Mouthpiece Mark

[Trumpet239]

Hi all,

While shaving i have noticed that when i pull my top lip down or pucker there is a mouthpiece shaped dent above my lip in the spot i place the mouthpiece (similar to the spot on carpet where a chair or table leg has been resting for some time), i also seem to be able to bend the middle of top lip so that the "hinge" of the bend is in the middle of the dent.

Has anyone else experienced and is it something that could disappear over time if i reduce mp pressure?

[Brad361]

I’ve had a faint mark like that for as long as I can remember, since it doesn’t really seem to affect anything, I pretty much ignore it.

As to whether it’s caused by “too much mouthpiece pressure”, I guess it might be. But I also remember seeing Bill Chase walking around the instrument displays at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, many years ago. He had PLENTY of marks on his chops. So was he using too much mouthpiece pressure? Maybe, but I know if I could play like he did, I wouldn’t care.

Brad
_________________
When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval

[deleted_user_02066fd]

I've barely played the last 10-12 years and I still have a faint mouthpiece mark. It's never changed and has always looked this way.