Building endurance

[michaelsu123]

I'm taking my ATCL diploma soon and am really struggling with endurance and stamina, I can play each piece separately but just can't seem to put it together, any advice or exercises that really strengthen those muscles up? Also what is a appropriate time to separate piece movements as I want to get as much rest as possible.

[andybharms]

Endurance is really more about maintaining balance and form, in my opinion. If you pay very, very close attention to your first, freshest notes, and equal attention to your body cues as you fatigue, it will tell you what is slipping as you fatigue.

My suggestion is to play through your recital on a 30 second timer, resting every 30 seconds for as long as you need. This will enforce quality control on form, air, staying relaxed, etc.
_________________
Andrew Harms, DMA
http://www.andrewbharms.com

[zaferis]

There are many factors involved in "endurance", it's not all about strength of chop muscles. And, IMO, are different types of endurance - how long can you keep going without a rest (short term), how long can you go with occassional rests (fitness / quick recovery), how do you recover after a max day (long term), day after day after day (tour chops- overall chop and body fitness).. these all "feel" different to me.

Having a solid routine that daily builds good habits and stretches your skills
Breathting well, which doesn't always mean bigger
Being confident / comfortable witht the music, so you don't overwork or waist energy
Knowing where and when to relax and rest during the music
Overall fitness
A mechanically sound approach
Sleep / Hydration / Diet
Lots and lots of time on the trumpet - shed, shed, shed
Allowing the air to do the work
etc

Train like an athelete. You can't have a max training day every day. If you really stress the muscles today (lots of playing, little rest, muscles feel the burn), then tomorrow should be a lighter day-train but let the muscles recover/repair. Then work your way back to another max day (3 to 5 day cycle)

As you're working preparing your recital / concert, start at the begining stopping as soon as some fatigue sets in (mid-tune) take as much rest as you need to recover (5 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 etc) then pick it up where you stopped. Over the days of practice work at making the rest breaks shorter.
Don't forget things like working the selections backwards (start with the last page, finish then go to the previous page), so the end is as strong as the beginning
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Adjunct Professor
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Retired Air Force Bandsman

[JayKosta]

[Dayton]

You've received some good advice already. For me, Caruso's Musical Calisthenics for Brass have helped with endurance more than anything else I've done over the years, followed by flexibility studies (Bai Lin, Belck, Irons). That said, if your exam is "soon" I (unfortunately) don't think there are any exercises that will make a significant improvement in your endurance between now and then. Also, I'd be hesitant to mess with my routine too much right before a major performance....

Given that endurance is an issue, I'd suggest that you spend some time practicing your pieces from the end rather than the beginning. That way you'll be working on the last measures and any rough sections with fresh chops. That could help with the quality of your performance and also might help you feel more confident.

One technique that might help slightly during practice or performance is to take your mouthpiece off of your lips whenever possible. Mini-rests of just a few seconds can help keep your chops feeling good during a challenging performance. That can be tough to do if you take a long time to get your chops set before an entrance, but practice that technique and see if it helps.

Good luck!

[Andy Del]

I have a student preparing for a similar aussie style exam (fortunately delayed for now) who is facing the same.
as well as all the advice already given, I feel it is critical to get into the music and really shed, pay attention and pr@ctice paying attention.

I find that being in the zone with the music rather then having it at autopilot level helps as I’m not thinking about endurance, etc. I AM the music and out it comes that way I am thinking.

This is all very much in the mind games arena, but it certainly helps me.

Cheers

Andy
_________________
so many horns, so few good notes...

[brassman8994]

I agree with Mr. Andy Del! Preparation is a key element to endurance. Mental stress during performance burns the chops so much faster. In my experience, when the prep is not there mental stress builds in under-prepared sections leading to less air support, and then putting too much burden on the chops. My 2 cents.....

[Jaw04]

[GizB]

The only way to build endurance is to play - a lot. That said, all the above advice gives you smart ways to do that. You're not going to build endurance with a half-hour daily practice. You may build endurance with an hour's routine, but it will take time.

Zaferis is right about different types of endurance. I'd add that jazz & classical are different enough that if you don't practice both, you'll struggle with endurance for the one you neglect.

