How do I increase my lip durability?

[GhostlyBoy08]

Can anyone give me some tips on this subject?
The first game of the season is tonight and I dont want to bust my upper lip again. Like is there anything i can do before then?

Is there anyway i can also increase my breathing technique over time too?

[Dan Schultz]

I don't know that there is anything you can do to instantly increase your breathing technique or 'chops' endurance.

Daily practice will help. Any style of playing/buzzing will work. Long sustained tones will probably do more for you than simply blasting 'football field' style.

[GhostlyBoy08]

I know what i said may not make sense but i mean houw can i increase my breathing technique and endurance over time?

[Lee Stofer]

You need to establish a daily warm-up routine, and then a daily practice routine. They are not the same thing. A warm-up is just that, getting muscles ready for practice, just like in athletics. My warm-up routine includes long tones, listening and adjusting my embouchure to improve tone quality and efficiency. It also includes lip slurs through various intervals throughout the range of the instrument. Finally, my warm-up routine includes playing all my major and minor (all three forms) scales, two octaves. It takes time to build up to a warm-up like this, but when you can do all of that and well in 10 minutes, you will feel a lot more confident about your playing.

For tonight, do some easy long tones in the low register, don't over-exert yourself, since you indicated that you have already hurt yourself, and wear some lip balm of some kind if the air is dry where you are, or you will have significant sun exposure. Just try to play more great quality sound than great quantity of sound, and you will be healed-up soon. Let someone else be the "Sousaphone Hero" tonight.

[swillafew]

My warm-up routine includes long tones, listening and adjusting my embouchure to improve tone quality and efficiency. It also includes lip slurs through various intervals throughout the range of the instrument

This is what playing a brass instrument is all about.

[NCSUSousa]

In addition to the comments above, I suggest using a good lip balm that includes a 'SPF' rating on the label.
I keep a tube of Nivea balm with an SPF rating of ~10 (I think) in my Golf bag because that's when I'm outdoors the most. Protecting yourself from unnecessary sun damage will help you recover from the normal wear and tear while you build up that lip.

Don't forget that your lip is also a muscle. Proper fluid and electrolyte intake helps prevent weakness or cramps from overuse and general sweating on a hot day.

[Kevin Hendrick]

Roids

That's a (w)hole different problem (wrong end) -- I hear Preparation H is helpful for those.

[euphoni]

Two things to increase lip durability:

-Warm up with long tones before blasting your face off.

Think about jumping up from your couch and sprinting.. Without warming up your muscles you won't last long and you might pull something.. Same thing when you put the horn to your face.

-Proper breathing while playing, especially when your lips get tired, is very important.

Remember air is what vibrates the lips, which in turn makes sound, not you forcing/muscling them to vibrate. When our face gets tired we tend to force things more and press the horn to our face, etc. It is important to remember to keep feeling the air flowing through your lips when you start feeling fatigued.

Good luck... Keep it loud and proud!

[Heavy_Metal]

One thing that "can" decrease your endurance is a mouthpiece that's too small for you. Three reasons-

1- there is less lip muscle handling the load, and

2- there's more chance of the lips hitting each other as they vibrate, which will make them tire out more quickly. This can also cause a muffled sound;

3- with lips too close together, you'll have more trouble moving air thru the horn.

Since you can't buy online, what mouthpiece lines are available to you? I read in your other thread that you have access to Bach mouthpieces- have you tried a 7 or 7T (the MegaTone version)?

[Untersatz]

I read in your other thread that you have access to Bach mouthpieces- have you tried a 7 or 7T (the MegaTone version)?

While the Bach 7 Megatone might have the desired rim dia. & cup volume, it also has a
9mm throat size & will suck the wind right outta you!

[Heavy_Metal]

While the Bach 7 Megatone might have the desired rim dia. & cup volume, it also has a
9mm throat size & will suck the wind right outta you!

It might, or it might not. Throat diameter is related to cup size, shape and depth, backbore shape etc. and a change in one of these would affect the others.

My usual mouthpiece has a similarly large throat, though I don't have a precise tool that will let me post its exact throat dimension. This lets me move air without forcing it. I've tried MPs with even larger throats (IYB Maximus ) and don't seem to run out of air any faster.

The instrument being used can also affect MP selection. On a smaller horn, a larger throat may make it too easy to overblow and distort it, but a larger horn might handle it with no problem and may be able to handle even more. In my own stable, this is why I don't use the same MP on my Besson as I do on the Sonora or 20J. But all of mine have similar rims that make it easy to go from one to the other.

The point is, I would say our OP should try some different MPs and see what works best for that player on that horn.