 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: retro69
Date: 2010-04-18 10:54
Hi all,
Over the last month I have noticed that I am producing more saliva, especially while playing.
I went to the dentist initially to find out if anything was wrong and he looked and said there was nothing wrong but to avoid acidic foods and not to play when I was hungry (I play generally 20-30 minutes after food but sometimes its 1-2 hours after). I clean my teeth before I play and I belive I eat a reasonably healthy diet and avoid a lot of things like orange juice and stuff, especially just before playing.
My teacher said when she was younger she got it on and off but it just "went away" after a while. Well im 30 years old so I dont think its my hormones going crazy!
One thing though is that I do have a pretty large tounge and when I play, especially when im doing a lot of tounging, i feel a build up of saliva at the back of my throat, unless I have time to breathe AND swallow then I get to the stage when im gagging and need to stop, swallow and breathe.
Im finding that I can barely go a few bars without this buildup happening.
I have an exam coming up and am really scared because at the moment I cannot play the peices without multiple stops. I cant just "hope" this goes away before then! The exam is still over a month away but im getting very worried!
Any help, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2010-04-18 12:09
"One thing though is that I do have a pretty large tongue and when I play, especially when I'm doing a lot of tonging, i feel a build up of saliva at the back of my throat, unless I have time to breathe AND swallow then I get to the stage when I'm gagging and need to stop, swallow and breathe."
It is actually not produced near the back of the throat.
1. I collect it in the space under my tongue, behind my lower teeth, and swallow when I get the opportunity.
2. Much of it comes from the parotid glands in front of the ears, through ducts that emerge about level with the bottom of the upper molars, about 6 teeth from the front. If the cheeks are slightly lifted, and rest gently against the sides of these molars, then the ducts are possibly temporarily blocked. Maybe this helps. If they are blocked for too long then uncomfortable tension builds up in the parotids. (If so, a gentle downwards massage of the cheeks helps.)
3. I raise the back of my tongue slightly while playing, probably for tone resonance reasons. This probably helps the saliva not to go to the back of my mouth.
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Author: clarinetcase
Date: 2010-04-18 22:01
Something that might help is rinsing your mouth after you brush with a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water. Someone suggested I try this and it worked. I am not a medical professional.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-04-19 00:05
I have pretty much the same problem though I somehow control it so it doesn't effect my playing other then having to swab out constantly. I don't know why it happens but somehow I cope with it without a problem. I think some folks just have more saliva glands then others. l have a large tongue too but I'm not sure that has anything to do with it. Just work at it the best you can so it doesn't interfere with your playing. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Mom
Date: 2010-04-19 01:50
Sometimes people produce too much saliva when their mouths are dry. You might want to try drinking more water or using an over the counter mouth spray for people with dry mouth.
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