Wet lips?

[PosauneCat]

Whenever people talk about dry vs wet lips I often wonder if the wet lip players are talking about wetting just the red portion of the lips (by simply sliding your tongue quickly between the lips), or completely wetting the upper and lower outer lips (by actually sticking your tongue out and licking top and bottom). I do the former. I don’t think I’ve ever played with anyone who does the full-on “dog tongue” lick, but I hear some people say they do this. Maybe I’m misinterpreting them

I’ve read things about dry lip players using a cloth to actually dry the mpc and lips being a distraction, but I’d say licking your face and horn prior to playing would be a pretty decent distraction as well.

[Doubler]

Moistening the lips seems such a natural thing to do, and I find it more comfortable than using dry lips, which, for me, anyway, feels as if my lips are stuck to the rim of the mouthpiece. Watching someone slurp their chin, cheeks, and nose would be entertaining, for sure, and more than a little bit gross.

[PosauneCat]

Moistening the lips seems such a natural thing to do, and I find it more comfortable than using dry lips, which, for me, anyway, feels as if my lips are stuck to the rim of the mouthpiece. Watching someone slurp their chin, cheeks, and nose would be entertaining, for sure, and more than a little bit gross.

So, by “moistening the lips” do you mean something similar to what I first described? How do you do it? Moisten is different from wet, right?

[Doubler]

So, by “moistening the lips” do you mean something similar to what I first described? How do you do it? Moisten is different from wet, right?

Yes, just the red part. My lips seem to need the flexibility and mobility that dry lips don't provide when shaping the embouchure. It's just a natural, automatic process, a term much more complicated than the actual uhhhh... process. And yes, moisten is different from wet. No point in slobbering all over yourself.

[robcat2075]

I'm a habitual lip-licker anyway so I'd feel dry if I stopped when I was playing trombone.

[Jimprindle]

I never thought of it very much. I just pick up the horn and play. But when I was studying with Jeff Reynolds, in the mid-70s, he advocated running your tongue over the mouthpiece rim several times before playing. I think it just made him more comfortable and more relaxed when he was about to play.

I tried it, but didn’t seem to make much difference for me.

[Doug Elliott]

Wet the outside where the rim sits, and the vibrating surface. It helps a number of things.