Jaw Fatigue and Swelling From Trumpet Playing

Are you noticing jaw swelling and excess fatigue after playing the trumpet? Try these exercises for some relief!

In This Article

1. Jaw Fatigue and Swelling From Trumpet Playing
2. Why Does My Jaw Hurt After Trumpet Playing?
3. What is the Floating Jaw Related to Trumpet Playing?
4. My Jaw (Not my Corners) Gets Tired From Trumpet Playing—Is This Normal?
5. How Can I Stop Pulling My Jaw Back to Play High Notes?
6. Dynamic Stretches and Exercises to Alleviate Jaw Pain and Swelling
7. Repetitions and Programming Recommendations
8. Myofascial Release for Tight Jaw Muscles
9. How to Rest an Overworked Jaw from Trumpet Playing
10. How Do I Develop the Embouchure to Prevent Jaw Pain in the First Place?

Jaw Fatigue and Swelling From Trumpet Playing

If you’re suffering from jaw pain, fatigue, or swelling after playing the trumpet, you’re not alone.

I personally struggled for years… decades… with jaw issues related to my playing. And while it’s much better these days, those symptoms can still flare up from time to time when I’m playing too much. 

Since it’s such a common—and crappy—thing trumpeters go through, this article outlines my experience with jaw pain and how I healed it. And while I’m not a medical professional, I am a lifelong trumpet player who has overcome this debilitating issue and believes you can too.

So let’s break it down. Along with some relieving exercises, I’ve tried to include answers to many of the most common questions I run across from other trumpet players struggling with jaw issues.  

Why Does My Jaw Hurt After Trumpet Playing?

When I reflect on my own experience, I think my jaw pain and fatigue stemmed from three issues:

• Playing with a “floating jaw” (one that wiggles all around and moves forward or side-to-side to form an embouchure)
• Underdeveloped embouchure muscles—or inefficient playing technique—for the demands of the music being performed
• Just plain old overdoing it

Luckily, we can tackle these issues with better practice techniques—which you’ll learn a bit further down—as well as exercises for dealing with any current discomfort.

What is the Floating Jaw Related to Trumpet Playing?

Like many other trumpeters, I have what’s referred to as a floating jaw—one where the jaw muscles are loose and slack and can waggle all over the place.

While I seem to have eliminated this movement more recently, for the first 15 or 20 years of trumpet playing, my jaw would move horizontally to line up the upper and lower teeth, creating a flatter base for the mouthpiece to rest on. 

If your jaw naturally moves around like this, you may end up with a jaw position that is further forward, backward, or out of alignment horizontally from a naturally relaxed position. Holding this position for an extended period of time may result in some fatigue, and, if prolonged, pain and swelling.

My Jaw (Not my Corners) Gets Tired From Trumpet Playing—Is This Normal?

Not feeling the work of playing in your corners is a common occurrence among players. For years, my jaw would tire and chop out well before I felt any fatigue in the corners of my embouchure.

At that point, if I had to keep playing—gigging, rehearsing, whatever—the muscles would completely exhaust and get inflamed. The swelling then made it hard to maintain a playing embouchure, decent sound, and range.

As a side note, the inflammation made my hearing more sensitive, and the ringing in my ears got louder. (Maybe the voices, too… )

I went through a particularly bad stretch where the back part of my jaw—along the ear—was visibly swollen and warm to the touch. While the swelling resulted in serious short-term effects on my playing, I was able to cure those symptoms with a few exercises, all outlined below. 

And since adopting some new practice methods (keep reading), I’ve learned a new balance of playing that takes the heat off my jaw.

How Can I Stop Pulling My Jaw Back to Play High Notes?

Many players instinctively pull their jaw back when attempting to play in the upper register. I’m not exactly sure why we do this—though it may be a function of fatigue or underdevelopment—but you can learn to play in the upper register without much change in horn angle.

