hey, u wanna know what sucks? i get braces on june 22. I just want to know 1 thing, do braces affect my playing? i'm pretty sure it'll also affect my ombrature (not good at spelling hehe) but will it affect my sound at all? is there any others here who play the flute and if there are, i need advice. i'm pretty sure it wont mess up the sound because one of the saxophone players got braces near the last day of school and he had to play his sax the next day and it didn't affect it at all! and he has to stick something in his mouth and i don't so i'm pretty sure it wont screw up the sound, just want to make sure.

always,
courtney

you need to adjust, play with a relaxed embouchure and the braces should not get in your way, many of my many students over the years have had braces and done just fine...practice in small units at first to re-build the muscle memory in your lips...

thanks patrick. also i have a band practice the tuesday after that. i'm going into high school and i have to make these practices. so i should get alot of practice and i mean A LOT of practice.

my parents say it shouldn't hurt real bad the day of practice, i'm just worried about the sound and my embracure. thanks lera and patrick.

Lera,

What are breases?? sounds like a bra for your teeth...and it will not be torture at the beginning, so don't tell her that, Micron is correct, if the lips are not pulled tightly against the teeth in the first place, there should not be too much discomfort...

If one plays with a relaxed embouchure braces should not be a huge problem...

bra for ur teeth? lol patrick again i repeat myself, ur scaring me lol

not that I have had any stuck in my teeth (ahem...)right Joe?

Don't worry. If you have to play the flute the day after you get braces, it will be difficult because of the pain in your mouth that comes with getting braces. If you have to play in band, make sure you take pain relieve medicine (Tylonol[spelling?]). I have experienced this before. If you just get braces for the top of your teeth, it will be fine just sore from the braces pressure. If you get it on the bottom, you will most likely hardly be able to play the next day due to the pain since you can't eat. You will get use to it. Just tuck you teeth (or braces) on the bottom of your mouth when you play, after you get use to the feel of your braces (and the pain is gone). Good luck with the pain and your flute playing.

thanks guys. and patrick, i so believe u never had braces on. *wink wink* lol

Ive been playing for 8 years, and i had braces for 5 of those. It will take some getting used to, because the embouchure is slightly different. But, overall, braces dont affect your playing too much. As long as u practice on a reg basis, you'll adjust. Be careful not to press your flute into your chin too much. I tend to do that when i am nervous and i bloodied my mouth i dont know how many times during concerts because of the braces. When u get them off u will notice a big change in your tone. You kinda have to pull your top lip over your braces to get the right embouchure, but when u get your braces off your tone will improve a lot. Good luck! And dont let the braces hold u back!

my dad had braces on for the same amount of time. why did u have to have them on for so long? i dont remember y my dad had them on that long but still

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also that's gotta be embarassing to have your mouth bleed in a concert lol. sry that happened lol

when i first started to play flute, i had braces. when i got them off, i had to relearn how to play, but i sounded so much better. its not hard to play with braces, just takes some getting used to.

i wouldnt worry about it, i've had braces for a year now and a getting them off soon, the sound is usually ok apart from sometimes goes a bit fuzzy after its been tightened for a day or two. It just takes getting used to

i also asked my new assistant band director last night if it affects my sound and she said a little and i just have to adjust my embrachure. pretty much what you all are saying. braces are gonna suck i mean every1 i know who have braces say take plenty of tylenol lol. i have to have them for at least 2 years. haha thats a real good way to start high school, being one of the nerdiest looking ones there lol. i also wear glasses and can't wear contacts cause one eye has perfect vision and i'm legally blind in the other eye. so i'm gonna have a real hard time in high school. omg i cant wait to be made fun of by the seniors lol. i'm gonna be made fun of because i'm gonna be a freshman anyway who cares anyway if i'm made fun of, not me hehe. sry hyper as i was writing this lol.

Braces=evil

they ruined my flute tone for a bit D:

I just had to play easy stuff to get back my tone.

btw, i got my braces when i still had a student flute and got them off in april. yay!