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healey.cj Heavyweight Member
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 2011
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:13 am Post subject: Ways to Soft & Supple Lips...? |
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Last edited by healey.cj on Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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deleted_user_fdb91a0 New Member
Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:10 am Post subject: |
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Lip balm. |
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healey.cj Heavyweight Member
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 2011
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:14 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by healey.cj on Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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yankeesstink Veteran Member
Joined: 01 Dec 2007 Posts: 146 Location: Acton, Massachusetts
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:42 am Post subject: |
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Pedal Tones!! |
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Yamahaguy Heavyweight Member
Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 3992
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:51 am Post subject: Re: Ways to Soft & Supple Lips...? |
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healey.cj wrote: | You can squeeze your lips for all your worth but if they aren't soft enough to vibrate then you've got no hope. | There's the problem right there...focus on the corners, not the aperture (lips). Squeezing=bad! |
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shofarguy Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Sep 2007 Posts: 7013 Location: AZ
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:40 am Post subject: |
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Quote: | Lol not sure if that was a serious recommendation or not lol |
Well, it was the first thing that came to my mind, because I spend alot of time outside and in harsh eneironments. My lips really suffer, sometimes, and can start to get leathery. Quality lip balm (Bert's Bees is my favorite) helps protect the suppleness.
The most effective means to restore suppleness to my lips has been to play lightly and quietly in the staff for about an hour or so. This seems to bring blood flow to the area without bruising, breaks down the tougher surface cell layer and restores flexibilty to my playing. It can take a couple of days, though.
Brian _________________ Brian A. Douglas
Flip Oakes Wild Thing Bb Trumpet in copper
Flip Oakes Wild Thing Flugelhorn in copper
There is one reason that I practice: to be ready at the downbeat when the final trumpet sounds. |
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BenH Heavyweight Member
Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 848 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:47 am Post subject: |
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Deleted.
Last edited by BenH on Fri Feb 05, 2010 6:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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matzentrpt Heavyweight Member
Joined: 11 Sep 2004 Posts: 552 Location: Logan, UT (Rochester, Jacksonville)
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: |
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The first four exercises in Thompson's Buzzing Book.
And drinking plenty of water. (not beer.) _________________ Max Matzen, DMA
Associate Professor of Trumpet
Utah State University |
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perspective Veteran Member
Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 189 Location: Southampton. England
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:49 am Post subject: |
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In my youth, I frequented the ballrooms ( yes, this is in the danceband days) on a saturday night. If I happened to be late getting there and the band of the evening was taking sustinence in the bar, I could unfailing identify the trumpet players, as they all seemed to have a "dewdrop" of soft tissue on the upper lip. No doubt cultivated and honed to perfection, from years of hard playing.
I deduced from this that this was the essential tool necessary to send it up there like they did. Over the years, this theory has been confirmed by observing the lips of various pro players.
So, if you haven't got one of these already - grow one |
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healey.cj Heavyweight Member
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 2011
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:07 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by healey.cj on Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
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roynj Heavyweight Member
Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 2065
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: |
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matzentrpt wrote: |
And drinking plenty of water. (not beer.) |
Heresey! One of the main staple foods (uh, drinks) of all brass players being dissed like this is terribly dissappointing. And I suppose this includes Guinness too?
Roy |
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joey Regular Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 59 Location: Bloomington IN
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: |
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Hydration is a good start, but to really get everything feeling great, there is no substitute for kissing.
No, this is not a joke. When I was in 9th grade (first year of marching band), I showed up for a lesson with fairly stiff chops. When I asked my teacher what to do, his response was, "do you have a girlfriend?" I thought he was messing with me, so he told me to go ask his wife (who played horn in the Symphony) what she thought. So I walk out to his living room and ask his wife what to do for stiff chops, at which point she said, "do you have a girlfriend?"
Of course, I had been set up, but they were right.
So tell your wives/girlfriends or husbands/boyfriends that it's part of your daily practice. After all, they want to help, right?
