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About the Wedge
The Wedge mouthpiece for trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba is a revolutionary new design that provides a more biomechanically efficient interface between you and your instrument, improving the performance of the majority of players who try it. You play it just like any other mouthpiece, but with better results. Players from all styles, from orchestral to jazz or lead, are playing and endorsing the Wedge mouthpiece because it is an effective tool that makes their job easier.
Wedge mouthpieces have been steadily gaining in popularity since their introduction in November 2007, with a growing list of endorsing artists and hundreds of satisfied repeat customers. Most of the players who try the Wedge tell us it is the best mouthpiece they have ever played.
This blog is dedicated to sharing the latest developments in Wedge mouthpieces and to provide a forum for people who want to ask questions or share experiences about this unique new design. As a medical doctor I will also post articles about medical conditions of interest to brass players from time to time.
For complete information about Wedge mouthpieces visit the Wedge website or check us out on Facebook by clicking on the links below.
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Wedge Mouthpieces
Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba
Passing out from high notes: Part 1 - Common Causes
From time to time someone asks my medical opinion about why players sometimes pass out while trying to play high notes. The fact that I am a medical doctor, mouthpiece designer, and trumpet player suggests that I should be able to easlily explain what is happening. The physiology involved is quite complex, but here is the condensed version of what is usually going on. It is not as simple and needing to breathe more to prevent “stale air”.
Generating the air flow required to play in the upper register generally requires high intrathoracic (inside the chest) pressures. This high pressure has several effects.
1. Return of blood from other parts of the body above and below the chest is slowed down, so less blood enters the large blood vessels leading to the heart, and the heart itself.
2. Pressure is exerted on the chambers of the heart, reducing their filling even more.
3. As a result the heart pumps less blood, resulting in the brain not getting sufficient blood.
4. Too little blood getting to the brain can cause the player to feel light headed, or to nearly or completely black out or faint. The medical term for a loss of consciousness like this is syncope.
That more or less sums up what is usually going on when you get light headed while playing high notes. Stay tuned to read about what players sometimes do to make the problem worse, and more importantly what they can do to prevent it from happening.
Cheers,
Dave
