 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-06 01:07
i am new to the clarinet and i get really sore lips, they crack and dry up every time i play, is this normal? and want can i do to help it? if anyone can give me any tip as well i would be greatly appreciate it.
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Author: dtiegs
Date: 2011-04-06 01:42
I got over it in like 4 months... but used chapstick after ever use, and never before playing it... It messed up my embouchure. In my experience the reed is what causes it... I started filing it and it change the sound of my instrument so i stopped.
Other than that, I just pushed on because I thought it was normal... and I started taking private lessons and developed my embouchure and it got back to normal
Cheers,
Dalton
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-06 01:50
i use chap stick and it hasn't seemed t help much. I've been playing the clairent for about 6 months now and my lips are dryer then ever, but they are strating to heal. this may sound like a stupid question but what is embouchure?
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Author: salsacookies
Date: 2011-04-06 02:37
Embouchure is the way your mouth forms around/on the mouthpiece/reed to get the sound. it's different for every instrument and even for what notes you're playing.
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Author: oldschoolCANON
Date: 2011-04-06 06:14
Don't give up! I'm a music education major and have been playing the clarinet for eleven years and sometimes my chops still get a little chapped, especially after a weekend of heavy-duty playing on my bass clarinet. I use Burt's Bees chapstick after playing; it works the best in my opinion. Just don't put it on before playing, because then the chapstick will get in your reed and affect your tone. Also, there's this over-night lip treatment you can buy. It's like a super-moisturizing chapstick that you put on at bedtime. I can't remember what it's called, but it should be at your local drug store or anywhere that sells cosmetics.
You can also try practicing in shorter, more frequent sessions instead of longer, spaced out sessions. That way, you aren't working your lips to the point of cracking and therefore are able to make more progress.
And another thing, what reeds are you using, and what size? I know you've only been playing for a few months, so your embouchure isn't built up yet, but you may be overcompensating somewhere. If it's too hard or too soft, it's bad, and you risk creating "bad habits" in your embouchure. Your embouchure is the shape your mouth makes around the mouthpiece, but also the way your lip muscles work together to support the reed. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you might be "biting" too much with your lower lip, and not have enough support in the corners of your mouth.
Lastly, if you don't already receive lessons, I would recommend doing so. Any music store should offer lessons. Even music professors sometimes offer lessons to people outside their universities. I know mine do. Call around and see what your options are. I hope this helped. Good luck, and happy playing! :D
- Ashley
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Author: kimber
Date: 2011-04-06 13:48
Try Chopsaver - created for musicians and doesn't gunk reeds. I tried it last year and really liked it.
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2011-04-06 13:49
I would recommend that perhaps you try Chop Saver, which unlike ChapStick, is an all-natural product with several different oils as well as vitamin E. I am never, ever without it and it really does help, especially in the horribly dry New York winters.
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2011-04-06 15:32
Pretty much every music store everywhere...or you can order it from any of the online retailers.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-04-06 15:39
You could also try using Blistex but using it throughout the day. It comes in tubes and you can carry it around and put it one every hour or so. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-06 21:59
thank you,
i have tryed blistex but it doesn't work well for me, i have started useing a chapstick that has aloe in it and it has helped a little. i have been useing a 3mm reed, that my school music teach has gaven me, and that is all i know about my reed. i think my emboucher in not ever good, but i am working on it. i have a music teacher at school and i practic in class and at home, but i don't have a perfessional music teacher. how can i work on my emboucher?
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Author: Pastor Rob
Date: 2011-04-07 02:29
You might also lay off any caffeine drinks like soda and coffee, and drink a lot of water. I do a lot biking, in addition to clarinet playing, and cracked lips are a good indicator of dehydration.
Pastor Rob Oetman
Leblanc LL (today)
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Author: oldschoolCANON
Date: 2011-04-07 02:54
Try going down to a 2 1/2, at least until your lips heal and are strong enough to handle a 3. I've been playing for years and I only play a 3 1/2. In order to develop a good embouchure, you need to practice often. It's like going to the gym - you're only going to have huge muscles if you work out every day. The same thing goes for practicing the clarinet.
You should have no more than an inch of the mouthpiece in your mouth. The bottom lip curls over the bottom teeth, and the top teeth rest on top of the mouthpiece. The muscle running from your bottom lip to your chin should be taut. Close the corners of your lips tightly, as though you were clamping them shut, then tuck them in so that they're snug around the sides of the mouthpiece. You should feel the muscles working all over your face. Also, never puff your cheeks when you blow into the clarinet, and keep your tongue low, raising it only to flick the tip of the reed, so as to create more space for the air to move. You get a fuller tone that way. You support the reed with your lips, not your jaw, so you should never "bite" the mouthpiece with your teeth because you'll never get any sound that way. As your lip muscles get stronger, increase the size of the reed. I'd say maybe a 2 1/2, maybe even a 2 would be best since you're still new to the clarinet.
