RE: [Harp-L] dry lips

[Steve <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> As many of you probably know I had a stroke a few months ago.  most of my harmonica playing abilities were unaffected, the biggest problem for me now seems to be dry lips sticking to the coverplates of my beloved Golden melodies.  if I remember correctly th late great Doug Tate used to maintain that silver was a better material for keeping the lips moving with agility over the harmonica, but like everything on this list I think I remember a lively debate on the topic.  I woul really appreciate any advice - except for "drink more water" - on this topic as I work to get my chops back.
> 
> thanks,
> 
> -tim
> Tim Moyer

Fantastic to hear from you, Tim! I remember that we bantered quite a lot many moons ago. It's great to hear that your playing skills are still there to be exploited!
I didn't start playing "in public" until I was in my 40s, and both my kids were not only better musicians than me but were also far more nerveless! Dry lips were the bane of my life for a number of years and I tried all kinds of remedies. Eventually I discovered a brand of thin, non-greasy, fragrance-free lip cream that is mildly antiseptic and intended to soothe dry lips and cold sores (non-curative in the case of the latter!)  In the UK it comes in tiny 5g tubes and the main brand is called Cymex. Some pharmacies do their own brands which are identical in all but name.  The merest smear, whenever my lips feel sore or just dry, lasts me for hours, and a tiny tube lasts me for six to twelve months.  I avoid anything based on petroleum jelly or which has any sort of perfume added.  It isn't expensive and I reckon that if you can track something down your end that's similar it would be well worth a try. It has the added advantage, being so thin and grease-free, of not clogging up your mouthpiece holes either!
All the best
Steve