Posted by Mary Ann on May 02, 2001 at 10:16:30:
In Reply to: lip ring (not piercing!) posted by **Lucky Cat** on May 02, 2001 at 09:58:55:
There are lots of possiblities for the red ring besides pressure:
If it has a sharp inner rim, then you can try to find a mouthpiece that does not have such a sharp edge. Get one with a very smooth edge, so it won't leave a mark. It will make articulation a little harder, but slurs a little easier.
You might also be a little allergic to the metal, and it's only showing up as a ring. Is your rim rough? If you're not allergic to nail polish, you can try dipping the rim in nail polish to do two things: 1) it will take the metal out of contact with your skin, and 2) it will smooth it up if it's rough.
Other than those, you can always have a (new) mouthpiece gold-plated, for both the smoothness and the allergy problems. But it has to be a new mouthpiece, because the gold won't stick to anything but a brand new surface.
Maybe you need a narrower cup, too....not shallow, just more narrow. Since most tuba players are great big males, the mouthpiece designs are for great big male mouths, and if it "sets" on parts of your face that it doesn't "set" on for a big man, you could be in contact with it in places that it wasn't really designed to contact you.
There, that should be enough possiblities to keep you busy for a while.