A large part of my time these days is spent subbing in various orchestras on the weekends. This past weekend was no exception. I was invited to play, with the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra in Myrtle Beach, SC, a program that included the Overture to Barber of Seville, Don Juan, Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, and Alexander Nevsky. A heavy program to say the least!
The reason I’m writing, though, isn’t to brag about the neat pieces I’m getting to play but to talk a little bit about keeping your chops healthy during weekends like this. The rehearsal schedule for the weekend included a 3-hour rehearsal Friday, two 3-hour rehearsals on Saturday, a 2-hour rehearsal on Sunday and a concert after that. It was absolutely a ton of playing and I found myself really taking steps to ensure that my chops were well taken care of.
First, it is imperative to have an adequate warm up. I started this weekend off without one of those due to unexpected traffic, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s important to get your daily routines in even with the extended amount of playing during the weekend. This keeps you able to do the things you need to do for hours on end.
Secondly, drink lots and lots of water. Water, specifically staying hydrated, is super important to the muscles in your chops when you are punishing them for hours per day. I increased my water intake to well over 60 oz. per day from Friday – Sunday just to keep myself hydrated. I heard people complaining of fatigue (face and otherwise) on Saturday afternoon and it came as no surprise because I witnessed them guzzling Pepsi at the same rate that I was drinking water. This is just plain not healthy for the chops – or a persons well-being – when using your body to work as hard as we were this past weekend.
Lastly, I recommend the use of an anti-inflammatory. I prefer ibuprofen or advil. I take a small dose at the end of the day to help relax the chops and minimize swelling – though I still noticed some swelling. The bit of swelling that did happen went down after a nice, long, warm up.
I’m not the skinniest health advocate ever – but I do tend to make an effort to eat and drink relatively healthy, and work out. We all splurge, but I’d recommend trying to be as healthy as possible, especially when exerting yourself, and chops, in such a manner as I did this past weekend.
After all those rehearsals, I felt some discomfort on my face but overall I never really felt fatigued. I was able to make it through all of the services with a great deal of success, and I believe it is because I kept myself hydrated, used an anti-inflammatory after playing for hours, and warmed up properly (most days). Take care of the money makers!!!



