Sore lips!

[helena]

Ok I know this may sound odd.....my lips are sore. On the lower lip in the middle and on the inside where my teeth touch when I am playing. Any suggestions - and keep them clean!!!
many thanks
Helen

 

[sharon]

Helen I presume you've played a while as you've moved from alto to tenor. Perhaps you are biting down without realising, are you moving your embouchure to adjust to the tenor? Usually sore lips just go or toughen up 😉 at least mine did.

Saying that I've got a sore bottom lip at the moment which I associate with the cold weather and a newly aquired clarinet habit. 😛

Sharon

 

[Col9]

Hi Helen, mine took 3 or 4 months to stop tingling after practice. Might just be a time thing.

Col.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I think that's inevitable - you said in your other post you've started to practise a lot more.

You just have to think of the pain as an initiation rite into the exclusive club of saxophonia. It will abate, honestly.

 

[mfox]

its quite normal as pete points it will get better..don't worry you wont get calluses like a guitarist on your lip...what will happen is your muscle will become used to it(memory fixed some folk say) and as you get more used to playing the thing you will relax and everything will be fine.. EXCEPT THE PAIN IN YOUR RIGHT THUMB!..
relax relax

 

[Jules]

revel in it- like that feeling you get after going for a run, it lets you know you've had a good practice session! I've also heard of putting waxed paper over the top of your front teeth to 'blunt' them...

 

[Bobby G]

I can't say I remember getting much sore lip when I first started (possibly due to what I think is a looser-than-average embouchure, or just being gobby), and I don't get the right thumb pain, but my right shoulder, ooooh! >.<

 

[nick_cook]

[color:green]The 'keep it clean' order prevents me from commenting!!!![/color]

😀

 

[justin_chune]

My teeth don't touch my lip and I never get a sore mouth. You too could try the "Pouch Mouth Embouchure" Look in a mirror and observe the shape of your mouth as you say "pouch mouth". Now do that again and this time hold the mouth shape. Now insert your thumb into your mouth and suck it. Observe the shape. When I do that I can run my tongue along the cutting edge of my lower front teeth. That shape looks so familier that I think a lot of sax players use it. Still using the mirror get the sax and form that shape around the mouthpiece. The reed is now lying on your lip and your lip is more out than in. Your top teeth rest lightly on the beak. This works for me on the sax. Keep up the good work.

 

[Linky Lee]

I think many players roll the lip in over the teeth meaning that the teeth are now underneath a bit skin lower than the lip.
I find that with my embouchure, I don't roll the lip back very much. This means that the teeth are underneath a bit of lip which is much more cushion-like.

Looking in a mirror to see what you're embouchure is like is a very good suggestion.

Do you have a teacher? - If there is anything with your embouchure aiding a sore lip, your teacher may be able to point you in a slightly different embouchure that won't hurt as much.

The mouth does get used to it and any pain will go away. The embouchure needed for tenor is looser than for alto, have you made an adjustment?

I first tried playing a baritone after never even playing anything but an alto and could barely get the bottom octave out. It scared me quite a bit that I could be so rubbish. Then someone told me you're supposed to relax your embouchure much more for bari than alto. I gave it a go and soon low As were honking all around Reading, I even got the position as bari player in my county youth swing band and concert band.

 

[blues_growler]

"Lypsyl" from any chemists or supermarket can be very helpful during the toughening up process. It also doubles up as cork grease.

 

[sharon]

Can you use cork grease as lypsyl though :?

 

[blues_growler]

In the interests of science, just trying it now.

 

[Bobby G]

Blues Growler wrote:
In the interests of science, just trying it now.

How did it go, Blues Growler? Enquiring minds need to know...

Next time I get chapped or sore lips, I may well try some Selmer cork grease, hopefully it'll taste as good as it smells. Mmm.... cork grease... mmm

 

[blues_growler]

Sorry, not doing very well as I can't get the cork to stay on my lips long enough to try the cork grease. I'm going to Tescos in the morning so will shoplift some Evostick and hope that will keep the cork in place.

That helenA has a lot to answer for. The things we have to do to please women.

 

[helena]

Many thanks for your advice - I got some nice cream from Neal's Yard that has really helped.
And for your information on average (I hate that phrase) women eat 6lbs of lipstick in their lifetime, so I am sure a bit of cork grease will be fine!

 

[blues_growler]

Very pleased to hear that the Neal's Yard cream has helped.