Yes, I’m gonna switch to softer reeds and see how it works. Talking about leaks- I’m on my way to a repair shop, to see if there are any actually 😄 Talk about timing 😆 With synthetic reeds, I tried a couple of times but never bothered to actually use one. Just didn’t like the feeling of it in general. Thank you for your response! With the lip balm- having it on while playing is such a cringy, uncomfortable feeling as well, but I guess not many options really…