Tone problems long after wisdom tooth removal

ttf_davdud101 · Post by **ttf_davdud101** » Sat Jul 22, 2017 11:16 am

Hey, guys!
I had my wisdom teeth removed perhaps two years ago now (there's even a thread about it). They knicked a nerve that caused me to lose the majority of feeling in my right bottom lip, making me at the time unable to play for a long while. It took a solid while before I got my tone back in any respectable regard. After a lot of working things out, I could play higher and with a BETTER sound than before.
However, I'm noticing lately more and more that I'm getting a degrade in tone quality at low volumes because a very small section of the very tip of the part that lost feeling seems to be vibrating involuntarily when I'm playing quietly. This is WAY more apparent on small mouthpieces, unfortunately, because smaller mouthpieces make it more difficult to get a rich velevety sound by default, so compound that with the fact that something is actually ACTIVELY making my tone worse and... ouchies.
This is of course to say it's taking the biggest toll on my small bore-playing, and even moreso, my trumpet-playing. It's like it's either GOT to be loud to sound nice, or I have to risk playing with bad tone.

Anyone experienced something similar? What can I do?

ttf_Doug Elliott · Post by **ttf_Doug Elliott** » Sat Jul 22, 2017 11:57 am

My guess is that when playing more loudly you use more mouthpiece pressure, and that pressure is what clears up your sound. Then when you play soft you back off the pressure and your sound suffers. Try using the same (more) pressure all the time, so it gives more control over that part of your lip.

ttf_davdud101 · Post by **ttf_davdud101** » Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:22 pm

Quote from: Doug Elliott on Jul 22, 2017, 11:57AMMy guess is that when playing more loudly you use more mouthpiece pressure, and that pressure is what clears up your sound. Then when you play soft you back off the pressure and your sound suffers. Try using the same (more) pressure all the time, so it gives more control over that part of your lip.

Whaddya know! Doug I was hoping and counting on your reply, and your solution is exactly what solved/is solving my problem. I'll have to work on being conscious of how much pressure I'm using, as it seems I've fallen to the ruse of "no-pressure playing" of late.

Thanks a lot!

EDIT: Strangely enough, by commiting to using what felt like 10% more pressure in my general playing, my tone quality on the trumpet was better than its been in MONTHS. It felt like butter, from like F# all the way up yo D over high C. I knew I was doing something wrong!

ttf_davdud101 · Post by **ttf_davdud101** » Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:22 pm

Quote from: Doug Elliott on Jul 22, 2017, 11:57AMMy guess is that when playing more loudly you use more mouthpiece pressure, and that pressure is what clears up your sound. Then when you play soft you back off the pressure and your sound suffers. Try using the same (more) pressure all the time, so it gives more control over that part of your lip.

Whaddya know! Doug I was hoping and counting on your reply, and your solution is exactly what solved/is solving my problem. I'll have to work on being conscious of how much pressure I'm using, as it seems I've fallen to the ruse of "no-pressure playing" of late.

Thanks a lot!

EDIT: Strangely enough, by commiting to using what felt like 10% more pressure in my general playing, my tone quality on the trumpet was better than its been in MONTHS. It felt like butter, from like F# all the way up yo D over high C. I knew I was doing something wrong!