One last thing - I find that if I'm not conscious about good breathing, my endurance suffers dramatically.

[chuck in ny]

my approach to this somewhat maddening instrument is twofold.
practice. patience.

[kehaulani]

[Bill_Bumps]

[Fox56]

I have noticed that when i Play everything legato or slurred,for example when i practice flexibility,clark,stamp,chicowicz etc my endurance is a lot better than when i play things tongued.
For example,even when i practice extremely easy etudes like N1 of the first getchell's book I have to rest after each line.(I have been playing for a bit more than 5 weeks after a 9 year stop so ,obviously, i'll need time to get in the original shape).
The fatigue is not in the tongue but in the labial muscles,
does it make sense?Is it because when i play legato i can make the air do the job more efficiently then when i tongue?

[wilder]

Get up early and practice as much as your chops can handle every day. 4,5, 6 hours. what does your teacher say about this? jw

[kalijah]

Endurance is a two-sided coin.

Those are: 1. strength 2. efficiency of effort (fine control)

However, excessive strength work, which is being recommended by many on this thread, with cause further loss of strength and further loss of fine control and efficiency of effort.

You MAY need to take time off, and THEN re-build your playing with efficiency of approach FIRST.

Do NOT approach strength first. Get control of efficient and effective tone control FIRST. Only then, should you approach calisthenics for strength, and in measured amounts.

Efficient playing requires less air power, not more, so if anyone tells you "let the air do the work", you should reject that outright.

There is NO amount of air effort that will replace embouchure function.

Contact me for more specific help.

[JayKosta]

[andybharms]

I think endurance is poorly understood. Endurance doing what? Anybody can play a C all day. Playing loud? Playing soft? Long tones? Which register? It matters because everybody experiences “endurance” a little differently. So we have to define what we mean.

Big picture though, I think endurance is mostly a question of ability to do the things and only the things that make the trumpet go. Fatigue usually happens when extraneous effort creeps in and form breaks down. Moooost of the time the problems are over-gripping the embouchure across registers, lack of tongue control, and overgripping the air inside the body, not having a kinesthetic breathing plan. I have had to get real about all those things in my playing. When I do those things successfully, the results are great.

I personally am of the opinion that the role of tension is one of the most misunderstood things in all of trumpeting.
_________________
Andrew Harms, DMA
http://www.andrewbharms.com

[Seymor B Fudd]

I agree with the others posters - just wanting to add something that turned out to be a real game changer - to me; before stating that, as others here have pointed out, you should evaluate your way of playing; do you use too much pressure, lack of air, play a horn/mpc with a resistance too big for you - and so on....
When I began playing (again) in a big band my endurance was crappy - one set and I was "cooked" - this in spite of practicing a lot out of the stuff I 1)was advised by my teacher with regards to basic "embouchure treatment". In younger(30-45) days I "endured" gigs 4x45 (lead) quite well while practicing say 30 minutes a day..
2)stuff that had helped me back in the days (like Colins flexibilities etc etc). Decent playing 45 minutes then .....
So I found the BE (......oh here he goes again.... ) - the Roll Ins and the Roll Outs - in particular. I do believe that the Roll Ins do a formidable job focussing your aperture while at the same time providing a phenomenal "isometric" input. You have to endure ( ) the effort they initially present but after some time they become more easy. Should be practiced progressively (absolutely important). Never ever over using!!!
This has really worked for me - I was 73 when I began 5 years ago - today I can play a 3x45 gig (lead in a not that high level band although good enough for concerts) staying fresh.
Of course there are other ways - Colins flex, wisely executed, progressively played - are just fine! At least to me!
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Cornets: mp 143D3/ DW Ultra 1,5 C
Getzen 300 series
Yamaha YCRD2330II
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Getzen Eterna Eb
Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
Selmer Eb/D trumpet (1974)

[Fox56]

Thanks for the suggestions,I have to say thay i played for like 3,5 years so i was far from being an advanced player and I have just started now only 5 weeks ago so maybe I'm expecting too much and since i started during the summer i couldn't find a teacher but i will soon and ask him

[Seymor B Fudd]