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I have been using ChopSaver and it does keep my lips moisturized and the contact with the mouthpiece a little slick, as I like it. However, there are a couple problems with it:
1--it is very inconsistent----sometimes it is nice and slick, others it is dry and breaks off in pieces
2--it leaves a mess in the mouthpiece, particularly the throat.

My question is: Is there anything you have found that is better?
I was looking for a music stand a while back and, mixed in with listings for the stands in one of the catalogs, was a stick which supposedly left no residue on the lips nor on the mouthpiece. Sadly, I meant to go back to it to order one and couldn't find it again!

I've wondered if anyone ever lubes their lips while playing but have never known anyone that has. Is lubricating your face with something more than saliva a thing? I know one tuba player that plays with an absolutely dry face.

Try a stainless steel mouthpiece. They're nice and slick. Gold plating is another option.

A nice fresh shave with a sharp blade and plenty of hydration before playing keeps my contact with the MP just right. Joe Hunter

bloke wrote:Using salves and greases on the lips was a huge fad back in the '70's.
I don't really think it's a good idea.
Would you consider - as an experiment - weaning yourself off of it, and see if you do OK without it?



One particularly in vogue was this... Surely, not a very good thing to continuously use...(??)

Some of you know I've been directing a brass band festival in SW Colorado now for 35 years. The humidity is often in the single figures and at nearly 10 thousand feet not much natural UV protection. "Carmex" for decades had been a chosen treatment by many tourists who frequent the area. But those who continued there have realized that "Carmex" in particular creates a problem with the bodies natural lubrication fluids. The more it is used on the lips, the less natural lubrication the body produces, almost to a point that it will eventually create an "addiction" to the "Carmex." Not particularly a wise thing for brass players. We recommend that our players, if they must, use something more like a Vitamin E product, or even some of the more benign "Burt's Bees" sticks.

It is really easy to cook your chops at the high altitude venues. On one of the early seasons back in the '80s, I was slated to do a tuba solo with the brass band. From Minnesota to Silverton, CO is about 1200 miles and roughly 24 hours of rubber on the road time. Driving across Nebraska, Kansas and Eastern Colorado resulted in dry and burned chops. But it was not that problematic immediately. By the 3rd day, my chops were like a bratwurst where the sausage was cooked and the skin contracted. It was so tight I could not manage notes below the middle of the staff. The solution was a bit painful in its own right, but desperation forced me to be creative. "Dermabrasion" is a process where the skin is roughed up and the top layer of epidermis worn down or to some degree even removed. Fine sandpaper did the trick. The soft pink skin underneath was tender, but it did vibrate appropriately and I was able to play, albeit that I needed to use vasiline to protect it from infection. These days I use a sunscreen and drive the high plains after dark and miss the windshield sun and the left arm trucker's tan.

At the opposite end of things, living in Minnesota has problems created by winter conditions with sub zero temps and low humidity. Chap lips are nasty, so some sort of stick helps a bit. I find myself reluctant to use one though, as it seems almost impossible to get the residue off the chops prior to playing. I hate those greasy lips as I'm pretty much a dry embouchure guy. But in extreme conditions I will use something.

groovlow wrote:A nice fresh shave with a sharp blade and plenty of hydration before playing keeps my contact with the MP just right. Joe Hunter

Funny--I have not shaved in 40 years, save monthly trips to my barber for a haircut and beard trim.
Someone else suggested stainless steel mouthpiece: I use a SS Selmansberger as my primary mouthpiece.

I like a little slippery feeling on the mouthpiece and my lips chap easily, which is why I have used ChopSaver for these years. Something w/o a lot of residue is what I want, while still keeping lubricated a little.

scottw wrote:I have been using ChopSaver and it does keep my lips moisturized and the contact with the mouthpiece a little slick, as I like it. However, there are a couple problems with it:
1--it is very inconsistent----sometimes it is nice and slick, others it is dry and breaks off in pieces
2--it leaves a mess in the mouthpiece, particularly the throat.

My question is: Is there anything you have found that is better?
I was looking for a music stand a while back and, mixed in with listings for the stands in one of the catalogs, was a stick which supposedly left no residue on the lips nor on the mouthpiece. Sadly, I meant to go back to it to order one and couldn't find it again!

Try Blister DCT. It works wonders, saves chops, can be, in appropriate doses, able to stay on your lips while you play, and it is smooth and has no crumbling or whatsoever. The only slight issue with it is that when I keep it in my pocket for a while the DCT tends to semi-liquidify, and become more fluid like. Just take it out of your pocket or stick it in a refrigerator for 10 minutes and you're good. Another tuba friend of mine introduced it to me and since then I have wondered how i even got by with chapstick. It is the best stuff on the market, period. If you buy any, get a 3,6, or 12 pack. Not saying that you burn through them fast, but you get a good deal on them. i got the 12 pack for 22 dollars on amazon. Look into it.

Do your homework on these loip balm products. Many (including ones mentioned here) have chemicals that cause the body to become reliant upon them. (By some reports that can be permanent) It may not seem like a big deal, but extended use causes issues when one tries to stop using them.

I, like Paul have lived and played at high altitudes and dry climates for many years. Someone (I can't remember who...and even if I did, I wouldn't out them for this...) recommended Lansinoh--a high-purity lanolin product for...well...breastfeeding mothers. It doesn't take much to work and it's tenacious--I only apply it twice or three times a day throughout the winter here in Idaho (read: <10 deg F and <10% relative humidity). It doesn't have any menthol, sunscreen, paraffin, etc... And, when spring comes along I don't seem to have problems with "withdrawal" that I hear from Carmex users.

I don't think this is tongue-in-cheek---I think!
http://www.lipbalmanonymous.com/2014/01 ... addiction/" target="_blank

I read this one too Scott. Makes ya wonder. Maybe good ol' bacon grease is the best choice.

I had the great pleasure of attending a two-day trombone festival featuring Dug Yeo as the guest artist. He did a couple of mini recitals and solo performances with ensembles and he was more or less constantly putting something on his lips while playing. I didn't get a chance to ask him about it but a little internet digging says he uses Vaseline.

the elephant wrote:

I hardly know if I like the pink tube or the pink nails better!

I think some folks replying get the idea I want this because my lips are chapped/cracked. That happens sometimes, but I just prefer the contact between lips and mouthpiece to be a little slick. I do not want medicated lip balms, but I also do not want globs of residue clogging the mouthpiece; this rules out Vaseline, BagBalm [great for when lips really are sore, but not for playing] and, ChopSaver, I am finding.