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Hey y'all -

I can only play for so long every day before the face turns to mush.

Asking the group wisdom: what favorite non-chop-related activities do y'all do to improve?

So far I'm:
(1) Listening to as much of the "standard" rep as I can, especially the same piece with different orchestras/conductors
(2) Ear training using the "Earpeggio" app and practicing solfegge with a piano
(3) Recently started yoga to work on breathing and focus and balance and such

What other things do y'all do?

Active listening definitely helps. If your chops are dead, you can even finger along with the recording and "air" through the passages. Typically my high chops go first, so sometimes I'll practice stuff down an octave as well. This works especially well for etudes.

Morning,

Firstly, I wouldn’t recommend playing until your chops go to mush.
I know what you mean, I think.
Short 10 minute periods of practice, with 10/15 minute recovery breaks in-between, is better than XX minutes uninterrupted practice with mushy chops at its end.
Also, make sure that in the final 5 minutes of your practice you only play in the low register. Not your upper register. This is good warm-down practice.

Secondly, to your actual question: what can I practice without practising?
I seem to recall old John Fletcher exercises that it is said he did.
Not suggesting them to you, but they are good tales.

Whilst walking the same route each day…
He would pick a start point.
Take a full breath.
Slowly exhale until empty, as if blowing his tuba.
Then work out how far he had walked.
Each day he would try to end up walking, at the same tempo, a little bit further.
I think this works as a good breathing exercise.

The other tale which I don’t recommend, but here it is.
He travelled on public transport as a young man.
Whilst stood in a crowded bus, he would hold onto the handrail with just his third finger.
Believing this would strengthen this weak finger as the bus went round bends and braked to a stop.

G