Are you a euphonium player struggling with lip fatigue during long rehearsals or performances? You’re not alone! Many brass musicians face this challenge, especially when tackling demanding pieces like Philip Sparke’s “Harlequin”. As a seasoned euphonium player and a fan of this particular composition, I’m excited to share my insights and tips to help improve your endurance and performance.

1. Focus on Embouchure-Building Exercises 

Don’t neglect your long tones, lip slurs, and other fundamentals just because you’re trying to get all the notes in a tough piece. I like to dedicate one practice session, preferably in the morning, to these fundamental “workout” routines, so I can focus my later session on the repertoire. There are tons of resources available for these types of exercises, but I like Total Range a lot.

2. Enhance Breath Support

Developing proper breath support will make your chops work more efficiently, and won’t get tired as quickly. Breathing exercises that help with lung strength/capacity are a great starting point, but you also want to work on supporting your air with your “core” while you play. I recently watched a clinic from a trumpet player who talked about practicing while wearing a weightlifting belt in order to zone in on the specific muscles that support your diaphragm, and it’s a really eye-opening experience! I may expand on this in the future when I’ve had more time to really test it out.

3. Utilize Strategic Resting Points

Find spots in the music itself where you can get the mouthpiece off your face, even for a split second. As long as you have time to reset your embouchure, try to take breaths with your lips completely off your mouthpiece. It takes a little practice to get right, but it’s really crazy what that tiny little fraction of a second can do to get blood flowing back into your lips.

4. Practice Relaxation Techniques

Relax! And I mean this in an overall sense. The more relaxed your mind is, the more relaxed your body will be, and the more relaxed your body is, the less tense your chops will be. Less tense means you’re not working as hard to produce each note, which will make your playing much more efficient. There are a lot of relaxation techniques you can try, but my personal favorite way to be relaxed in a performance setting is to simply be as prepared as possible. That means not only learning the piece inside and out, but also doing “dry runs” of the performance in front of people, as many times as I can, in order to get used to the feeling of performing, which can’t be replicated in a practice room.

Improving endurance for euphonium players is a multifaceted approach involving embouchure exercises, breath support, strategic resting, and mental relaxation. Even if you’re short on time, focusing on just one of these aspects can lead to noticeable improvements, not just in playing Harlequin but in all your performances.

What are your experiences with improving endurance on brass instruments? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!