I was able to stop receding the jaw automatically by practicing in the pedal range. As the lower register has a more forward-jaw feel to it, getting comfortable with the pedal tones built up some mojo in my chops that has been nothing but a boon to my playing ever since.

While there are different approaches to the pedal range, what works well for me is to try and keep my natural embouchure position, which I’d use for, say, a G in the staff, while aiming to get the pedals softer and more controlled over time.

Here’s the basic routine I used to familiarize myself with the pedal range. When combined with the secret sauce you’ll find in Play Higher Notes—Easily (linked below), the routine works like gangbusters for me and my students alike.

Note: for some folks, the pedal range comes easily and without much effort. I had to practice them a bit each day for many months before they felt normal. This is to say, don’t be in a rush—solid, lasting progress takes time.

Dynamic Stretches and Exercises to Alleviate Jaw Pain and Swelling

Like I mentioned, I went through a very difficult period of jaw pain resulting in swelling, flared tinnitus, sensitive hearing, and an embouchure that had trouble holding notes even in the staff. 

The following exercises gave me almost instant relief—give them a shot and see how they work for you. If you’re inclined to share in the comments below, I’m sure many others—including myself—would be interested to know how they worked out.

1. Side-to-Side Movements

With your jaw slightly open, move it as far as you comfortably can to one side. You may feel a slight release of pressure, or even hear a “squishy” sound. Reverse the movement to the other side. That’s one repetition.

2. Forward Slides

Jut your jaw straight ahead as far as is comfortable, hold it a second, and then relax back into place.

3. Open Sesame

Open your jaw as far as you comfortably can—feeling a slight stretch—and hold the position for a second or two.

Repetitions and Programming Recommendations

Start with low repetitions (around 3-5) and gradually increase over time to a number that feels comfortable to you. 

Perform a set in the morning before you warm-up, and a final set in the evening after you’re done for the day. (You may find this convenient to do when you brush your teeth.) 

Execute repetitions at a moderate tempo, and hold the stretches until you feel some release in the muscles.

You should notice positive results within a few days, if not immediately.

Myofascial Release for Tight Jaw Muscles

Using your finger or a smooth stone, press into the masseter muscle until you find a tender area. Maintain pressure on the tender spot for one minute, gently rubbing the area afterward.

Try doing this two or three days per week.

How to Rest an Overworked Jaw from Trumpet Playing

Another important component is learning to properly rest your embouchure. Many of our issues simply come from pushing too hard.

While it may not always be possible, I find it best to massively decrease playing time when the chops feel banged up. Try ten or fifteen minutes in the lower register, while taking lots of breaks and relaxing the shoulders while you play.

You might have to take it easy for a number of days before your embouchure feels flexible and responsive again.

And oh yeah, drink lots of water. We are working with muscles, after all.

How Do I Develop the Embouchure to Prevent Jaw Pain in the First Place?

At the worst of my jaw issues, I was maintaining a busy professional playing schedule. So if you’re in the middle of heavy playing demands, I feel for you: it can be tough to develop in a way that feels healthy.

But it is possible. And I believe the key to relieving undue jaw tension—and the pain and swelling that comes from it—is learning how to effectively use the air and develop the embouchure muscles to the point where the corners are doing the work for each note.

Changing your balance of playing is not difficult. It also doesn’t require some fancy exercises never before released to the trumpet-playing community at large. Instead, what’s needed is a good approach to playing—along with a hefty dose of patience sprinkled with a touch of discipline.

For a proven path to finding a better balance for your trumpet playing—one that feels good, sounds great, and takes the brunt of playing off of your jaw—check out Play Higher Notes—Easily. 

What you’ll find inside the free PDF is simple, effective, and something I practice daily, for one reason only…

It works. 

So don’t smoke your jaw any longer. Check out Play Higher Notes—Easily and get the relief you’re looking for. And be sure to drop a note in the comments below.

James Blackwell is a GRAMMY award-winning trumpeter. He believes playing should be fun, rewarding, and musical—and is passionate about helping trumpet players worldwide.