 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-01-25 01:52
My inside lower lip was getting painful - as others have mentioned - but I found very succesful material for protection - the sort of (artificial) cellulose (I guess) sponge that craft people use to make decorations, decorative ink stampers, and the like. Grey, but the color hardly matters (unless you are color coordinating with your shoe-string ligature) , about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. I cut a little 1 inch (oops, sorry, international folks - 2.54 cm.) square piece and stuck it in front. It overlapped the top of the teeth by just a little bit and didn't get in the way of my tongue at all. And it was resilient, but soft, so I hardly noticed it after just a few moments. And no pain.
But the remarkable (to me) bonus was that C above the staff, C6, I suppose it is, didn't play flat any more! And the notes above, such as I can get to, also. It didn't feel like I was doing anything different but I was sure enough spot on, measured with a Korg tuner. Even a little sharp, which is good 'cause I can control that by pulling the barrel, relaxing, etc.
Has anybody else noted such an "instant fix" to getting in tune? Or is this just my personal bonus?
JDS
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-25 02:24
I also, after using something on my lower teeth, found it easier to hit those higher notes. Don't know why. I guess I'm not afraid to apply a little more pressure on the reed now. Thats' my best guess. But then again, I'm not too worried on WHY it works, but I'm feeling mighty good that it DOES work.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2005-01-27 23:46
John, what brand name is this or what it is called exactly? I think I know what you are talking about but I'm not really sure.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-01-28 05:25
It facilitates the ability to pinch. Proper support, correct reed strength and a set up that works for you is the best option first.
What happens when a barrier is used is that it is far easier to apply too much pressure thus pinching the reed as the lip can't feel the pressure as much due to the added protection. So what you get in comfort, you give up in sensitivity.
I used a teeth cover all through high school and then Gigliotti broke me of it. Your reeds will last longer without pinching if you are prone to doing that too.
Mind you that there are different views on it and a comfortable lip is better than a bloody lip 
Post Edited (2005-01-28 05:30)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-28 05:31
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> It facilitates the ability to pinch.
>
I believe that that's EXACTLY what it is.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2005-01-28 07:38
i believe that when you have lip problems, most of the time you have an embouchure problem (except for a few people with a very sensitive skin - you should be able to play for hours without too much problems )
I nearly always see lip problems when people do not apply a correct embouchure ( and correct is not meant as : only this way , because it can vary in function of your physical "layout" )
I did play for nearly twenty years with reed strenghts 2 (gave me some problems starting on high g in altissimo , but interesting when playing klezmer music ) and later I switched to nr3 . Difficult in the beginning , embouchure adaptation and indeed soar lips . After two months all those problems were gone.
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-01-28 11:45
Carol D:
Next time I'm in a craft store I'll look to see what it is called. (I found the piece I am using in my wife's craft supplies drawer. She just said it was "foam".)
It may also be sold as back mounting or padding for framing pictures.
JDS
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-01-28 14:21
I was trying to not be offensive yet still make a point.
But yes, ideally you don't want to be in a position where you are bitting while playing. It wears out not only your lip, but the reed also.
Some players take a really hard reed and use high pressure to get a sound. Others use a reed which is more of a medium strength and don't use as much pressure to play - both players have fine pitch (no problems with pitch).
A player in either category will not sound good at all changing to the other without making major adjustments - hard reed player won't probably even be able to make a sound on the lighter reed and the lighter reed player will sound like they are playing on a brick if trying the other system.
So it comes down to what works for you. However, the hard reed system is a lot worse for the gums as it is high pressure playing.
Post Edited (2005-01-28 14:42)
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