In a message dated 1/6/99 12:32:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, McIrvine@ix.netcom.com writes:

<< I  think playing ANYTHING that makes the chops feel relaxed can be good to play. I often repeat the very beginning of my warm-up because it is designed to move air through the horn and blood through the chops. >>

I should add to this that Laurie Frink advocates "whisper" tones for this purpose. The idea is to play the low F# as quietly as possible ---- so much so that the person sitting next to you can barely hear it, then hold it for as long as possible. The concept is that in order to do this successfully, you must 1) Use almost no extra pressure on your chops 2) You must keep enough air going at a steady flow to hold the note, 3) Helps reduce any swelling through maintaining good circulation of the soft lip tissue.

        I must say that this simple step has helped me tremendously over the past 6 months, even during a big band gig where I started to feel tired ---- suddenly had new life breathed into my chops! Try it and see if it helps .....

WH