comeback chops went dead

[voscuate]

Any advice for comeback player that seems to have already caused some damage? I got about a 9 months into practicing everyday (as well as gigging which I think was the real problem), and started to have problems I'd never had before--the 'teardrop' part of lip where the aperture forms more or less got so puffy, numb, and scarred that it totally changed how I could produce tones. I tried to make little shifts to let it heal and play with better technique--brought the jaw out to put more weight on lower lip, scooted over to the side (which I already played off center, but now even more), just reduce pressure in general. But now about a year after I started I'm just stuck, and feel like I can't really play. The aperture just "shuts" on me all the time because that part of the lip is so numb and swollen. I'll fall off of a middle G sometimes. And it's not even to the next partial, sometimes it's just an ugly "pedal", with that part of the lip sort of sucking into the throat of mp. Tried taking a week off, coming back slow, playing whisper tones. Practice starts off better now, but always ends the same. When I'm chopped out it's really dead, and it's right there at the aperture. Not gigging anymore obvs :/

[kehaulani]

Where are you? It seems to me that you need a good teacher who can see your situation up close.
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[voscuate]

In Denver; I was taking lessons all year with a really good trumpeter but I think he just has that "don't overthink" it attitude. I think he might have been a much better match for me if I'd just been trying to play again without trying to perform. I've looked up some more "chop doctor", pricier teachers in the area and may follow up with them. At the moment it seems like I should just not touch the horn for a while.

[HaveTrumpetWillTravel]

I got a half hour with one of the great embouchure guys and it was a big help--he basically confirmed my problem, gave me a path, and a method. I was never in pain though, so your situation sounds more severe.

I'm a comeback player also and besides the embouchure help, there are several other things you could do. One is simply to spend more time off of the horn and pressure and work on buzzing, mouthpiece, or leadpipe. That seems like a softer form of rehab. You can also up the rest: play ratio.

I have a marching trombone and I found that my embouchure on it was more natural and it also helped build my lip in a healthier way. You could also work on musicality in another way (like keyboard). I imagine it's very frustrating to be part-way into a comeback and just have your lips tank.

[HERMOKIWI]

When your chops are getting beat up it's almost always excessive pressure that's the culprit. If you form a proper embouchure and have the strength to maintain that embouchure (and I assure you that it doesn't take a Herculean amount of strength to do that) it really doesn't require a lot of pressure to make the notes speak clearly, even in the high register.

You're a candidate for practicing whisper tones and gradually working on increasing the volume from there. Very gradually and without any additional pressure. You have to train yourself to play with low pressure. It can take awhile so you need to be patient. A good teacher who can monitor things and direct you will be a big help in giving you confidence you are on the correct path.
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HERMOKIWI

[scarface]

Some ideas:

Restart from where you are, and not from where you were. Don’t chase.

Play softly.

Rest a minute after you play a minute, and play shorter sessions.

Don’t buzz you mpiece too much, or too loudly.

Use cold and warm therapy: alternate between soaking your lip in cold water, and later with warm.


Sounds like chronic but not permanent overuse, but hard to know.

[Anthony Miller]

Probably not your exact problem but I came back a couple of years ago and thought I could pick up where I left off - 20 years ago! Oh Nay! Two half years down the line everything fell apart.. So, as I love playing so much I started again using Harold Mitchell’s method. I’m 5 weeks in - no gigs, no high notes - just following the book. Also, trying to include the Greg Spence WindWorks course as I go. It’s working. Hard to start again but, hopefully, be worth it. One other big hint was seeing Dave Hickmans book for Comeback players. Says it all in there I think. Good luck.

[cheiden]

I've had several episodes where I had trouble and started trying to force changes (jaw position, different set point,...) that seemed to help for a bit but ended up with significant swelling and crashing my ability to play. Each time I took time off and restarted slowly with a rudimentary fundamentals routine. Nothing high and loud or long, and minimal gigging. Sure it feels like starting over will take forever, but for me it never really did. I always got back to my former relative glory in a few weeks. A few times I would never have figured this out without a very patient teacher.
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