Area on the top lip where the lip and skin meet swelling. How to stop?

    
Area on the top lip where the lip and skin meet swelling. How to stop?    21:09 on Tuesday, February 23, 2016          

andrewlee1206
(4 points)
Posted by andrewlee1206

In the fall of 2015, I started taking private lessons for horn. Of course, the first thing I had to do was fix my horrible embouchure. I ended up really liking it, even to this day, but I still had some problems with it. I was more prone to embouchure problems where my playing was affected significantly for around an entire week at a time. For a long time, I thought that my actual top lip was the cause of the problems because of swelling, but my lips never really felt swollen during my troubled periods. Until today, I thought it was some freak lip problem, but then I saw that my vermilion borders of my lips were swollen and were puffy. With my new embouchure, two thirds upper lip in the mouthpiece, that swollen ridge takes up a lot of space and impeded proper embouchure buzzing movement. This replaces my old theory/cause for the problems I've been having lately, but I don't know what's causing the swelling there. Any ideas on what's causing it and what to do in order to stop it? Thanks.


Re: Area on the top lip where the lip and skin meet swelling. How to stop?    10:57 on Wednesday, February 24, 2016          

BigNorsk
(21 points)
Posted by BigNorsk

The swelling is a typical symptom of overuse. Everything can get to be a big cycle and create chronic problems.

It's really beyond my knowledge to help you much except to recommend a place that seems to me to have a lot of good information.

http://www.embouchures.com/index.html Make sure to read the emergency and rehabilitation areas, but there is much more there you will likely find helpful.

Best wishes.


Re: Area on the top lip where the lip and skin meet swelling. How to stop?    10:54 on Thursday, February 25, 2016          

BigNorsk
(21 points)
Posted by BigNorsk

I didn't think of it at the time, but another cause of swelling can be metal sensitivity. Switching to a different material like plastic or gold would tell you. If you are aware of a nickel sensitivity due to jewelry or such that would be a good place to start.


Re: Area on the top lip where the lip and skin meet swelling. How to stop?    20:47 on Friday, April 8, 2016          

phred
(157 points)
Posted by phred

I had a problem like this all during my early years of playing, roughly ages 13-24. It was so bad I'd have to stop practicing for a week at a time. No one ever suggested that it was a metal allergy. I stopped playing for nearly 20 years. When I picked up the horn again, same thing. Tried all sorts, including a brand that said its brass contained no nickel. Nothing would stop it. Finally tried a 14 buck plastic mouth piece just to check the theory that was building. Sure enough, though a horrible mouth piece, all was well. I made the investment in stainless, and loved it. No swelling, no itching, no lack of control, or tingling. I have a great Houser SF mouthpiece that works well on the smaller bore/throat/bell instrument, but my Giardinelli C15 with mid-60's C rim works so much better, that I'm having him cut a custom MP from his collection (sounds like he has almost every Giardinelli MP on file). Give plastic a try to see if this helps.


   




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