The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Richie
Date: 2017-03-21 04:49
So recently I have noticed that the muscle that's under my tongue has been getting sore about halfway to the end of my playing sessions. I have been playing a bit more lately, with one hour rehearsals during the day and one and a half to two hour practice sessions. Could this be something I am experiencing from playing a while or is there something I could be doing wrong?
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2017-03-22 21:06
Hi Richie,
I wouldn't rule out something medically-related (perhaps see a doctor?)
I've never had any such pain in all my years of playing...three hours of playing per day is pretty light compared to some.
Fuzzy
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-03-22 21:54
Was it a sudden change in the amount rehearsal hours? Cause if I decided to run marathons every other day without working up to it, my legs would be very sore. But if I worked up to it, they might not be as sore. And the tongue is a muscle. A sudden change could account for it just being sore (most people don't realize even a muscle as small as a tongue or finger can get sore if you suddenly switched to longer, harder work sessions).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-03-22 22:05
Of all the areas I would think might feel sore or tired after a couple of hours of practice, that's not one. That muscle is in more or less constant use whether you're talking or playing clarinet. It's possible that you're working too hard when you articulate.
There is ankyloglossia (tongue-tied) as a possible consideration, although that doesn't actually have to do with the muscle itself. I guess in a mild case the muscle might need to work harder to make the tongue reach the reed, while not causing any other obvious symptoms. But that seems a little exotic.
Best to check out your own mechanics to make sure you aren't adding serious tension when you tongue and that you aren't contorting your tongue in any way to conform to some description of correct technique you read somewhere. If that doesn't help, I'd agree with fuzzy and suggest you have, first, your own primary care physician look at it and then, maybe, if it persists, a specialist.
Karl
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Author: Richie
Date: 2017-03-23 01:50
After much experimenting, I figured out that the past few weeks I wasn't taking enough mouthpiece into my mouth as I used too (seems like a pretty simple mistake but I guess I just got careless). This in turn affected my tongue position which had a dip in the middle, almost like a bowl. I figured all of this out yesterday, and since then I haven't been experiencing this. Seems like I've found the likely solution, what do you all think?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-03-23 02:24
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If the pain is gone, assume the problem is solved unless the pain comes back.
Karl
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Author: Richie
Date: 2017-03-23 02:43
Alright I appreciate all the help, I supposed I'll back here if the pain returns and possibly my physician.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-03-23 02:56
Glad you figured it out! Keep on playin'!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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