Practice every day?

[smurphius]

This has gotten ugly. Boo to that.

[UTTuba_09]

It just seems like to me that some practice habits work well with some and not so much with others. There is no set way to practice that is the only right way. The trick is, find out what works best for you, try some of the stuff that has been said, mix and match them, see what fits not only into your schedule, but works best for your chops. If you have a set schedule for a few weeks and you find yourself able to do more, than do more, if you think it's too much, ease up a little, either by taking a day off, or shortening your daily amounts. Just find what works for you. Bottom line...don't lose sight of what you're trying to accomplish...

[Slamson]

I've always liked what Sinichi Suzuki said about practicing:
"You don't have to practice every day - just on the days that you eat."

That being said, my take is that missing an occasional day every couple of weeks isn't such a bad thing, and maybe slacking off to 30 minutes of practice the day before a recital is a good idea (assuming you're in shape for the recital!), but I buy into the "athletic" aspect of practicing in that those oxifacial muscles atrophy REALLY fast... and, of course, beating them up by trying to cram three or four day's worth of practice into one is just as bad.

[tubeast]

I suppose most of the Tubenetters that have posted here are professionals (I´d call a student of music a pro, too, since these professionally acquire the skills needed to earn a living as a musician).
I´m not in a position where I can practise every day. I do try to at least keep in shape. I do experience immediate and great leaps in response, tonal quality etc. when I get to seriously practise on several consecutive days. A music teacher I know told me he can tell his shape by the time his face needs to recover from fatigue.

But how about this:
On days off the horn, You might devote some time on breathing studies. Go swimming or working out. Your diaphragm won´t have to work as hard if it doesn´t have to work against a massive belly just to inhale. Read musicians´ or componists´ biographies Search the internet or library on facts behind the pieces that are in your present practise folder.
Use your brain for something different for a change (i.e. non-musical). It needs recovery time, as well.
You may not have worked on your horn, but you WILL have done something useful for your shape, knowledge, or simply your level of wellbeing. Sounds like part of professionality to me.