Practice in short bursts, say maybe half an hour at a time. You don't want to overwork yourself, because then nothing is getting accomplished. When you can practice for half an hour without any effort, increase the time. Build yourself up in baby steps. Also, start learning your scales. Scales will teach you alternative fingerings necessary for more advanced music, as well as help you familiarize yourself with the instrument. Learn them in one octave, and when you memorized them all, learn them in two octaves. This will help you learn how to change your embouchure throughout all registers. Hope this helps!
- Ashley
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2011-04-07 14:22
how long ago did your teacher give you that reed? Maybe its time for a new one?
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-04-07 15:35
Forestone synthetic reeds are really smooth compared to the shaved timber of a cane reed.
I polish my cane with 600-grit sandpaper, and that smooths them up to where they feel like the Forestones. The grain will raise when the reed is wetted, so I re-polish after the first few uses --and they they settle down to a consistent smoothness.
Bob Phillips
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-08 21:20
i got my reed about 2 months ago, thank you oldschoolCANON that does help, at home i practice for about 15-30 minutes when i get to dring the clarinet home, at school i pratice for about 30-70 minutes. i relly need to work on my emboucher. i looked at my clarinet monthpeice and there is big bite marks in it. i don't drink a lot of caffeine, i try to drink a lot of water, expealy after i play and before.
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2011-04-08 22:00
Bob suggested something similar to what I was going to suggest. A lot of times the roughness of a fresh reed can cause that because it will absorb liquid, such as the saliva and oils on your lips. Try sandpaper to smooth it out (gently), but if you're not comfortable with that, I've come to find that getting them wet in some water and then literally pushing down the grains with my finger will help. Like Bob said, after a few uses, say 1 or 2, it seems to make the reed very smooth, very comfortable on my mouth and embouchure.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-04-09 13:58
I always polish the bottoms of new reeds, using a very large flat file or 600 grit wet-or-dry (black coating) sandpaper over a piece of plate glass. I put my fingers only on the bark area while smoothing, and finish with just a few light strokes with my fingers on the vamp.
Kal Opperman taught me to finish the process by rubbing briskly on a US Postal Service prepaid blank post card (the kind that looks like light manila folder card-stock)
You can also do the finishing on newsprint. Cut a blank area out of a display ad and use it over plate glass.
Ken Shaw
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Author: mrn
Date: 2011-04-09 17:07
I lightly sand the vamps of my reeds (the part that touches your lip/chin) with very fine (400 or 600) sandpaper, which takes care of the roughness.
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2011-04-10 09:15
I agree with Ed Palanker. In winter I use Blistex and it works fine for me.
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-10 17:17
i have tryed Blistex but it gives my cold sores. i will try the sanding with my reed next time i need one. thank you everyone for you help!
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2011-04-10 18:59
Speaking with my "girly" hat on, I would recommend Benefit's (the cosmetic company) product" Lipscription. This consists of two products in small tubes which come together in a little box. One is a "scrub" which you use first to exfoliate rough skin from your lips and the other is a balm which you use afterwards to moisturise. I do use other lipsalves at other times but I think the exfoliating component is important - if the surface of the lips is too dry or cracked in the first place probably no kind of balm or salve will help. My guess is you're a guy from the name but don't be shy going up to the nice Benefit ladies - they're always really helpful or you can probably buy online or get your Mum/Sister/Girlfriend to ask.
Happy playing
Vanessa.
PS - Disclaimer I have no connection with Benefit other than as a long-term satisfied customer.
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Author: felix clarinet
Date: 2011-04-10 19:44
i am a girl, just one of my nick names is felix so i thought i would use it, b/c it is not close to my name. i think the exfoliating is a good idea, i will try it. thanks
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2011-04-11 04:37
Well, since we're in the cosmetics department...
I've used Elizabeth Arden's Eight-Hour Cream (a Vaseline-like product with vitamin E) every night on my lips before going to bed and have never had chapped lips. I swear by that stuff! It is said that Elizabeth Taylor used it on her lips every night, too. Lips are like the rest of the face: the skin on them will show age more readily without proper moisture. Start taking good care of them while you're young!
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Author: Leanne E.
Date: 2011-04-14 00:49
I recently joined two bands, and now I'm playing 6 hours a week, versus the 2 hours I am used to. Yeah, my lips started to chap.
I use Neosporin lip balm, and that really helps. Hydration does too.
But in short, it is normal. Wood is porous and will suck the moisture right out of your lips! However, you will find a product that works for you and you'll get it worked out.
And I have to second exfoliation. Don't do it too often, usually the packaging will help you with that, but it will help as well.
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