From: Jeff
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2004 9:26 PM
Subject: lost high range after getting crowns- help!
Hi Dr. Mouthpiece,
I've been playing lead trumpet on your Studio Master LT6 for
several years. I chose this piece after Mrs. Stork sent me a dozen
different pieces to try. I love the mouthpiece, and I used to have a
serviceable double C with it. Then, about two years ago I chipped my
right central incisor. I had to get a crown put on because there was
too much of the tooth gone. I also had a crown put on the lateral
incisor next to it, because the enamel was cracked. I was naturally
very concerned about the effect these would have on my trumpet
playing, and I shared these concerns with my dentist. She said she
would make the crowns as close to the shape of the old teeth as
possible. She made some temporaries for me to wear while the lab
made the permanent porcelain crowns, and they were fine. No
difference in range/ response at all. However, when I got the
permanents put on, it
was like taking 15 years off my playing ability. My range dropped by
a 5th at least, and my endurance was severely decreased. I had her
take them off and make some new ones that were not as thick, but that
didn't help much. After two years of work I have my endurance and
tone back, but my range is still stuck around a 3rd or 4th below what
it used to be.
I'm not sure, but I think maybe the crowns are slightly thicker than
my natural teeth and they may be pinning my lips against the rim of
the mouthpiece. I try to play with less pressure than before and that
helps some, but I'm wondering what, if any,
mouthpiece changes you could recommend. Wider inner diameter? Deeper
cup? A V cup? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been
playing trumpet for 28 years, and I want to get back to where I used
to be.
Thank you,
Jeff
The Woodlands, TX
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for your inquiry. I think that you’ve hit the nail on the head where the crowns are concerned. I speak from experience here, as I have been through this same set of circumstances myself. I‘ve had a crown on my front, top tooth since I was about nine (my brother tackled me from behind running down a hallway!) When I was seventeen, I had managed to abscess my bottom front teeth from grinding them at night. This required surgery. It was my dentist's idea to change the crown at the same time since it was by then small for the rest of my mouth. Well, the cap he put on made me look like Kukla (remember that buck toothed dragon of Kukla, Fran and Ollie??) I struggled along for many years, even though I had managed to make it into Juilliard, until I decided to at least try to make the cap look more natural. I found a local dentist who worked with me to slowly carve the cap down to where it began to feel comfortable, modeling it after my natural front tooth. Every time we took a bit off, it completely changed where the mouthpiece would rest. This became quite scary, because every tiny alteration would feel so different and sometimes horribly uncomfortable. Fortunately, I eventually found a configuration that I was content with (I was also running out of carving room!)
It is crystal clear to me at this “bank and shoal of time”, that there is no doubt that that oversized cap had completely shut down the vibrations. To this day, I wear this incredibly ugly crown because with it I can pick up the horn at any time and play better than I had played during the time I struggled with the whole mess. Sound and range just flow out of the horn and it feels great. My current dentist tries to assure me that he can make a flawless copy and that there is no reason for me to have this incredibly ugly thing in my mouth, but I won't fall for that one again. Playing the horn is too precious to me to risk it all for looks, and hey, I'm happily married, why should I risk it?
I do often wonder from this vantage point, if I did change the crown, would proper playing technique combined with the great balance in equipment that I enjoy now carry the day; or would I be back to square one. I can tell you one thing for certain. I have seen all kinds of players with all kinds of dental configurations manage to play really well. People whose teeth you would think would make the playing of the instrument prohibitive, but who are so obviously adept at working the internal tools of trumpet playing (ie., tongue arch, syllables, projection of air, in other words the core of solid playing technique) that the teeth have seemingly no impact at all. Herein, I believe lies the point of departure for your personal quest. Unless you are of a mind to start experimenting with the infinite contours of your teeth, you are now in the same position as most of the rest of the world. You are stuck with what you have been given. What is needed now is a review of your technique and equipment.
I would have to say, that my first suspicion is that something has crept into your technique as a result of the trauma that you have experienced. The most natural thing for players in your position to do, is to wind up shutting down the air. This can result from one or a combination of normal reactions to dental problems. One common reaction is to try to use less pressure, a very good thing, no doubt. However, along with this good intention, players will often end up over-puckering the lips leaving the aperture wide open which in turn forces the throat to close reflexively in an attempt to control the flow of air. This is, of course, not a positive playing technique. This type of playing flaw, which is among the most obvious to detect, is not by any means the only one likely to emerge. Unfortunately, many players cannot recognize these flaws in themselves without some outside help.
Another possibility is that your technique for playing in the upper register may need tweaking in light of your current situation. Different types of physiologies require different approaches to successful playing.
Finally, the mouthpiece may need tweaking to help create some extra velocity or to capture the vibration of your lips in a slightly different manner to reach the higher notes. In all cases, playing the range from the G above the staff to the double C is a combination of technique and physics. The problem is that one can't exist with out the other. If you are doing all the required things, but the mouthpiece is not set up properly, these notes just won’t happen. On the other hand, if the mouthpiece is ready to go, and the player either has no concept of the technique required to play in that register, or the wrong concept, the notes likewise won’t emerge. In my experience, in most cases where players have lost range due to some major trauma, not only have small flaws crept into their approach, but the player has fixated on some aspect of their playing technique for the upper register that they understood at the time of their success to be the cornerstone of their playing. When this element is no longer producing the desired result, most often the player reacts by “upping the ante”. Doing whatever it was far more than could ever possibly be useful, either then or now.
Let's talk about exactly what is going on with you when you try to go into the extended upper register and see if we can get a better feel for where you are right now. We can follow up with some mouthpieces sent out on trial for you to "audition" if we decide that that's what's required, or we can just talk over some technique issues. In any case, I will be looking forward to working with you!
Dr. Mouthpiece
