Stamina

[mat.j]

I need help with stamina, I have spoken to many people about this with no real result, the closest thing was a thread on this site.
I have a major stamina problem, I am a solo horn player with stanima problems I have had since the beginning, I have read and tried many things to no availe, including the weight in lips. This involves a weighted pin held in your lips for a period of time which I can do with the heviest weight. My problem lies in my bottom lip which has no support behind it when I am playing as my bottom teeth are lower then my bottom lips, I have to use my tung at times to support my bottom lip which gets very tired and gives out after prolonged playing. My facial muscles are very strong but I have no support for my bottom lip, can anyone help as this is very frustrating as I am a good player but fail with stamina.

[James McFadyen]

Try warming up by playing very long notes at pp. Start from middle C and work down chromatically.

This will help build tone and stamina.

Usually, players who lack stamina are either weak players in general or players who exert so much pressure they almost burst their lip. This happens especially on high notes.

One thing I find is that a player will find the highest note of the piece and subconsiously prepare oneselve for that specific high note, as if it's some top-note cap off. This is very noticable when there are notes above a top C, the player puts less pressure on the notes leading up to the top C in the effort to get the top C, so they actually find that they are usually putting too much pressure on higher notes, meaning running out of steam quicker.

Fast air = high notes.....NOT lots of pressure = high notes

[trevor_john]

A lot of what James said is absolutely true. Furthermore two things need to be remembered.

• 1. Each and every one of use has physical differences to the next person.
  2. Every problem can be overtime with time and comittment

If you have a hymn book ("120 Hymns for Brass Band" by Wright and Round) then following your warm up, you need to play lots of hymns at pianissimo and very slowly at half (if not a quarter) of the indicated tempo. If you don't have this publication, then you need one - a MUST in any bandsman's briefcase!
Strangely, this practise routine will develop stamina, but you must be consistent in your practise.
Also, a very good method to develop high notes is to use increasing interval playing. Play a long sustained middle note such as G, then play the next semitone higher (G#) then the next will be F#, then A and so on. When you reach your lowest note, just keep repeating it while you continue higher on the next note. This can produce amazing results, but important:

• 1. each note must be a long sustained note
  2. remove the mouthpiece from the lips between each note

This exercise is not to be skimped over!
Good luck!