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Another topic that was actually groundbreaking to discuss in The Art of French Horn Playing was that of lip moisture, that is, playing with wet or dry lips. It is in reality another hot topic of horn and brass playing and most published sources are pretty strongly in favor of wet lips. Looking at them all, though, the coverage is a bit one sided.Why is that the case? I think it is because it is perceived as the right answer to say wet lips are better.
On paper, wet lips sounds like the correct approach
Conventional wisdom is that you will be able to negotiate ranges better if the rim is not so “stuck” to your lips. However, there are variables here and I can state with certainty that there are very fine professionals that play with dry or not very moist lips, they need the “traction” of a setup that is not so slick that it moves around on them when playing.
Rim choice makes a difference
Your individual perceptions will vary depending on the material of the rim. At extremes, Delrin plastic is the least slippery and H-Kote is probably the most slippery. If you are used to one extreme the other extreme is going to not feel very good.
Gold is not just for bling with a moist embouchure
Farkas liked a gold rim with a very moist embouchure.
I prefer a gold-plated mouthpiece because it gives me just the right amount of lubrication when wet. This slippery mouthpiece achieves three things that the dry mouthpiece, sticking to the lips as it does, cannot achieve. First, it seeks the “low” spot in the embouchure, which is its natural “seat”…. Second, it allows minute adjustments of the embouchure which, of course, are necessary when progressing from one register to another…. Third, the wetted lips enable, or better yet, insist on the embouchure muscles doing their work in a correct manner…. The muscles can no longer brace themselves against the rim, using it more or less as a crutch, as they can when dry.
Gunther Schuller in Horn Technique was
…also an advocate of the moist embouchure. Although at a beginner’s stage this makes the high register harder to obtain, eventually, as the muscles strengthen and a niche for the rim is found on the lower lip, this feeling of insecurity disappears. It will then be found that a moist embouchure gives the player greatly increased flexibility, especially in slurring.
The case for dry lips
Farkas in The Art of Brass Playing discusses the topic of moist versus dry lips again at some length. He offers this observation, and while noting clearly his preference for wet lips notes briefly the advocate’s case for dry lips.
It is the decision each player must, consciously or unconsciously, make for himself as to whether he should keep his lips moist or dry while playing—for his own best results…. However, after many years of observation, I have concluded that a large majority of brass players—I would estimate about seventy-five percent—prefer to keep their lips moist while playing. This is my own preference and I would find it most disconcerting to try to start playing on dry lips. Nevertheless, the minority group would undoubtedly feel just as uncomfortable if required to change to wet lips.
The arguments presented by the dry-lip advocates are usually these. The mouthpiece “stays put” on the lips without any tendency to slip around; in other words, the mouthpiece sticks to the lips. Furthermore, this stickiness enables the player to brace the lips against the mouthpiece and thus aid the production of high notes. …the considerable ability of some of the dry-lip advocates lends weight to these reasons.
25% of fine brass players playing dry lips is not a small minority! And it is probably a larger number than that.
What about when you play a while?
In a related topic, Farkas notes also that the wet lips will “start to dry and stick to the mouthpiece during a long continued musical passage.” This is not a concern for him
…when it is borne in mind that the moisture on the lips has served its purpose once the lips have been accurately positioned and the passage begun. The sensation of progressive drying can be quite disconcerting and yet cause no musical trouble. …drying lips are not detrimental once the mouthpiece is correctly placed and playing begun.
Accuracy and lip moisture
Fred Fox also addresses the topic of lip moisture in Essentials of Brass Playing. He felt that there was an underlying issue that impacts accuracy — with the advantage going to the dry lips player.
At times I have been asked if it is better to play with wet or dry lips. I have seen many players do extremely well in either situation. I have been unable to find an outstanding advantage to either method over the other.
However, there is one factor that is of prime importance. The contact point between the mouthpiece and the upper lip should remain identical—as if welded together—at all times. This reduces the incidence of cracked notes because the contact point remain consistent supplies the player with a firmer base or anchor. The dry lips players have no problem in this respect because the mouthpiece cannot slip around; with wet lip players, the saliva lubrication could cause slippage, and should be watched carefully.
In A Creative Approach to the French Horn a moist lip and a gold-plated rim were the ideal combination for Harry Berv for a variety of reasons but especially catching my eye are the comments on accuracy.
The horn player seeking perfection cannot afford to dismiss as “minor” any aspect of his physical contact with the instrument. I very highly recommend playing on a moist lip. In so doing, the embouchure muscles and tensions will react more sensitively to the feel of the mouthpiece. The lips will move with greater freedom and will cope with the range of the horn more securely.
Most horn players do not have perfect pitch, but can actually feel the notes on their lip before they play them. The moistening of the lips helps facilitate the sensitive muscle tensions to a great degree. The moistening of course is done by just licking the lips slightly when they feel dry. They should always feel moist.
… I highly recommend a gold-plated rim, which, together with the moist lip, helps the coordination of the embouchure muscle tension and provides a great feeling of smoothness and cleanliness on the lips, so that together they work like a well-oiled machine….
Moistening the lips eliminates the danger of the mouthpiece being “frozen” to the lips. Remember that changes in muscle tension and movement in the embouchure are slight, and the muscles must respond with instant reflex action. Should the mouthpiece be frozen to the lips, these movements would be greatly hampered; this could invite disaster at almost any point in the player’s performance.
…Even if the mouthpiece tends to be slippery on the lips at first, the necessary compensation can be learned by practice.
Learn to get used to the moist lip and gold-plated rim. You will find that you will use less mouthpiece pressure—which will be a great addition to your comfort, security, and sensitivity.
Keep an open mind
To conclude our quotes for today, Douglas Hill also recommends moist lips in Collected Thoughts on Teaching and Learning, Creativity, and Horn Performance.
You should always lick your lips and moisten the rim of the mouthpiece before playing…. A slippery feeling is good. Without lubrication, moving parts will freeze up, but you should want a warm and fluid sound at all times.
Myself, I switched to wet lips after reading the Farkas book in high school. It was a tough few days to make the transition but I got comfortable with it. I still play with somewhat moist lips, but not so moist that things slide around.
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