Joey |
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petere Veteran Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 345 Location: Great Lakes
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:12 am Post subject: |
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Another idea that works for me: play a trombone/euphonium sized mouthpiece in addition to trumpet. Take a little time off from trumpet when your chops get stiff or tired or swollen. The bigger piece takes the pressure off the trumpet playing area and really loosens things up.
The bigger horn reinforces the helpfulness of deep breathing too. |
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Bri Veteran Member
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 367 Location: White Plains, NY
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:21 am Post subject: |
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This is not a joke:
After you brush your teeth, brush your lips. I have a seperate "very soft" toothbrush for this. It removes any small bits of dead skin and it gives a great massage. Since I started this, my lips feel great and I love the sound I produce.
Plus.....your girlfriend will thank you! _________________ -Bri
"Teachers make every other profession possible!" |
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pedaltonekid Heavyweight Member
Joined: 15 Nov 2001 Posts: 1711
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:31 am Post subject: |
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1. Keep well hydrated with water
2. Massage liquid vitamin E on your lips every night - I started doing this after learning that Maurice Andre did this and figured it couldn't hurt _________________ Best Regards, Play Well!! |
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Billy B Heavyweight Member
Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 6130 Location: Des Moines
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:00 am Post subject: |
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Soak them in cider. _________________ Bill Bergren |
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houdini1313 Veteran Member
Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 360
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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I use DCT (Daily Conditioning Treatment) almost religiously. It is by Blistex and feels wonderful. I won't put it on before I play, but afterwards it is a surge of moisture that just stays there. It is great.
I used to use chopsaver but have moved away from it for some reason. _________________ Powell Custom Bb
Powell C
Yamaha 8315G Flugel
Stomvi Piccolo
Hammond, Patrick, and Reeves Mouthpieces |
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danambro8 Veteran Member
Joined: 29 Oct 2005 Posts: 235 Location: California
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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I've found that lip balm really does help, try moisturizing chapstick, burts bees, or chop saver. Also try to avoid playing within an hour after youve woekn up. as you sleep your blood doesnt circulate as well and your lips are usually really swollen with blood, and although it sometimes improves my tone quality, it doesnt truely reflect how i play the rest of the day. also try warming up with pedal tones to get things lose a ready to play. if you find your lips deflating through the practice routine or performance you may be using too much pressure or just playing too much. remember to rest as much as you play. i think it was claude gordon that said that. _________________ "Disregard gullible obsessions such as: the kind of metal that intruments should contain, new-fangled mouthieces, tampering with the embouchure unnecessarily." Dr. Colin |
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Dave C. Veteran Member
Joined: 21 Jan 2008 Posts: 158 Location: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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Bri, your suggestion of March 6th of using a soft toothbrush to lightly brush the upper lip worked wonders for me. I am 75 yrs old and whether or not it removes an old layer of skin or not, it left my lips soft and tender.
I did this an hour or so before a rehearal during a warmup, and when rehearsal started, I could tell right away that my control and other good things seem to fall right in. A good suggestion for sure.
Dave |
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YoungMW New Member
Joined: 16 Apr 2017 Posts: 9 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 11:28 am Post subject: |
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joey wrote: | Hydration is a good start, but to really get everything feeling great, there is no substitute for kissing.
No, this is not a joke. When I was in 9th grade (first year of marching band), I showed up for a lesson with fairly stiff chops. When I asked my teacher what to do, his response was, "do you have a girlfriend?" I thought he was messing with me, so he told me to go ask his wife (who played horn in the Symphony) what she thought. So I walk out to his living room and ask his wife what to do for stiff chops, at which point she said, "do you have a girlfriend?"
Of course, I had been set up, but they were right.
So tell your wives/girlfriends or husbands/boyfriends that it's part of your daily practice. After all, they want to help, right?
Joey |
I am totally going to use this as a line |
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