I usually start my practice sessions with some mouthpiece buzzing. It helps me get the blood flowing to my chops. Tonight I tried something different at the suggestion of another player. I removed my tuning slide and buzzed down the lead pipe. It is a different sensation from buzzing the mouthpiece and quite helpful to me. I felt as if my air was doing most of the work and I forgot about my chops for lack of a better description. After doing that for about 5 minutes, I replaced the tuning slide and began my normal routine. I liked the results. Whenever I thought my tone was starting to deteriorate I removed the tuning slide and repeated the process again. I think I will continue to work with this and see where it takes me.

I?ve come to the conclusion that I get a better sound when I record directly to my mini disc player. Recordings to my computer tend to sound darker and not as crisp. When I record myself on the mini disc I think I sound better. I recorded most of my practice session on the mini and listened after dinner. I?m not as bad as I thought. 🙂