Saliva

Lex Grantham · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 8:33 pm Post subject:

Kyle:

Do you know many (any) players that seem to play and have lots (I mean...like a 6-month-old child) of water dribbling down the chin? That just CANNOT be a very good symptom that SC/TCE is working properly because I appear to have my tongue rather forward and STILL have this nasty effect...UGH!

Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Lex Grantham

tptguy · Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 6:41 pm Post subject:

Lex, Interesting issue. I know you've been struggling with this for awhile. Hopefully we can help. First, I've never seen it with SC. I'm pretty confident in saying that something is not right. It sounds like you are not getting a seal of one lip against the other - corner to corner. Please give us some more feedback. Do you feel that during tone production your lips are touching each other all away across? Where is the leak, under the rim of the mouthpiece or off to one side or the other? Best regards, Kyle

Lex Grantham · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 6:58 am Post subject:

Kyle:

I put my lips together (not pressed hard and hopefully with the corners aiming toward the mouthpiece), and then I position my tongue to where the tip is at the lower lip and the top of the tongue presses toward the upper lip and top teeth (cutting edge for articulation). The saliva tends to run down the center of my chin for the most part.

Maybe I am turning the lips outward (to play on the soft tissue) too much and that causes the leakage. I have not wanted to overdo any tension in the lips so I can remain more on pitch. You will recall that I had some trouble a few months ago with sharpness, and now that has improved quite a bit.

I feel I need to pull a Louis Armstrong by always having a handerkerchief available, but I think he had one for another reason (???)

Suggestions are welcomed.

Sincerely,

Lex Grantham

[ This Message was edited by: Lex Grantham on 2003-12-23 10:01 ]

tptguy · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 7:25 am Post subject:

Lex, As SC works to close down the aperture less and less saliva should get into the mouthpiece. Spend some time analyzing where you have a hole in your embouchure large enough to let water through. Then, of course, concentrate on what must be done to close that hole. Do you, like me, have a "snaggletooth" that causes problems, is your jaw position moving, is the pout in your lower lip fully corner to corner? Please look at these issues and keep us posted on what you are finding. Best always, Kyle

Lex Grantham · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 7:07 pm Post subject:

Kyle:

1) My upper teeth are fairly even, but my two center teeth are NOt exactly even. The right one is slightly forward of the left one. Same way with my two center lower teeth...the right one is a little out from the left one...but not too much.

2) When I attempt a pout of the lower lip...all the way from corner to corner...I then feel the urge to press the upper lip...all the way across...against the inside of the lower lip. And then the feeling for buzzing is strange.

3) I tried to clamp the lips together to the point that there was no aperture at all. Then tried to blow so that the lips would open only because of the air. Then my sound was really dull...muffled.

Hope some of this helps. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lex Grantham

tptguy · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 9:38 pm Post subject:

Lex,

The uneven teeth won't matter at all unless you find you are preventing the lips from sealing, that's what you will have to investigate.

<<I then feel the urge to press the upper lip...all the way across...against the inside of the lower lip. And then the feeling for buzzing is strange. >>

Pressure is against the tongue, not the lower lip.

<<clamp the lips together>>

Never, no where ever in SC. Perhaps you are getting some mixed things going on from different systems. Nonetheless, never a lip-to-lip clamp in SC.

Check out my last post and see if you can narrow in on that.

Stay well, Kyle