What is your 'routine'?

[Kory101]

Mike Roylance's "Thunderdome"

It'll cure what ails ya!

**and lately, a lot of Chris Olka's drills are becoming a daily ritual.**

[WC8KCY]

Being a 3-valve E-flat player, i warm up on long tones in the low register--low Eb down to A natural, then false Ab working down to false E natural, then finally the pedal Eb working down to the lowest A. Then I work on developing a good clean in-tune attack on those same notes.

Then, I practice a selection of scales, followed by the Bordogni vocalises from the Melodious Etudes for Trombone book, taken down an octave.

Routine on euphonium is pretty much the same, only the tessitura is different--long tones and attack drills from low F to the 1-2-3-4 low C, false B natural, then pedal Bb down to the lowest C. Having bought my (since replaced under warranty) YEP-321S back in '94, I'm still kicking myself for not getting the now-discontinued fifth valve...

[THE TUBA]

I use the Brass Gym (Pilafian/Sheridan) in combination with some other little exercises and routines.

Edit to include more info:

If I have the time, I like to do a full hour-long fundamentals "workout" at the beginning of each day. I usually don't do exactly the same thing every day--I'll substitute and modify exercises depending on time available, playing demands the rest of the day, and aspects of technique that I need to work on.

* Stretches
* Breathing Exercises
* Buzzing
* Long Tones
* Low Chromatic slurs
* Mid-Range chromatic slurs (soft)
* Soft Touch (soft articulation exercises)
* Smooth Air Movement (Low melodic slurs)
* Scales in quarters descending to pedals
* Bugles in quarter notes then 8th-notes
* An assortment of Lip Slurs
* Articulation Exercises
* Scale patterns (slurred)
* Scales + arpeggios (articulated)
* Legato Snedecor or Concone/Bordogni down and octave
* Low chromatic slurs to warm-down

[bort]

So far I haven't heard what I would consider a routine, other than reference to Roylance's. Perhaps more clarity is needed in my question.

How do you use your time if you have X amount of time to practice but nothing you're preparing for performance?

For the griping about the site being unuseful, this is my contribution to be useful.

One of two things:
1) Scales for 5 or 10 minutes. Then I'll pick out an excerpt or etude book and play whatever I feel like playing. Sometimes I'll come across something I haven't played in a long time. Sometimes I pick something I've been listening to. Other times I'll just pick something at random.
2) Same as above, just no scales.

[Kory101]

If I'm not preparing for anything in particular and just practicing to stay in shape, I will do:

Long tones (I'm partial to Chris Olka's Peanut Butter Long Tones)

From there, I basically just play scales and arpeggios. From pedal F up to the C above middle C. Varying rhythms and articulations. Major, minor, augmented, diminished, chromatic. One, two three or four octaves, depending on how I'm feeling on the day.

[swillafew]

I play with the "20 minute warm-up" CD. It took me many sessions to master a few of the etudes, and I am not up the pedal etude yet. Absent the CD, I would keep an eye on a tuner, but matching with listening seems very helpful. My pitch is not perfect but it improves when attention is given.
Before finding that, I used the Bell Scales, and that took me a lot longer than 20 minutes. My fingering was better but the pitch not as good.

[k001k47]

1) pick up tuba
2) realize I suck at tuba
3) put tuba down
4) cry
5) ???
6) PROFIT!

[hbcrandy]

When I have nothing that is pressing on the horizon and have time for general practice, I begin with long tone, major scales (all 12). I then shift to the Arban Trombone Method and do a set of exercises toward the front of the book that are easy melodies to make sure that all note beginnings and releases are consistent. Then I move to Arban scale exercises for finger technique and exercises in double and triple tounging. From there, I either go to orchestra excerpts that need constant practice and review to keep them polished or to a solo piece that I am preparing. I also do Rochut, "Melodious Etudes: for trombone to sure up my legato playing and melodic line interpretation, as well as Blazevich etudes and an ocassional Tyrell etude for fun.

[swillafew]

do you limit the time you practice or just go until the chops are gone or just get tired.

I heard good advice: pick up the horn with the objective of perfecting something, and put it down when you have met this objective.

In other words, never mind the time, mind the result of the practice.

