Posted by Erik on January 16, 2002 at 16:35:06:
In Reply to: Brass playing in the morning posted by Graham W. on January 15, 2002 at 15:20:03:
I can never seem to play well early in the morning (especially low stuff, like Tony said). I find that my lips feel tight. I think the muscles tighten up overnight. During the course of the day, we talk, eat, and do other activities that loosen up the muscles around our mouth. But if we get up in the morning and go straight to playing, these muscles have not been loosened up. That's my hypothesis, at least.
What I have found to help expedite the warm-up process when I get this feeling is to basically do some stretching. I put the back of my hand over my lips to help seal them, then I puff my cheeks as much as I can, stretching out the muscles in my face. While this doesn't cure the problem completely, it does seem to help.
Erik