How do you guys get past "morning lips"

JensenW · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 1:29 pm Post subject:

Kehaulani, I thought when you came home at 5 am that you must be a vampire.

I have tried a number of tricks. I usually warm down with a set of 19/30, which of course takes 19 minutes to complete. I could I suppose use it to warm up. I suppose I will just have to keep at it and hope it slowly works itself out.

Zefaris, I sympathise. On work days I get up at 0430, make coffee, practice for maybe half an hour, shower and am out the door at 0630. Even here in Raleigh there is rush hour. I try to practice for another 45 min to 1 hour in the evening, but I don't always get to do that. BTW, were you stationed in D.C.?
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Trumpjerele · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:10 pm Post subject:

Good advice, I have the same problem.

On Wednesdays I have a rehearsal with a funky group first thing in the morning. I can only warm up for a few minutes while the guitarist rides all his pedals.

Perhaps what is helping me the most is to start my practice, other days, directly with some songs from the group's repertoire. just to know that I can do it. There is a strong mental component to this.
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kehaulani · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:30 pm Post subject:

Wade, I was in D.C in '75-'76 and '87-'90, first assigned to the USAF Band in D.C., the second time at the Pentagon with some guest conducting spots with the USAF Band. You?
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JensenW · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:35 pm Post subject:

I was there from '90 to 2005 with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command as a civilian engineer. I took trumpet lessons from a member of the Air Force band.
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deleted_user_7354402 · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

I find a couple things help for me regardless of the time.
1. Some breathing exercises. I find a little breathing bag work, just inhaling and exhaling, prepares my mind and body to play.

2. A couple buzzing exercises in my car sometimes warms me up. I’ll usually use a drone and tuner doing Jim Thompson type exercises. If you mouthpiece buzz regularly, getting to the church early and doing 5-10 minutes of your range of buzzing can be a decent warm up. Though, if you don’t buzz regularly, you can over do it, if your body hasn’t calibrated airspeed to tone.

3. Some slurred two octave scales help when I show up. I play a lot of scales so they’re reliable and not something I sweat in front of people. Just as easily, a noodle or etude lick that you can just nail every time is a good quick, get “ready to go after playing” way to feel ready. The fact that it’s a lick you own, warms up the “good” brain patterns and habits and builds up your confidence for the work ahead.

Other thoughts, warm up on a good practice mute. Practice doing the least amount of work necessary to feel that you are about warmed up. You don’t need to have played for a certain amount of time, you just need your body to be ready to do the work coming it’s way. A good practice mute to me is one that has minimal but healthy resistance, and is nearly inaudible. For me , it’s the Best Brass mute. Other people might use tight cup muted or stem out harmons. I think they are too loud for public warm up. But maybe explore those options, practice sometimes in the week to see how it can work for you.

Practice warming up by playing from the hymnal your church uses. Played well, they can be flow studies. But also, much of the work you will do is already being practiced. I would suggest starting these softer than you think to really get your lips to work as opposed to trying to muscle your air to make the morning chops go away.

Those are just a couple of thoughts. The more you do it, the easier playing early in the day will be.

Good luck

kehaulani · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 7:42 pm Post subject:

MrOlds · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 4:13 am Post subject:

Stiff or swollen chops in the morning can be caused by inflammation. If your medical condition allows try taking an aspirin or ibuprofen first thing when you wake up. It will help reduce the inflammation.

falado · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:02 am Post subject:

Hi Wade, I see some good advise here, but I'll throw in my $.02.

I was in the 2nd Marine air Wing Band a little over 40 years ago. The daily playing was quite rigorous to where I was bruising my chops daily. Yes, endless rehearsing and daily ceremonies playing back to back marches and pop tunes for an hour at a time.

Do you rest between exercises when you practice? This is key. If you are going for it and playing continuously while practicing, this could be contributing to the morning lip.

I do not get what I also called morning lip anymore. I rest between each exercise for at least as long as I played. I do lip flexibility exercises and Clark 1 (softly), and warm down at the end of a practice session, gig, or rehearsal by playing arpeggios starting on C in the staff down to pedal C at least 3 times and quit when things feel nice and lose. You might find the warm down ex as number III in group 2 of SA or in the 19/30. Don't remember if that one is in there.

Dave
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JGulyas · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:16 am Post subject:

Back in the day I was required to play Reveille at 0500, and there was no time to do any kind of warmup. I would take a wash cloth soaked in hot water and just put it on my lips, free buzz a little, then repeat. I'd do that a couple times then buzz on the mouthpiece a little to get the chops focused. Once they felt limber enough, I'd continue on to pissing everyone off to start their day!
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cheiden · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:59 am Post subject:

Stamp routine.
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JensenW · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:38 pm Post subject:

JensenW · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:43 pm Post subject:

falado · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 3:23 pm Post subject:

Sounds like you’re off to a good start. I do lip flex followed by tonguing the same exercise. The important thing is to keep the “air” flowing. I find that if I let up the air, the air balls may appear. I do this as part of my warm up either using the Irons or Colin books.
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FA LA DO (Ab: V/ii) MUCS, USN (Ret.)
Stomvi VR (Reeves) with VR II Bell
Bach 239 25A C, Blueprinted
Bach 37, Early Elkhart, Blueprinted
Kanstul Flugel
Getzen 4 valve Pic.
Yamaha D/Eb
Besson Cornet