[Antontuba]

I've been using a routine for the past two years that has been working rather well. I play about 30 patterns from a rather large series my undergrad band director wrote (mostly slurred), takes about 40 minutes (he studied under Vacchiano at Julliard, played professionally in an orchestra, then played under Rivelli at Michigan, series really works). Takes about 40 minutes. I like playing these using the practice mute. If I have time or energy I'll play in the Kopprasch for a while. Concert season dictates I spend half of practice time on the patterns, half on the music.....and I play the mouthpiece for about an hour in the car (daily). My mom is in a dementia unit, and I'll take her for a ride everyday (she loves this).....plenty of mouthpiece practice.

Adam
Besson 981, DW3L

[LARSONTUBA]

I really like David Vining's resources. I practice out of Flow Studies, Range Songs, and Long Tone Duets on a pretty much daily basis. I also use the 20 Minute Warmup, Philip Sparke's Super Studies, and the Brass Gym. I also do an adapted version of Phil Sinder's technical skills exam that he uses (used? not sure if it is still in use) at Michigan State.

[hbcrandy]

I play the mouthpiece for about an hour in the car (daily).

I used to buzz my mouthpiece while driving until Dave Fedderly pointed out to me that if you have an accident and your airbag deploys, you may have to have your mouthpiece surgically removed from the back of your head. Mouthpiece practice is an excellent thing to do, but, do it in a safer environment.

[Antontuba]

I thought about the danger of being in an accident while buzzing, only employ mp while on open road/highway, away from traffic.

[swillafew]

Mouthpiece buzzing in the car has to take a backseat to driving the car, but I do it to arrive warmed up and ready.

[THE TUBA]

I always hear about the dangers of driving with a good buzz on.

[MacedoniaTuba]

Usualy start with breathing gym(10-15 minutes max),5-10 minutes of buzzing,Mr. Emory Remington's warmup drills for trombone, Mr. Chris Olka's drills, Mr. Roger Bobo's book(some of the exercises),little bit of Arban , Bordogni etudes and some orchestral excerpts at the end. Even though if i find something better-fit to my playing exercise,i might put it inside the daily routine. I am thinkig of getting more attention on the tongue and the staccato.
Cheers!!!

[cmonte]

I usually squeeze in two sessions a day ranging from 35-50 minutes. I allow a range because I believe that my chops aren't always consistent day to day. I base my routine on the Interlochen low brass routine.
I start with some meditation to get my focus and a clear mind then create/edit a few goals for the day so I don't think of other things to do for the rest of my practice time. (~3-5 minutes)
Warmups- scales, tone, low range, etudes (~10-15 min)
Repertoire- solos, experimentation (~15-20 minutes)
Cool down- long tones, low register, review session, plan next sessions (~5-8 min)

[chronolith]

The first thing I do when I pick up the horn is try to play something technical with tonguing, dynamics, and intervals. Nothing too serious, maybe 30-60 seconds worth. Improvised is better. This serves as a smack in the face and a jumpstart for my air. Sounds stupid to start this way but it works for me.

On occasion I will put in Roger Lewis' spit valve drill if I need a bit more "waking up".

Next I start on the first partial and start doing widening intervals down into the low register (C - B - C, C - Bb - C, C - A - C...) while using a big piano/forte/piano crescendo decrescendo (peaking on the lower note). I try to be as musical as possible on these, and also make them last as long as possible while "budgeting" my air and timing. In fact I try to get out of the note-y stuff as quickly as I can to move on to things that require musical phrasing otherwise I get bogged down into minutiae.

Next I will move on to Borogni alternating between regular register and down two octaves, again focusing on the musical aspects of it as much as possible. If I am working on the F tuba I will also throw in the exercises as written (octave up).

Then I get out the Cichowicz flow studies and choose at random. At this point I also add in transposition since I am already reading treble clef.

After that I spend at least 30 minutes improvising once I have the basics up and running. If I am having fun I just keep going with it. This is a good time to switch the tape on.

If nobody else is home I will then turn on my electronic drone through my sound system and just flow along with it on the horn.

I treat my entire routine (if you can call it that) as a performance. Puts me in the best mindset.

[deholder]

I suck as a player. So i just keep working through the Rubanks advanced vol 1 and 2.
Firsr, a few breathing exercises and a bit of buzzing then scales and low/ high tones. Then long tones. Then the next lesson in the Rubanks.

But I suck and I am not a professional and I doubt I even have a category. I just love playing.

[Uncle Buck]

Back when I was playing "seriously," I had a rigid routine that I never deviated from involving a lot of long tones, slurs, and etudes before I started playing anything else.

In retrospect, I believe rigid adherence to a routine contributed to me not performing so well when "real life" landed me in situations when I had no choice but to perform without having gone through the routine.