Re: Unusual(?) mouthpiece question


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Posted by Leland on September 16, 1999 at 23:18:47:

In Reply to: Unusual(?) mouthpiece question posted by Doug on September 16, 1999 at 20:55:44:

Speaking from having more hours marching & playing than you'd want me to document --

If it's sunburned, wear a hat; but I think you know that it's not sunburn at all.

If it's windy and you've been drying out, get yourself hydrated a couple of hours before rehearsal even starts. It takes that long for water to get absorbed fully and make its effect felt. If you're tanking up on pop & caffeine, cut back, and drink more water.

If it's neither of these, you're probably abusing your muscles somehow, and that could come from a variety of factors; I can only guess at what they might be.

Are you getting a long, easy, warmup? Are you "warming down" after rehearsals? Are you ever playing tooooo loud? Are you thinking of "air" and not "lips"? Generally, are you playing correctly?

Just as importantly, are you MARCHING well? Are you smooth and gliding? Do you keep your face from becoming a load-bearing structure? Bad marching technique can introduce a whole lot of problems that would seem like just playing problems. Good feet = good sound (that should be a mantra implanted in every marching member's brain!).

After I learned about that stuff, I have never had problems playing on the move.

Seeya,
Leland

Feel free to add on to or dispute what I've posted, everybody! :-)


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