Hi, all - I've noticed that my embouchure - mainly lower lip but upper also - produces a fuzzy tone when in the low humidity of Central Long Island. I use some lip balm - Badger Balm - but maybe I need to pack it on more frequently. Am I alone with these crud lips and fuzz tone or do others "get it"? What do some of you use to control winter dry lips?
fuzzzzzz -- BillG
Low humidity -- fuzzy lip?
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BillG
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Low humidity -- fuzzy lip?
BillG
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Six Ps! (Poor Prior Practice Prevents Proper Performance)
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Six Ps! (Poor Prior Practice Prevents Proper Performance)
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Prospero
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Hi Bill,
I've had this -- and it's very mysterious when it occurs. I've done some conjecturin' on it though. When it is very dry -- and in New Hampshire we've just come out of a crazy arctic cold snap, so the furnace has been drying the place out constantly -- the corks of my Dixon polymer dry out quite noticeabley, so much so that they actually wiggle and leak air, and thus fuzzy lip. I know it's the air leak causing the fuzz because if I take the head joint off and just make a tone with it the tone is fine.
As an aside, it's been my habit to leave the Dixon assembled all the time so I can grab a quick tune whenever -- this practice, I'm sure, has hastened the cork problems. But as soon as the humidity rises, the corks swell back up and the fuzz stops.
I'm also somewhat convinced -- but again, just a beginner here
-- that much of what seems to be "fuzzy lip" is not at the lips, but is rather inefficient tone production due to air leakage, either from bad cork or tiny inaccuracies in covering the holes -- again, try the tooting on the headjoint alone as an experiment .
Alan
I've had this -- and it's very mysterious when it occurs. I've done some conjecturin' on it though. When it is very dry -- and in New Hampshire we've just come out of a crazy arctic cold snap, so the furnace has been drying the place out constantly -- the corks of my Dixon polymer dry out quite noticeabley, so much so that they actually wiggle and leak air, and thus fuzzy lip. I know it's the air leak causing the fuzz because if I take the head joint off and just make a tone with it the tone is fine.
As an aside, it's been my habit to leave the Dixon assembled all the time so I can grab a quick tune whenever -- this practice, I'm sure, has hastened the cork problems. But as soon as the humidity rises, the corks swell back up and the fuzz stops.
I'm also somewhat convinced -- but again, just a beginner here
-- that much of what seems to be "fuzzy lip" is not at the lips, but is rather inefficient tone production due to air leakage, either from bad cork or tiny inaccuracies in covering the holes -- again, try the tooting on the headjoint alone as an experiment .Alan
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mrosenlof
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- Location: Louisville, Colorado, USA
I've spent my entire flute playing "carreer" in Colorado where low himidity is a way of life, especially in the winter...
If you have chapped lips, this can certainly affect your tone. If your fingers are rough and dry, it can affect how well you can seal the tone holes. But the humidity itself should have little or no discernable effect on the tone. If you're not breathing well because of whatever related to the weather, that can do this too.
If you have chapped lips, this can certainly affect your tone. If your fingers are rough and dry, it can affect how well you can seal the tone holes. But the humidity itself should have little or no discernable effect on the tone. If you're not breathing well because of whatever related to the weather, that can do this too.
