crowmadic

I've been trying different size mouthpieces in a relatively short period of time. Consequently, I've messed-up my chops. My lower teeth even dug into my lower lip at one point, leaving some irritation. What should I do to gain my chops back again until I find a professional who can direct me to the appropriate mouthpiece for me, or make me a custom one. These are the mouthpiece sizes I have at my disposal now: 1, 3C, 5C, 7, 7C, 17C, and one BSC Fl flugelhorn mouthpiece.

Annie

You didn't mess up your chops, I can guaruntee that. It's hard to do unless you slice one of them in half.

How long did you play on each mouthpiece? Just a few minutes? Or did you try one for a day, then another, and so on?

One of the best ways to find a good mouthpiece is to have a good selection of mouthpieces, like you have, and find the one that is the most comfortable that produces the best sound/flexibility for you. This will make it easier for you to tackle any style of music.

A good way to see if a mouthpiece is good for you is to play the same passage of music when comparing the mouthpieces - doing lip flexibilities and practicing attacks on them also helps too. Also, remember - you're changing mouthpieces, and sometimes it takes time to get used to the one you want use.

Solar Bell

I would suggest going back to whatever mouthpiece you were using before you started all of this.

Then find a pro and do it right.

-cw-

Tootsall

And Sell All The Others!

crowmadic

I guess I'm rushing to find the perfect equipment for me, and forgetting it takes time, time better spent practicing with what works best at the moment. Thanks to all...............tom

FreshBrewed

What he said.

rowuk

If you can get a reasonable sound out of your 7C - use it. Forget for at least a year that other mouthpieces are out there. Face muscles are much more resilient than the human brain. You will be OK.
If the irritation continues, you need to disinfect - Cognac works for me!

uatrmpt

Pick a mouthpiece (my suggestion is 5C or 3C), take a week off to let your chops forget about all of the recent changes, then start over...slowly.

crowmadic

I'm going to find it hard to stay off the chops for a week, but the 3C & Cognac sounds managable........thanks, tom

daveythewavey19

My teacher once told me a good way to fix the chops, at the end of practice, decend chromaticaly from middle G down to C holding each note as long as and as loudly as you can while still maintaining a steady tone. (Breath between notes) I do this all the time now after every practice and it works well for me. But keep in mind, this is for the END of practice. No more playing after doing it because it doesn't do any good that way.