[heckstall]

Since a year of two my sound has become more and more "spitty". I know now that this has to do with excess saliva due to Parkinson disease. The medicins I found (Glycopyrronium, Biperideen) to diminish the saliva production do have severe side effects so I doubt to take them. I do use Levodopa. Does anyone of you know a solution?

 

[J Dos Passos]

A spitty sound comes from moisture near the tip of the mouthpiece. A lower baffle or bigger tip opening can lessen or eliminate the spitty sound.

 

[milandro]

First of all I am very sorry to hear of your disease.

it is certainly possible for you to try different mouthpieces but I am afraid that the problem may require a more complex solution (try that first, , Personally I'd tyry a bigger external shape than your metal mouthpiece and probably a more closed one , in this way you would relax even more your enbouchure stimulating the salivary glands less).

If this fails, and may very well do, then you may consult with a specialist , the extrema ratio may be tone or more of these

https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Symptoms/Movement-Symptoms/Drooling

 

[J-Moen]

Interestingly enough, I actually found cinnamon helpful. I salivate a lot, and find a small amount of cinnamon helps me to stop overly salivating. I always clean my horn and mouthpiece excessively when using this method though.

 

[heckstall]

Milandro: Thank you for your sympathy! The problem requires a more complex solution indeed but the link you gave directs me perhaps in the right direction. I found new perspectives I did not in Dutch or German Parkinson websites.
Jmoen3: How often and how much cinnamon do you use?

 

[saxoclese]

I have been a "wet" player all my life. What helps me is to:

- swallow saliva before I play
- inhale sharply through the mouthpiece during rests to draw the moisture back to where it came from
- in longer rests, remove the neck and tap it against the top of the leg to "knock out" moisture
- when time permits, run a clarinet "hanky swab" through both the neck and mouthpiece with the reed removed (of course)
- "polish" the back of the reed by rubbing it back and forth with the grain on a firm paper over a perfectly flat surface till it is shiny*


* this allows the water to form "beads" like on a waxed car and roll of the reed rather than remain and make a "sizzling" sound

 

[milandro]

but OP is, unfortunately for him, talking of a medical condition which exceeds the typical situation in which a player produces too much of a wet sound.

 

[milandro]

double post (seen many today, there must be some problem)

 

[Fader]

Canabis is known to cause "dry mouth" as a side effect...
Lots of players enjoy it for other reasons too.
It doesn't seem to have any effect on coordination, but for some reason I can no longer smoke it on a gig without getting those dreaded "Deer in the headlights" moments...

 

[milandro]

cannabis has been proven useful for many things but in this case botulin (also a natural product) shows more promises

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012408/full