practising. This
>same student is also asthmatic, although this has not been a problem
>while playing.

I have had exactly the same problem from time to time. It tends to happen
to me during the summer, when I am playing less regularly, but also when my
allergies are more active. There is a definite relationship for me between
post-nasal drip activity, which seems to interfere with my glottis's ability
to seal off my nostrils, and this kind of air leaking. It's very frustrating
when it happens, because once the air leak starts, there isn't much I can do
to stop it. When I feel the problem beginning to develop and I must keep
playing (like during a performance), I switch to the least resistant reed I
have (it still has to respond and play in tune) and simply don't play
anything but the exposed passages. I have found that having a glass of
something (of course non-alcoholic on the job) with me on the stand (if the
situation is informal enough to allow it - like club work or rehearsals) and
sipping it regularly keeps the mucuos from building up and I can play much
longer without a problem (well, without this problem, anyway). I have used
antihistimines when the drip seemed worst to try to prevent the problem from
developing, and it seems to help a great deal, but of course you need to use
a non-drowsy one like Seldane or Hismanol, which are prescription drugs. The
over-the-counter ones may stop the air leak, but the snoring that results may
drown out the rest of the orchestra. Of course an asthmatic who is already
using any kind of meds should check with a doctor before downing anything
else.
I don't know if any of this will help, but it's a problem I sympathize
with. It's a pretty helpless feeling to be in the middle of something (like a
performance) and suddenly be so out of control.