What`s the best way to improve endurance? Any suggestions will be highly appreciated.

I have been playin clarinet for 4 years.

Endurance... I have gained much endurance on clarinet from playing my normal chromatic scale (Low E to High G) but progressively getting faster until I get an effect of an ocean wave. (Up and down) also I open up my Rubank book and practice the Endurance and Articulation studies. All of these will increase your endurance undoubtedly and if you practice hard enough, its not that hard to boost up your skills in this criteria.

how is endurance affecting you specifically?

is it pain of the lips? tired jaw or finger muscles? shortness of breath (esp. while marching)?

here`s an answer to each of those:

lip pain: bear this in mind - your lower lip is flesh, not some super-durable polymer designed to play perpetually, so understandably there will always be a limit and it shouldn`t be your goal eliminate that limit. If you`re playing until your lip begins to scream in pain, you`re playing too much. back off for a day and give it another go tomorrow. If you need to play for long periods (that is, beyond your point of pain), give yourself frequent breaks and either drinks cold water (swirling about your lip) or hold an ice cube nearby in your mouth, to reduce swelling.

tired jaw muscles - if you practice every day, this probably won`t be an issue, but if you can`t (or simply won`t) practice every day, then a good alternative to building endurance on non-practice days is chewing gum - both sides (but really you`d get a lot more outta that jaw-energy if you were practicing

tired/weak fingers - when i first started out w/ the clarinet, i used to have trouble with dexterity and strength in my pinky fingers... I never tackled the problem specifically, and eventually through practice it took care of itself, but I advise younger players today to make sure their clarinet section is in possesion of one of those finger exercisers that guitar players use - they`re cheap and frankly i can`t think of any other device put together specifically for toning your finger`s strength

shortness of breath - sorry but the answer to this is simple - excersise. unless you have some breathing medical condition (in which case i`d consult your doctor), the way to go is to just do something aerobic a couple times a week (which you should do whether you play an instrument or not). jogging, swimming, badminton... those are my fixes...

also before doing any marching band activity out on the field... hydrate! a lot of getting tired has to do w/ dehydration, and the heavy breathing required of playing a wind instrument doesn`t help!

lol thanx guys. I just finished high school and the whole band schmeal, even though it was tuns of fun. I have been playin gigs and what not, and I`m just worried that one day my lips might just give out and I`ll start sounding like total doo-doo, which I don`t want to happen. I mean, who does? So all this advice was freakin` great, and will defeneately practice more often, since I have practically about a 2 hour space in my days for either hangin out or practicing.

But don`t stop the advice now!! If you have any other method, please post it!

Or I`ll have to come over your house and beat you up with my Buffet Mouthpiece. Which I do not need.

Duh.

One of the few helpful exercises my band director taught me goes like this:

Take a sheet of paper and hold it flat against a wall. Using your lower abs and killer air, blow against the paper, eventually removing your hand. If you have good air support and endurance, the paper will stay glued to the wall for some time. After you develop the technique, you can time yourself.

If this doesn`t work, you have the right to wage war with your mouthpiece.