Posted by Leland on March 19, 2004 at 16:12:21:
In Reply to: Re: A few basic Sousaphone Questions. . . posted by Gus Pratt on March 19, 2004 at 13:28:06:
Playing on a regular basis is definitely a help, no doubt about it.
However, that doesn't mean that you have to shoo away the family every afternoon while you pull out the horn. The part that needs daily muscle conditioning -- the embochure -- can be pretty well-maintained just with some mouthpiece buzzing. Half an hour per day is all you'd need on days off between band rehearsals.
Get a second mouthpiece to keep in the car for this purpose, and/or keep another near the TV remote or on the computer desk. Random buzzing, though, will only go so far -- at least, use a similar warmup routine to what you'd do on a horn. I've even got recordings of warmups that I buzz with while I'm in the car.