MahlerBrass

So I've had a rough couple of weeks playing wise. I have three concerts lined up within a week, my lesson teacher is loading me up with Charlier, Longinotti, and Sachse etudes, orchestral excerpts, and fundamental stuff, and on top of that, my Tuesday and Thursday schedule consist of playing in ensembles from 12:30-7:00, five of those hours are spent splitting lead in jazz band and blowing by b*lls off in marching band, the rest of the time is spent in orchestra rehearsal. The other days I play in our wind ensemble and teach all day. So somewhere in there I have to throw in my own practice time, which I'm proud to say that I do pretty well, and time to rehearse with my quintet and polka group. Now usually weekends are my time to spend a few hours practicing and take it easy, but these past three weekends have been spent either in football games, gigging, or dress rehearsals. I have literally been playing everyday the past three weeks for 5-8 hours at a time, not cool!! Needless to say that all last week my lips were not working at all, there was no doubt I needed to take a day or two off. Well I never got to take a day off because so much stuff is going on right now, but yesterday my lips started working again, I got my range back, my sound, my flexibility, and more importantly, control of what I was doing. So for the past two days I've been magicaly healed, no rest or anything, playing more than I've ever had, and my lips are back to normal (just in time for an orchestra concert tomorrow). Any explanations as to this phenomenon or could it have been a mental thing. I'm not complaining, I'm just really curious how this happened without me doing a thing to help it. Thanks a lot!!

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Music isn't a career, it's a way of life.

Liberty Lips

I'd say that you've crossed a threshold in your endurance capability. You're sitting with the big boys now.