 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: claire70
Date: 2008-10-04 15:12
Does anyone else have this problem? If I have a really long rehearsal (eg. all day or weekend), and/or am playing on marginally too hard reeds (ie. ones that you can still play on, but just require a bit more puff), my upper lip often splits. :-(
And at the moment, it's got to a stage where it is never quite healing, so it's happening more regularly. The skin does heal over but you can still see a little 'scar' type area; and then I only have to play for slightly longer than normal for it to open up again. It feels like I need to stop playing completely for a month to get it to heal properly, but I can't do that!
I have a weekend-long rehearsal next weekend, and a concert the weekend after, so it's beginning to worry me. Short of playing on ridiculously soft reeds, does anyone have any ideas what I can do?
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-10-04 15:44
keep your lips moisturized and supple
get some ChopSaver lip balm, specially formulated for Musicians With Lips and use every time after playing
at night, every night, use a small amount of zinc oxide ointment on the area itself and work it in gently with tiny rotation movements all around the lip muscles (not just roughly slathered and rubbed in) -- the tiny rotation movements tenderly coax and relax the lymph system in the lip area to bring body fluid healing & reconstruction materials to the damage site while you sleep
get adequate sleep, if you run short on sleep, the healing-reconstruction cell level shift workers are deprived of enough time to do a good job
during the day, use a lip balm that moisturizes whenever your lips feel dry, and smear a light coat of ordinary olive oil around your lips immediately after meals & beverages
every time you apply, think healing thoughts, and apply all moisturizers tenderly, not in a rushed hurry = relax, relax, relax
change around on a bunch of slightly softer reeds more often during long rehearsals
a tiny tiny drop of glycerine in your reed soaking water may help, as long as the dilution level is at least 250:1
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2008-10-04 16:30
It is not entirely clear from your posting -- is the split on the outside of the lip? If it is on the inside, then using a piece of paper or plastic over the teeth, as is done by some clarinetists, could help. If it is on the outside of the lip, you might try some zilactin. It is intended for cankor sores. It forms a film (unfortunately, it is somewhat brown in color and will show) which acts as a temporary skin. It can also be used inside of the mouth, I believe.
And ridiculously soft reeds are not a bad idea, and will force you to learn to not to bite down in your embouchure. A constant open sore is not healthy, never mind how it affects your playing. Any sign of infection? If so, get to a doctor.
Elizabeth
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Author: D
Date: 2008-10-04 18:59
Also, drinking lots of water and eating very healthily will help everything heal generally. While you've got an open sore, be especially careful about keeping your reeds clean and about cleaning your teeth after every time you've eaten. Even mouthwash will help if you can't clean your teeth.
Feel free to totally ignore this, but when I have an ulcer then the things that work are Bonjela (if I am feeling wimpy) and TCP if I am feeling brave. TCP works quickest but is really painful. This might prove to be the same on a split lip. The pain bit certainly will!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-04 19:34
The cold, wet and windy weather isn't helping matters.
Try to remember to use a good lip balm or chapstick when you go outside to stop your lips drying out.
I get chapped and split lips all the time, even in summer.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: claire70
Date: 2008-10-05 08:32
Thanks for all the hints. Glad to hear it's not just me! I will try and find some of those medicines mentioned. (It's on the outside of my lip, by the way, just about where lip meets reed.)
I use lip balm all the time - I must have a stick in every room of the house, and every coat pocket and bag that goes outside the house! But I'm quite happy to reinforce my armaments with other stuff....
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2008-10-05 12:40
One last thing - don't lick your lips. It removes all of those precious, natural, protective oils from the skin, leaving it exposed and vulnerable to wind and cold. It is better to let your lips get dry in the wind than to lick them.
J.
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-10-05 17:13
... it might also help to use a very fine file to sand your reeds to a really smooth surface while you're trying to heal your lip?
... the important underlying issue here is physical tissue damage from excessive / prolonged playing, this is destructive physical strain, and you're being forced to abuse yourself with that savage rehearsal routine, and you do not have to stand for it. You must protest. Perhaps it's simply a case of blind ignorance on the rostrum that needs re-educating? Firmly.
... day long / weekend rehearsals must be exhausting / physically straining other musicians in your group as well, perhaps a frank discussion with your concertmaster to represent the group's concerns (after the concert, in the post mortem period) urgently requesting essential changes to rehearsal routines in future, with a proposed alternative that will work for everybody already mapped out for presentation
Are you the lead / only oboe? If not, then discuss it first with OB1, but ultimately it's up to you who is suffering to bring it to the attention of the right people to make necessary changes. Ask every member in the woodwind section to get their input in full, and also grasp an idea of how the other sections are faring during breaks by chatting with their section leaders before taking it to your concertmaster
If your artistic director / or important key members in the group are the kind of people that believe in 'no pain no gain' then you're in with the wrong crowd for the present capacity of your playing condition
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-05 17:37
"One last thing - don't lick your lips. It removes all of those precious, natural, protective oils from the skin, leaving it exposed and vulnerable to wind and cold. It is better to let your lips get dry in the wind than to lick them."
Sound advice, Jeremy - something I'll definitely try to remember!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: D
Date: 2008-10-05 19:05
In an emergency you can always find grease down the sides of your nose.......ok, that was probably TMI.............
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2008-10-21 21:18
There has been much discussion of Blistex and other lip balms among brass players. In general the consensus is that Blistex makes the condition worse if used long term, as it removes tissue from the lips. I tried it once myself, and noticed that the more I used it, the more sore my lips became, starting a vicious circle effect.
I find myself very happy with Burt's Bees lip balm, which contains no unpronounceable chemical names. A product call Lip Saver also gets good reviews as does (don't laugh) Preparation H.
EBH
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-21 21:35
What about Neutrogena Norwegian Formula lip salve?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2008-10-27 00:32
It's not just what you put on the outside. Stay well hydrated ("drink water") and take enough nutrition (skin healing benefits from Vitamin C, zinc, among others) to keep your skin in general in good shape. To increase the circulation in the area, apply a warm-hot tea bag once or twice a day, before you put the salves on.
I guess a lot of us have had split lips from playing....
warmly,
GoodWinds
GoodWinds
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2008-10-27 00:36
the only musical use for nose-grease (I heard from my oboe teacher) was to make one's pinkies slippery enough to handle the tricky trills...
GoodWinds
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Author: kimber
Date: 2008-10-28 22:48
I use the Neutrogena lip balm during the day, and they have a more concentrated formula for nighttime use also. I have sticks of it everywhere, but find I use the stick in my car the most (apply everytime I am getting into the car) and the stick in my desk at work.
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Author: johnt
Date: 2008-10-29 13:53
Cooper,
Can you use Burt's Bees Wax for cork grease?
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-10-30 01:22
bees wax the basic material is meant to hold together, very sticky, at fairly warm temperatures, higher than any hot oboe, so if the joint cork is sticky, you'd have to grip, wrench and twist oboe joints apart, great (or not so great) news for oboe repair guys, big bill for oboe owner
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2008-10-30 22:38
What Voboe said about Bees Wax is true, but the lip balm stuff has enough other oils and stuff in it to never make it THAT hard/sticky. I guess you could, but why use it when you could use lanolin or petroleum jelly to do the same thing?
Speaking of bees wax, I have heard that when replacing a tenon cork, you should put a layer of real bees wax on one side of the cork (that goes against the wood itself) so that when you cork grease it up, there's a protective layer between the tenon itself and the cork grease. Not entirely convinced that this makes a big difference, but like I said, it's just something I heard from a reputable repairman here in Eugene.
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