The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2021-08-29 03:13
After my tonsils and adenoids were removed - in May 54 years ago - I couldn't produce a sound on a clarinet for three or four months because of the pharyngeal leak. I only gradually regained enough of a seal to play uncomfortably for short stretches. I was a college junior at the time and had become a co-principal in the university orchestra, so I did the best I could by September and took long rests during tuttis and multiple-bar rests. Fortunately, the orchestra director was willing to let me self-limit. Over the next couple of months my pharyngeal strength began to build and by Spring semester I was able to manage a typical rehearsal or concert (where you aren't playing all the time). But I was still somewhat limited in continuous playing time.
As the years have have gone by, I've found a couple of things are true: (a) If I don't play, either individual practice or consistent ensemble rehearsal, I lose a lot of that continuous playing ability, and (2) I have a great deal more trouble during the summer when allergies cause me to have a continuous and annoying post-nasal drip.
I do find that drinking water while I play helps - I've always felt as though is cleared the thicker mucous secretions that feel like they're interfering with the seal.
But by far the more important preventive is to stay "in shape." If I take a week's travel vacation I need three or four days to get back to normal playing time. And even in shape, I can't get through two hours of continuous playing. Fortunately, you don't in a 2.5 hour rehearsal play nearly two hours non-stop and there's enough recovery time built into the music and the customary (and union-required) rehearsal break to keep me out of trouble.
I do play on very responsive reeds on close-tipped mouthpieces. I also try to pay close attention to my breathing so that the reed responds as efficiently as possible.
I have a young teenaged student who last Fall during the pandemic had her tonsils removed (but not her adenoids). She has been through a very similar progression to mine. She has been to the ENT specialists and the speech therapists, etc. none of whom really helped her very much - some of whom told her there wasn't a problem. In the end it has been time that seems to be healing her. She practices regularly on a medium-faced mouthpiece with rather soft reeds and is improving steadily in strength and confidence that she can actually hold up for an hour lesson or a normal school rehearsal. It has been a frustrating several months for her.
Check yourself to be sure that (a) you're practicing regularly and that (b) you're playing on a reed/mouthpiece combination that doesn't require a lot of forceful exhalation. I don't know how the open mouthpiece works out because I've never played on anything with a tip opening of more than 1.05mm or so. But whatever you use, it can't be something that you have to blow hard to play. Try to focus on relaxing the inside of your mouth and blowing as naturally as possible. 3 years seems like a long time. Chronic VPI can be very frustrating. Good luck with it.
Karl
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jenqa |
2021-08-29 01:48 |
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Re: VPI post adenoidectomy new |
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kdk |
2021-08-29 03:13 |
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SecondTry |
2021-08-29 04:33 |
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kdk |
2021-08-29 06:35 |
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jenqa |
2021-08-29 14:19 |
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SunnyDaze |
2021-08-30 05:23 |
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jenqa |
2021-09-05 23:04 |
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kdk |
2021-09-05 23:52 |
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