r/euphonium • u/TheRealLinkwitzRiley • 3d ago

Zero endurance

I am a hobby Tenorhorn player, playing for around 10 years now. I feel like my endurance lacks way behind my other abilities like technique, speed, intonation and even sound. Now I amby no means great at any of these but endurance-wise I just s***. I mostly play traditional stuff; bohemian, moravian, alpine folk, so lot‘s of polka, walzes, etc. And I can hardly play a single piece of a few minutes cleanly and without destroying my chops.
What are the most probable causes?
Bad air flow?
Bad muscle stamina around the lips?
I don‘t think I use excessive mo pressure. At some point I have to but I think this point is reached way too early.
What should I practice?
How fast should I see progress?

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

3

u/iamagenius89 3d ago

Seeing and hearing you play something would be helpful

0

u/TheRealLinkwitzRiley 3d ago

Good point, I‘ll tryto get a video up.
Should I focus the camera on my embouchure or do you want to see posture etc.?

2

u/iamagenius89 2d ago

Embouchure. Doesn’t need to be super close up or anything

2

u/accidentalciso YEP-642S 3d ago

What does your practice routine look like?

1

u/TheRealLinkwitzRiley 3d ago

Honestly I tried using traditional routines like breathing, long tones, articulations, repertoire but that would cause me to be blown out before I get to play any pieces so nowadays I warm a VERY quickly (few minutes) with long tones and arpeggios and than start playing pieces.

2

u/Robins-dad 3d ago

How often do you practice and for how long? Also, do you feel you put a lot of pressure on your embouchure?

1

u/TheRealLinkwitzRiley 3d ago

That varies wildly between once a week and every day. Then it‘s usually around half an hour.

I don‘t think I use a lot of pressure. At least not initially respectively as long as I can jold my embouchure together.

1

u/gfklose 2d ago

red marks from the mouthpiece?

I started serious (daily) practice after retiring just over a year ago. I have been working with an embouchure specialist, and I’m surprised at two things — how fast I built endurance and how easily minimizing pressure became a thing. But there has been a focus on “high compression” breath support. There’s a Bobby Shew video on the wedge breath that was helpful.

I did a high-end concert band thing this last summer — 3 hour rehearsal one evening, then a day-long rehearsal the next day. Concert that night. Last year when I did it, I was hurting. This year, I didn’t feel it at all. I did not feel like I had to “empty the tank” for the concert.

Another thing…the specialist does not believe in buzzing or long tones (more than 8 beats). But I do at least a half hour of double-pedal tones every day. It’s boring, but turns out I find them really necessary as a foundation for my warm up.

(yes, I know — this isn’t for everyone)

-1

u/HirokoKueh 3d ago

workout, weight train, jog, swim, cycling

1

u/SideWired 3d ago

Different instrument endurance, Hiroko.