TromboneChat

I switched to bass some months ago and have found that an excessive amount of "condensation" (can I just say spit?) now forms on my lips and environs, no matter where I place the mouthpiece. Holding the horn in a way that seems to reduce the spit a little isn't an option, given the weight of the horn. I asked a good bass player and my teacher (tenor/alto) and neither had an answer. I don't recall this being a problem on tenor.

If it's water on the inside of the horn, it's just whatever you have in your lungs. If it's on the outside (environs?), then maybe you don't have a good seal around the mouthpiece.

I figured that the mouthpiece wasn't quite in the right position. Given the weight of the horn, holding it out parallel to the ground doesn't seem feasible. What would a possible solution be?

Some cup shapes tend to collect water instead of going through. You might have to get used to tipping the horn down occasionally to let it drain into the horn.

I find I generated a great deal more "condensation" when playing in the low register. If I'm covering tuba parts, I have quite a puddle built up at the end of a two hour rehearsal.

Don't let ergonomics dictate your horn angle. Find the right angle for your embouchure, then adjust the horn with grips & counterweights (plus left arm strengthening). Or an ergobone. Or a bent mouthpiece shank.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions,

Since you make it clear that what you are facing is wetness of the lips there are two things that come to mind: first, practice scales and arpeggios or any patterns you like the start in the pedal register, go up one or two octaves and back down, in all keys. Hopefully you will start to feel more comfortable playing in the middle and upper registers with wet lips. (It can be done.)

Second, when I feel like I'm getting too "slippery" I use rests to give my chops a quick wipe with my hand. This was the case last Saturday during a demanding performance where humidity was up, no air conditioning in the building, and I was also sweating which compounded the problem.

Normally I would consider myself a "wet" player but sometimes too much is too much. If your condensation is excessive to the point of making it difficult to sound your best, you might need to wipe it off when time allows. The other option is to get used to it. Many players have.

Oh, yeah--I have to keep some Kleenex handy at all times when playing. It's not affecting my sound, far as I know, but spit and I are not simpatico. Plus I don't remember it being a problem before. Then again, I can barely remember 5 minutes ago, so who knows.

I would avoid Kleenex. It comes apart when too wet, and then it’s a pain to pick off your lips. If you need to, use a medium- or dark-colored towel to pat (not wipe) the lips dry when there’s too much saliva. Don’t use a white handkerchief or towel. I believe it was Denis Wick who said something like using a white handkerchief is like waving a red flag in bullfight.

The condensation thing? When I play, I usually have to empty the F and Gb crooks every hour or so even with my open-wrap horn. I’ve always generated a lot of condensation/moisture/spit. Puddles. Ponds. Lakes. Less now that I rarely use a spray bottle. (Either Trombotine worked in very well, or UltraPure Alessi formula.) You get used to it. At the end of a rehearsal or a practice session, I try to pull the crooks and hold the bell section down and circle it slowly around. They don’t gurgle per se while I’m playing, they just feel slightly “off,” or not stable.

I’ve seen some horns, usually early 20th Century German-style bass trombones where the F-crook loops above the left hand and then goes back towards the second loop, that have had a spit valve put on the low part of the 1st loop or crook. It’s usually a 20th C. add-on. Rather rare, I think.

Luckily, my lips aren't THAT wet. Just wet enough to embarrass and disgust me. I've long wished there was something Kleenexoid in black, but if such exists, I've never seen it.

In college, long before I ever imagined I'd play the sliphorn, I went into a room as the trombone choir was leaving. Frogman fins might have been appropriate, and I just do not believe it's condensation. And some years ago, a reporter in the Washington Post was interviewing a trombonist. As you can imagine, all she wanted to ask about was the spit valve. Snort.

Plenty of microfiber absorbent cloths out there. Many made for cleaning screens. There are fantastic options from Japan where it is really humid in the summer and EVERyBODY has a nice little washcloth like thing to take up some sweat.

Cheers,
Andy

elmsandr wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 5:25 am Plenty of microfiber absorbent cloths out there.

Maybe have Beardo make a microfiber version?

Beardo, eh? As a child, I had a fortune-telling game. One question was "How can I get rich?" and one answer was "Invent something cheap that everyone needs." If only I'd listened.

LanceHandsome wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2023 8:20 pm I've long wished there was something Kleenexoid in black, but if such exists, I've never seen it.

I used to play a fair amount of racquetball, and despite looking like a dork, always wore a wristband for the sweat. They were black.
Heck, I'd look like a dork either way.

Same here. My avatar here used to say "Not quite as pictured."