 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mohammeddisto
Date: 2003-06-10 03:04
i'm thinking of getting braces...i'm not worried about having trouble playing with my braces, since it will only be for a year or so...but what about afterwards? will the new shape of my oral cavity affect my tone?
are there any players with great sounds that end up sounding average after orthodontic treatment?
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Author: Dawne
Date: 2003-06-10 13:05
There is no way to predict how the braces may affect your playing when they are on or afterward. When I was in high school, I was faced with this decision also...whether or not to get braces. I thought the sacrifice would be too much if I lost my tone. So, I opted to keep my crooked teeth. As an adult, I faced the same dilemma...and I made the same decision. Maybe you can wait until you are an adult, and then get your teeth straightened if the clarinet is not a big part of your life at that point.
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Author: CNB4Now
Date: 2003-06-10 14:16
Well... Everyone is different. But I had braces for 2 years. And at first it was hard... because when you go and get them tightened they hurt and sometimes you don't want to play. But I managed... because you get use to it. After I got mine off it was a little weird at first... but I never lost my tone or anything. If you decide to get braces... just remember to not get discouraged... I mean sometimes it hurts... and that's just the braces... sometimes it even hurts to eat! So... that is your decision to make! And I hope you the best in whatever that decision is!
C. N. B.
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-06-10 14:23
Judging from pictures of Artie Shaw, he had straight teeth. He also had excellent tone. Unless your tone is exceptional and somehow unique, IMHO you would be better off to get the braces, since I understand that crooked teeth can lead to health problems eventually.
Hans
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-06-10 14:34
Hans says it well. I have quite "crooked-crowded" teeth, and grew up before orthodonture was common [was VERY expensive!]. I'm sure it has diminished my playing, and my dentist has profited from my problems, but am still playing in my 80's. Recommend orthodonture. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-06-10 14:50
This is an area that would seem to be impossible to study or predict. As a kid I had slightly overlapping front teeth and I played all through school that way with (they say) exceptionally good tone. Years later I got an upper denture and play with it today with even better tone. Shortly I'm getting lower implants and it'l be interesting to see what happens. One's mouth cavity would seem to affect tone just as mouthpiece cavities do, theoretically.
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Author: Ron Jr.
Date: 2003-06-10 21:35
I've had my braces now for seven months and it does take getting used to playing with them. If you have a severe overbite then they won't put on the bottom ones for a couple of months until the top teeth have enough clearance so they don't scrape away the bottom braces.
If you're paying for lessons during this time I would suggest that you stop them. While you have braces you can't really focus on the finer aspects of tone quality. The point is that you won't sound as good as you did before (lots of errant squeeks and mouth fatigue.) I feel better about working on the basics during this time; a steady diet of scales, arppeggios and rose etudes, because when I get them off I know I want to play Mozart, Brahms and the others. And paying a teacher to listen to you squeek while playing arppeggios and scales is cruel.
Some people may argue that you sound just the same with braces as without. I don't agree. The metal clamps are always moving, the teeth are always in some degree of pain and the confidence that the note will come out is completely lost. I have tapes of myself before braces and a tape of myself with braces and decrease in tone quality is noticeable. If you hear someone say: "I sound exactly as I did before!" I would question his or her perception of tonal quality.
During this time you may want to try the old mouthpieces you used to play on. Sometimes you sound better on a former mouthpiece than your current mouthpiece.
Also, quite simply you won't be able to practice as much. After they tighten the braces the teeth are so tender that chewing an over-ripe banana is unbearable. I used to play clarinet every free moment I had. Something really important or special would have to show up on my schedule before I would consider not playing. Now I spend the days after a tightening solving chess problems.
All that being said, I do have confidence that my mouth will be tougher and that my sound will be better once they are off. My gums are already tougher and, because I can't put too much pressure on my teeth, my embouchure is stronger. My lower teeth were so crooked that they overlapped and created a large surface area for the reed to vibrate on. I assume that once they're straightened that there will be a nice precise edge for the reed to vibrate against. I would not have done it if I thought that it would ruin my sound.
Good luck.
Ron Jr.
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-06-11 00:22
My only advice is to seek advice from a dental/orthodontal professional ... not a bulletin board.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2003-06-12 13:04
Perhaps because I had very crooked teeth I learned to play with a double lip embouchure. I tripped over and broke my front teeth a couple of years ago, so I now have perfectly straight impants. But I still play double lip.
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-06-12 14:30
beejay,
I was wondering if replacing your front teeth with implants had any effect on your tone.
Hans
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