Tips for Keeping Your Mouth Clean: Playing the Tuba

Video Transcript

Hi again, Kevin Smith here, Mr. TubaLove, I'm talking now about keeping your mouth clean and moist. This may sound trifling to some of you, but it absolutely is not. Play this instrument. We're blowing air through it all the time. Molecules are rolling around in our mouth. Whatever we've eaten could end up going in there. So, for various reasons, ok. Keep your mouth clean. I used to when I started to play, before I play, I was using like a Lysterine mouthwash to get all the gunk out. And then I found that my mouth was getting like ridiculously dry after a half an hour. And the oral hygienist at the dentist said it's because it's an alcohol based mouthwash. And alcohol will do that. So, if you're going to a mouthwash to freshen up, use one that doesn't have alcohol. Doesn't matter what kind, just get one that says non-alcohol. Obviously, when I play in the morning, I brush my teeth before I start. I use the Arm and Hammer because it's got peroxide in it. It just makes my mouth feel a lot fresher. Things like flossing come in really handy. While you're playing, people, the music, the tuba purists will say don't drink coffee because it's putting all the acids into my instrument. But I love coffee, and there's no way I'm going to stop drinking coffee. Something nice, a nice warm kind of beverage is actually if you want to be drinking. You don't want ice cold water because that'll freeze up your lips. But something warm or just a temperate water. Lime is great. Lime or lemon just right out of here or in the water. You find you're getting dry. Just chomp on the lime, and your mouth will be moister in no time. But anyways, these things are extremely beneficial in helping a tuba player play better.

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