I have braces on now, and i noticed that they keep me from playing higher notes, and when im done playing at the end of band class, i literally have to peel my teeth from my lips because they dig in so much

Any tips?

i feel your pain, i have had braces since the 7th grade and im in the 9th now. try getting one of those mouth guards at a local music store. if you have aol instant messenger my sn is cheesehead1442

Well, I started playing when I alreadt had braces so I didn`t know what it was like to play w/o them until about a year ago. My advice: don`t get the mouthguard unless it`s really chopping up your lips. After awhile, the inside of your lips will callus over and it won`t hurt anymore. Then, when you get the braces off, high high range baby, oh yesssss.

A bit late for you, but for anyone reading out of interest, "invisalign" braces are the bomb for brass players. They are alittle more expensive than regular braces but because they are a removable device they are great for players! They are in the form of a vey thin mouth gaurd made of a clear plastic and I find it possible to play on without taking them out, (unless its an important gig where i do.) This takes a bit of getting use to, but its much easier than a mouth full of wire! And no cut lips!!!

dont matter now, just got good news, BRACES ARE COMING OFF APRIL 19th!!!!!!!

That will happen. I just water my lips and get somthing to drink before playing the trumpet

I`ve played with braces for about a 1 1/2 years now. I`m a junior in high school. I tried using a mouthguard when I started but found it had a negative effect on my tone and articulation. Also, since I`ve stopped using it, my lips have built up a resistance to them. Yes, it is tough, but give them time and your mouth will get used to them.

yeah, braces truly are a problem, especially when you are going to solo fest with a level six solo and you barely have the stamina to keep up with the high notes. I would sound like an adult here, but practice really does help, even more so if you have something like the Arbans. my sn is psychoperson3. but I do have some good news, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to geico...oh and I get my braces off sometime in april as well : D.

This year in 8th grade I became first chair. (out of 11 trumpets) Then I got braces. I`m still first chair but I started putting wax on the front of my teeth so I wouldn`t cut my lips. This really looks nasty. :S I was trying to get my lips used to not using wax but i keep cutting my lips. I have to play a bunch of solos and don`t have time for my lips to heal. What do I do in a short period of time to fix my problem? I have atleast a year left with these troublemakers. I would like to fix my problem during Spring Break. (which is in a week and lasts a week) I want to be okay before the new marching season begins. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to hear ur getting rid of them, braces are a pain! U would adjust to them though. congrats though!!!

Hi i`m a sixth grader who started playing trumpet at the beggining of the school year. I got braces about a day or two ago. I tried playing today and it hurt like heck. I could still play high notes but it took A LOT of work. I have a fieldtrip for band tommorow, but it`s like i`m starting again. I still know the fingering, but i still need a lot of work on tune, dynamics, and all that other stuff. I know there are more of you out there who it is probobly worse for, so please tell me if you have any comments or answers.

Thx

Dustin

If you have braces, the best thing to do...

You can buy this soft wax stuff and you put it over your braces, it takes a while to get used to (I have never attempted it, I`ve had other players in my section try it though), and it is supposed to keep the braces from cutting into your lips. I have no clue waht the stuff is called, haven`t seen anyone use it since I was in high school.

I use wax on my braces. You can get it at the orthodontist office. It works really good. Just don`t put too much on, just enough so that your braces don`t rub your lips. I put it on my two front top teeth and bottom two front teeth. Without wax I can play up to a C on the staff. With wax, I can play above a G sitting on the staff. I can now play the range I was playing before braces. Good luck with whatever your decision is!

I have a 7th grade trumpet student that just got braces. If anyone has any good suggestions for how I should continue teaching him, warm up ideas or ways to monitor his progress to make sure he doesn`t injure himself, I would be very grateful. I`m a senior by the way. Thanks.


Luke

I am in 8th grade and one of my 7th grade friends told me how to get my lips to callus over. She said that she would practice in the morning (during homeroom), play during band practice, and then practice about 30 minutes at home each day. So she plays about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours each day. She said it took about a week for them to be okay. It may hurt a bit at first but it will be well worth it in the long run. Many people have said that they can play really high once they get their braces off because of the callus. I am going to try her method over Spring Break. Hope this helps your student. Best of luck! (and if you don`t want a callus try using wax on his teeth.)