I have recently acquired lower braces, and it has made playing much more difficult, especially in the higher registers.

One thing I have particularly been noticing after getting braces was that when reaching for a note that is at the tip of my normal range, I cannot hit it. Rather, my upper lip feels as if it buzzes an octave above the note I aim for, while my lower lip refuses to buzz. I suspect it has to do with my lower braces but am not sure. Is this normal?

I am currently referring to this as single-buzzing, as I do not know what it is actually called. I've heard of a phenomenon where your lips buzz at different frequencies (double-buzzing), but in my case, only one of my lips are buzzing.

Because I am removing my braces in one week, this question is just for me to understand if I can actually hit the higher note rather than for me to fix the problem. However, I'm sure that there are some braces-users on this forum that would also like to know how to fix this problem, so both are welcome.

- :)

I am sure your range will be intact with a little refamiliarization in two weeks.

But that is interesting. Often it feels that the top buzzes and the bottom controls. But that's me! I do not suggest it must be so for anyone else. That the top would buzz up an octave? Very interesting.

Most all of my practice is oriented toward controlling pitch with the resonance of the mouth cavity, determined by the volume behind the teeth, tongue tuned. But I am recently aware of the effect of an upper lip curl, separate from the inner mouth. So this braces effect is interesting, too.

Where both lips vibrate or only one, the uper or lower, was a discousion in the 80th (and before) I let my mpc maker make a special mouthpiece where half of the mpc was blocked. Whit that you could play with just one lip vibrating. The upper ore the lower, both ways worked. But that octave thing did not happend.

baileyman wrote " Often it feels that the top buzzes and the bottom controls. But that's me! I do not suggest it must be so for anyone else. "

Yes that is common, and also the other way around for some players.

toofar wrote "I've heard of a phenomenon where your lips buzz at different frequencies (double-buzzing)."

I say thats is myth. Buzzing includes an opening and closing motion of the lips, if you could make the lips vibrate at different frequencies there would only be a closing when both lips meet.

Yeah, I can confirm that normally my top lip does most of the buzzing and the bottom one controls. Normally, my bottom lip also vibrates a bit, but at the same frequency. However, it feels (although I cannot confirm accuracy) as if my bottom lip is now refusing to buzz with the top lip at the same pitch. As a result, I end up playing a squeaky high note while my lower lip doesn't play at all. I cannot feel it move.

This doesn't happen for all pitches. A Bb3 is fine, up to an Ab4.

If you are clamping your lower lip between the new braces and the mouthpiece rim, it will not vibrate!

Sidenote, there are players who use wax over their braces to prevent them digging into their mouths while playing... maybe look into this.