Lip...........or No Lip that is the question.......

[IckleSop]

Last night i was thinkin...........yes i know its hard to believe!!!!,

Because im usally swapping from Bb to Eb every week (bad i know!!! even when im not meant to be playing at the moment!!!).

My lip gets cut quite often and easily , what do other people do when they have got bruised or knacked lips???

Some Cream that works miricals or just get on with it????

 

[neiltwist]

Arnicker (sp.?) cream i believe helps bruises.

 

[Keppler]

Pain lets you know you're alive (p-chh! p-chh!)

you don't think all those people out there jogging actually enjoy it, do you?

Seriously, I haven;t found any miracle helper. About 2 summers ago I got a coldsore right on the cleft of my lip - slap bang where my mouthpiece rests. Had a bunch of jobs to do, and I couldn't really get out of them, so I struggled through in pain. About a week after that, I found that I had messed up the msucles somehow. My lips were too tight, or too loose, but never mobile enough. Basically, I couldn't maintain any sort of sound without air escaping through my lips. Major depression.

Thankfully, it sorted itself out - but the problem was just caused by playing on damaged lips - and straining the muscles when they weren't ready.

IMHO - you're better off to rest damaged parts instead of looking for miracle "cures"

 

[jinx]

witch hazel is good for reducing bruising and inflammation...and its very cheap!

 

[blondie]

I do tend to suffer because i think generally that i rest to hard on my mouthpiece, but after sustained playing i.e 4-5 days then i have to stop for a couple of days just to try and get them into some state to be able to play for the next 4 or 5 days.

This works for me but everyones different.

 

[super_sop]

its like any muscle, after working it for a while it should be rested. thats why body builders/people who work out :lol: should rest every other day. to let the muscle rest..
Thats my excuse anyway!! :lol:

 

[Valvecap]

Agree with SuperSop on this one... although like most, i dont practice what I preach (memo to self... dont EVER play Harry James Trumpet Concerto with a hernia.... You cant stand afterwards)
But as far as lips go, Blisteeze always worked for me with cuts and scratches... (Stings like hell...)
Practice and long notes helped me to the point where lip only goes after 4 or 5 hours sloggin at it - build up the muscle - as SuperSop pointed out...

 

[NeilW]

witch hazel

But IckleSop isn't called Hazel, and I presume she's not a witch... (isn't it "for exterior use only" too - i.e. poisen?)

I always found that an alum stick works quite well (like used to be used when you cut yourself shaving with a wet razer!) Like most of the remedies it stings, particularly on broken skin...

Marching also helps - you don't press so hard when you're jarring the mouthpiece as you move Isn't there a marching competition coming up

Neil.

 

[jinx]

witch hazel

But IckleSop isn't called Hazel, and I presume she's not a witch... (isn't it "for exterior use only" too - i.e. poisen?)

Neil.

Its not a poison, its an antiseptic....it wont kill you if you put it on a cut, nor will it allow you to cast spells or give you the ability to fly. It can however be used by people who arent called hazel! :wink:

 

[twigglet]

a lot of people I know use arnica cream, its good and smells nice too!

:wink:

 

[neiltwist]

yeah, that's the stuff. a quick application after band, then you shouldn't get a bruised lip.

 

[Mike Saville]

In my experience people wh use creams/balms/potions & lotions on thier chops come to relyupon these things. It becomes as though they need them or they can't play.

Sensble practice and proper technique are usually the cure for these. If you have a genuine medical problem or allergy th try some othe mouthiece materials or see the doc.

Just my for penneth!

Mike

 

[You wanna blow my what?]

I get ulcers loads from nerves, (not the same I know but....) I find that bonjela helps, but they still hurt a lot.

 

[Aidan]

in get that too
wierd innit..
i dont get physically nervous at all .. ever (to my memory) but without fail (mainly!! ) I get a mouth ulcer about 1 or 1 and 1/2 weeks before a major contest.

 

[neiltwist]

and it's normally right where my mouthpiece rests when I get them! but on the inside of my mouth.

 

[Caveman Dan]

I've always used Blistex to get rid of cold sores, very good stuff. Also when I feel one starting (a cold sore that is) I can usually stop it coming up by putting the cream on every hour.

 

[super_sop]

sort of on topic,
the last couple of weeks ive been trying to build up my staminar (scuse the spellin ). ive always strugled so thought id try sometthing diferent.
normally when practicing, ive just done a bit of warm up then gone straight onto working on the stuff in the pad. this has always left me completely k****ered by practice night.
so i thought id try somthing a bit diferent.ive taken some of the advice id been give at the gym and only practice hard every other day..
so its been band stuff on 1 day, and simple stuff, hymns long notes etc the next to give my lip time to recover. it seems to be working.
last night i found it a lot easier at band and my lip lasted a lot longer than normal.
dont know what ya all think of practicing like this but it seems to work so far anyway.(sorry about the ramblings).
any one got any other ideas that might help?

 

[neiltwist]

I do a hard practice (lots of blowing), then have a day off. a light night, a band night, a light night, a night off, band night.

Starts on a Monday for me, the day off really helps my muscles stay in tip top form. Also, although I never do, i'm supposed to do breathing exercises every morning!

 

[super_sop]

How do you mean breathing exercises........
(apart from the obvious am i or arn't I) :lol:


EDIT:sorry that sounded a lot better in my head

 

[PeterBale]

How do you mean breathing exercises........
(apart from the obvious am i or arn't I) :lol:

When I attended a masterclass with Steven Mead and Pat Sheridan they introduced us to some simple breathing exercises that I have found very helpful (when I remember to do them!):

Start off by breathing in for a slow count of four, then breathing out for four. Simply vary this, both by breathing in for less beats and out for more, and vice versa, so that you can take a long breath but then expel all the breath in a very short period. I have found this has certainly helped me to focus on what is happening when I breathe, and how to adjust between long sustained phrases and those times when you have to produce powerful shot notes etc.