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Re: TMJ / Jaw pain

Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2007-07-03 23:38

I had TMJ problems in 1990 that left me worried that I would have to find a different career. For me, the main culprit seemed to be my then-habit of playing on a very hard set-up in my quest for what I thought was a "dark sound." When I took some lessons with Burt Hara, he told me that a.) I was hurting myself physically, and b.) it wouldn't sound as full in a large room as I thought. He was right on both counts. I switched to an easier mouthpiece/reed set-up, and experimented with ligatures until I found one that was comfortable. For me, this is a regular Bonade. I have discovered that whenever I try to switch away from this, there is a danger that my jaw will hurt.
The good news for me is that I've had more compliments on my sound since getting away from a hard set-up, and it's possible for me to phrase much more beautifully on a more flexible set-up.
For me, a closer facing with a moderately hard reed worked well to get the pain to go away. I always tell my students that if they have to use a teeth cushion, they have to use too much jaw pressure to produce the sound.
An activator-method chiropractor also worked directly on my jaw through this time.

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