Posted by John Edens on August 12, 2003 at 21:36:27:
In Reply to: Shoulder Tension posted by Wil on August 12, 2003 at 11:03:47:
Hit the weights. I too have battled shoulder tension/fatigue in euphonium playing, and for me the most simple solution has been building stronger arms/shoulders/pecs. My band director, who is a good friend of Dave Monette, told me that Wynton Marsalis had to work out extensively in order to become strong enough to play those darn 14 pound Raja trumpets for an extended period of time. So I've been doing the same thing, and it's helped a great deal. Same advice works for bass trombonists who have a difficult time holding their horn up during a long gig.
-John Edens