I've found that practicing 2 or 3 times a day (morning, afternoon & evening) instead of once a day, keeps my embouchure in tip top shape. BUT, today I was busy baby sitting grandkids all morning, then tied up all afternoon waiting for my husband at a very LONG doctor appointment. I have a performance coming up this weekend & can't afford to let my embouchure get floppy & my tone scratchy. Hmmm... what do to? I took my horn along to the doctor's appointment & sat in the car. While I waited, I held my horn comfortably on my lap & played through the Dufrasne routine (similar to the Farkas warm up)IN THE PARKING LOT! I got some funny looks from folks that passed by, but heck, who cares? At least I won't get some funny looks from messing up when I perform this weekend! Have any of you ever found odd places to practice when you've been in desparate need? Valerie, BE enthusiast

Have you considered the Halstead Buzz Buddy [url]http://www.halsteadmusic.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=41[/url]?

As I have grown older, warming-up has become more important but I've also worked on technique which means I can cope better without playing so long everyday. Coping with a shorter warm-up is also useful - even with a cup of coffee to help! I also find it important to recognise when I'm going to have a bad day because I've stressed my lips the day before. Resting rather than playing is often as good.

Yep, I agree. Not about the coffee, because that's gross , but about the rest of it. I find that it's helpful to practice early in the morning, especially if I have a festival or concert later in the day, so that I can see if my muscles are tense. Often, taking a break between practicing sessions halps my lips to relax.

I carry my mouthpiece/spare in my pocket, to buzz whenever I have spare time. You'd be amazed at how good you can warm up and keep your emboucher in shape with buzzing techniques.

*Sorry for the double post, forgot to add something.

Even if you don't have spare time, you'll notice you do. Set aside 10-15 minutes before bed to do some buzzing techniques. Fit buzzing into your daily wake-up routine. Buzz while you're walking somewheres (I do it all the time.) Buzz when you're with your friends. =] Hey whats the buzz! Haha... But yeah, sometimes my friends look at me like "... Steve, you're being a band dork" when I buzz at lunch or during free time. I even brought my mouthpiece to my girlfriend's once to buzz on since I was going to be away from my horn for a whole week. But it helps. =]

Thanks, everybody. I'm getting some really good ideas from you guys. I've always been very resistent to the whole idea of buzzing, but ok, ok, I'm slowly changing. I bought a book by Wendell Rider & he has several pages of buzzing exercises. According to him, buzzing is one of the best ways we can develop a good resonate tone! Who knew????

Valerie, Come back horn player