 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tan_mx
Date: 2003-07-03 09:34
hello.... I'm a member of a symphonic band in Singapore and I have a junior that has been playing the alto clarinet for the past 6 months. She's been suffering from flaky lips ever since she started playing the alto and I think this is not a good sign. She doesn't treat or cure her reed before playing, and simply plays on the reed the moment she gets it. She uses a size 3 vandoren alto clarinet reed and the problem is not medical. Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-07-03 12:46
"The problem is not medical" might mean that it has not been accurately diagnosed. IMO the unprepared reed is unlikely to be a factor unless this person has an allergy of some kind; i.e., she is not the only woodwind player who plays unprepared reeds and flaky lips have not had much discussion on this BB, I believe.
I suggest that you get her to play a plastic reed for a few weeks to see if it makes any difference and write again to share your experience.
Hans
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-07-03 16:45
Here's a guess from a Mom (meaning that we get to see all kinds of crazy physical conditions that aren't mentioned in medical journals) - This is probably something quite simple. The dryness of the reeds that just come out of the box could be aggravating a pre-existing condition, simple dry lips. My suggestion would be to think of lip care more often. While brushing teeth make sure the lips are rinsed well and wiped dry, then a lip balm applied. A well-known cosmetics company sells an expensive lip mask to remove dead skin, like the facial masks out there, but simple use of a cloth while washing can accomplish the very same thing for zero cost. Eating and drinking can remove any lip conditioner, so it needs to be reapplied fairly often. Remove any residues of lip balm before playing so that it doesn't get absorbed into the reed, then apply it again after playing.
It could be an allergy to the reed, but you'd think that the allergy would extend to the tongue and inside of the mouth...
Hope this is something simple.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-07-03 20:40
An unprepared reed is a bit rougher on the side that the bottom lip touches than one that's been broken in . . . Either a light sanding or switching to a smooth synthetic reed as previously mentioned might do the trick.
Also, to add to Brenda's suggestion about lip balm, I've found that a good fragrance-free moisturizer applied to the lips then sealed in with lip balm seems to work the best.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-07-04 03:57
It can also be caused by pollution in the air. I spent a number of years on and off playing in an industrial city with a steel works nearby. I noticed that for the first few days of playing in this town I suffered flaky lips. It cleared up when I got used to it and when I returned home. If it doesn't effect the playing I wouldn't worry. Don't put lip cream of any sort on while playing. It goes all through the instrument and out into the keywork. I don't think it is life threatening.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2003-07-05 00:30
I have a similar problem and have always suspected that it was due to clarinet reeds because I only ever have problems on my lower lip. I don't know if you can get it in Singapore but the best solution I've found is frequent use of Chapstick Overnight lip cream. Plain old Vaseline works fairly well also. But, as Mark said, don't mix cream and playing!
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-07-05 02:52
I forgot to mention that I always wipe off any lip balm before playing! (Thanks to the above posts for mentioning it!) I've found that keeping a pack of tissues in the case makes for an easy way to wipe off the balm w/o getting everywhere.
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