lip scar tissue

[andrew the tuba player]

I have a trombone playing friend that was involved in a really bad bicycle/car hit and run (with him being the rider). This was about a year and a half ago and he's recovered very well.

But one of the injuries he sustained was his top lip was torn about a half inch clean through under the left side of his nose. They were able to stitch it back together but there is scar tissue covering the area now. This presents a big problem when trying to create an embocher. Before the accident he was pretty good. But now he has a hard time getting a good tone and transitioning notes. The worst is G in the staff. He has to force a lot of air though to even get it to sound. He had the same results with a euphonium. We figured trying different instruments with smaller and larger rims would help. But he had the same issue with my 52j. He did have some success with a french horn and mellophone.

I have seen some custom mouthpieces around with different shaped rims and different materials and I was wondering with maybe a more oval shaped rim may take pressure off of the scar tissue.

I just wanted to see if anyone here had seen or experienced the same thing and could offer some advise. Even things like therapy or rebuilding an embocher would help. We've been really looking forward to playing since I got out of the military so I'd like to find some way to help him out.

[Doug Elliott]

I have made custom rims to accommodate scar tissue, it can work very well. I learned how to do that when I needed it myself because I fell on my face and put a tooth into my lip.

Also I give lessons by Skype to fix embouchure issues.

[andrew the tuba player]

Really? That's really cool. I'll have to ask him about the lessons.

How do you build the mouthpieces? I've seen some that were made of shaped plastic or hard silicone.

[Doug Elliott]

Grind a scoop out of the rim surface where the scar is, so it relieves the pressure. It actually feels completely normal.

[andrew the tuba player]

That makes sence. I thought maybe cutting out a section and replacing it with silicone to relieve the pressure but your way would be better. I didn't think of accommodating the extra size.

I will talk to him about the lessons as well. This should be a big help.

[MaryAnn]

Depending on how close to the center the scar tissue is, he can also likely learn to play with the mouthpiece off to the side. Some very accomplished players do not play with the mouthpiece in the middle, but way off to the side. Just depends on whether he can get away from the scar tissue enough to where it doesn't get in the way.

[andrew the tuba player]

His is right under the left side of his nose, less than half an inch from center. So I don't think the mouthpiece would fit if he played it off center. That's why the French horn worked so much better. That was the only rim small enough to not be effected by it. Thanks for the advise though.

[Jack Denniston]

I had jaw surgery about a year ago. They had to completely split the center of my bottom lip vertically. They did a good job stitching it up, but there is a scar inside and out. It took awhile, but my playing is about back to where it was before the surgery. A couple things helped. When I started playing tuba again I consulted with 2 local tuba profs. (Dennis Askew and Andy Smith). Per their very good and much appreciated advice, I spent a lot of time on fundamentals - breathing right, moving lots of air, playing long soft tones in the middle register, firm corners and relax everything else, focusing on moving air and not concerning myself with what my lips were doing or how they felt. Over a period of about 6 months as playing became more comfortable and sounded better, I very gradually expanded my range and volume. Second, on the advice of my physical therapists, I massage the scar line daily - put my thumb inside my mouth and my forefinger outside, squeeze firmly and move things around. Third, I got a lot of good ideas and encouragement from a David Vining's collection of short stories by musicians who have recovered from injuries to enjoy making music again. I hope things go well for your friend.