I’d like to know if there is a serious reason I should avoid playing my flute while I have a cold sore.
For the record, I’ve got a Tipple, which seems unlikely to harbor the virus (which I have in my body anyway) and can swab it anyway afterward. I know of Abreva, Blistex, Lysine, etc. and have read everything in these, and some other forums, that I could find on avoiding and reducing them.
My question is limited to possible harm I’d do to my flute, embouchure, technique, etc. by playing with the cold sore. I just really want to play my flute, don’t feel like staying away for the few days that the sore lasts and the scare is healing. I am willing to deal with imperfect tone for a bit even if I’m just concentrating on practicing fingering and working on phrasing and breath control. Plus, I have a lesson on Thursday that I really don’t want to miss.
Cold sores are aggravated by touching them. I don’t think you’ll do any damage to your embouchure but you may lengthen the healing time by making it “angry”.
My mom taught me a neat trick. When you feel one coming on, ice the spot for like 10 minutes until it’s quite numb. The virus doesn’t do well with that and the resulting sore will be much smaller and of shorter duration, if it comes up at all.
Depending on where on your lips the cold sore is, then you may have swollen lips which will bugger up your embouchure. Be prepared to sound Cr*p for as long as the sore is there. Sterilize your flute before letting anyone else use it. Be aware that many sterilizing agents might not be particularly good for your flute.
and products like (and related no-brand products) will reduce the size and duration of the problem if used enough and early enough. Tea tree oil will help too.
Sterilize your flute before letting anyone else use it.
Or even better- don’t let anybody else play it. I generally refuse to let other people play my flute.
It isn’t always easy to do this- but if I wouldn’t kiss the person asking to have a go on the flute then I won’t let them play it.
With a TIpple it won’t matter, but never play a wooden flute if you have any kind of abrasion or open sore on your lip. Doing so will allow your immune system to recognize and get sensitive to allergens in the wood. You could develop a screaming blackwood (or other wood) allergy.
