| Dear Mech,
Well, my friend, we've all been there, being in a situation where more is asked of us than we're able to give, at times.
There are a few keys for you to remember:
1) You are so worn out physically and mentally that taking a full breath is easy to forget to do. If you want to remember what a full breath was like do the following: as you read this, take a nice full breath. Hold it and notice where you're tense as you hold your breath. Drop the tension from those places and sip in some more air. Keep repeating that until you're so full you can't take any more then let it go. Wait a few seconds and take a breath again, trying to get to that full place again. The only point to all that is to remind you how much you should be trying to haul in when you breathe. Try to remember to fill up in a relaxed manner every time you play. It's important.
2) When you feel tired, play as musically as you can and play less loudly. Really crank up the vibrato and that sense of making each note into a pearl of light sound that rings like a little bell.
3) If you're playing in a band I'm sure you're doubling parts so make sure you're partner is doing his/her share so you can play easily.
4) My friend Patrick Hession who plays lead for Maynard Ferguson advocates flapping your lips like a horse to reduce the lactic acid build-up. Give a try when you finish playing or when you're on break. However, this is not a substitue for any kind of musical pratcice. it's totally a physical thing.
5) Take a couple of aspirin if you aren't allergic and ice your chops at the end of the day and you'll feel better.
Just know we all go through this at some point. Let your head save your lip, to quote Earnest Williams.
ML |