Ok, a tongue piercing. I have three piercings on my face and i play instruments (instruments involving my face saxophone, king flute...sorta like a bamboo recorder, and trumpet) i have no problems playing with it... honestly i love having facial piercings, i`m not necessarily trying to sway you or anything from your decision, just trying to help you think. i would never actually get a tongue piercing in my life. half of the people i know with tongue piercings have a lisp. long term maintenance for a tongue piercing (long term meaning 5 years and more) you have to take extra care of it. that means mouth wash and brusing 5 times a day. (of course everyone`s saliva has different properties, some with more acidity than others some with less so sometimes some people will have no problems) the tongue piercing is literally the dirtiest piercing because of the mouth having the most bacteria (other than your rectum i suppose), even genetal piercing is more hygenic and heals faster (i guess the body find it reaaaaally important down there :P) for the next few months (2 to 3) u`ll have to carry non alcohol mouth wash wherever you go and use it after every meal, every drink, every candy, or piece of gum chewed.

yes, piercing destroys the nerves on the exact spot where it pierces. if u look at a piercing needle the core of it is hollow, so it takes some flesh with it. for some people if it hits a nerve sometimes it can destroy the surrounding nerve. as any good body piercer will tell you, you have to know how your own body heals to know wether piercing is right for you. if you do go ahead and get it done i`d ask to take a look at the piercer`s portfolio, make sure there are pictures included of healing processes a month after being pierced and not just pictures of piercings done on the day of. ask how many years they have been doing it and don`t necessarily go for the cheaper deal or who your friends got to do their piercings. if you plan to have it for a looooong time, get it done right! some people have been hospitalised from tongue piercings from infection and i have a few aunts who are nurses and they see a whole lot of tongue piercings come through.

seriously research! go to forums like on www.bmezine.com and ask actual body piercers, don`t ask just one, get as many opinions as possible. i don`t know everything about piercings, and i`m not a piercer (although i would like to be one day) you really need to be properly informed about it.

as for your playing, now you know you can destroy a few nerves, there is risk to have a numbness on your tongue. a cousin of mine used to play and had her tongue done and it did inhibit her a bit because she wasn`t comfortable having it done (and her reason to have it done was to rebel against her parents... so the wrong reasons) so if you still want to get it done just know it really can affect your playing because it can rip nerve tissue and your tongue is a muscle. many people pierce lips, faces, eyebrows, surfaces and such.

the only real upside for a tongue piercing to me, is decoration, because they make a helluva lot of vibrating and stroble light attachments for tongue piercings

hope u`ll make the decision that makes you happiest

i just saw this so my post is a little late...but anyways

i think piercings r great...i have 9 myself, only 5 of them visible with clothes on and those are my ears. ive had my tongue pierced for 2 yrs now also have braces, which im getting off in a month, but ive gone to all state for clarinet both of my years with it pierced and it hasnt really affected my playing that much, just make sure u have a few months to heal before u have to play again. i say go for it but do some really in depth research first bmezine.com is the best in my opinion hope everything works out for you

I play bassoon and clarinet i would say you should not get the piercing. Im pretty good at both insturment (not to be stuck up) but I know that it will be akward and i had a friend who had hers pierced and she could not play as well as she could.

But it is up to you.

if it helps, I myself don`t really find piercing attractive, but hell, I`m a music nerd so what can I say? If you like it then you like it, just don`t pierce yourself for others, but yourself. Well, maybe. Others works. well. I just contradicted myself. hmm....

simple answer - if you are serious about pursuing a career in music - don`t do it,

if you just learnt at school are kinda interested in carrying on, but doin`t want to make it your career - GET IT DONE ! ^_^ V

for all you people out there who said "dont do it its gross" STFU she wasnt asking about that she was asking if it affects your playing and if u dont know FROM EXPIERENCE shut up.

anyway

i had a tongue pircing and it was akward for a couple months but once my mouth got used to it, i played the same as before. eventully i got it taken out but thats not because it affected my playing.

get it if u want it (but u probably all ready have/dont have it a year after the fact) but if u cheak this, u have an answer

a word of advice dont get ur tongue peirced. i got mine done months ago and well i was forced to pick between clarinet or my awesome tongue peirceing.

ok, i play the flute and i`m seriously thinking about getting a tongue piercing too, i really want one, but i cant see it affecting ur flute playing and i`ve been playing for 6 years. my friend also plays the clarinet and he wants a tongue piercing and he doesnt see how it would affect his playing, so i rekon, if u want it, go for it. you`ve got nothing to lose because if he does affect ur playing, just take it out, the tongue only takes like 4 days to heal over, and apprently once you`vew gotten used ot having a piercing there, you don`t notice it and you can always take it out while ur playing. so go for it. and email me, u sound like a cool guy. lol.

Why ???
What is the appeal of this currently fashionable but potentially dangerous form of self-mutilation ?
I just cannot see the point of it.