For the longest time I have practiced long tones on a nearly daily basis. However when completing these exercises, after a while, my lips would start to quiver uncontrollably. I had thought this normal, and the quivering to mean that my muscles were tired, like after working out with weights. Yet, over time, it seemed that they did not get stronger, which worried me. No matter how much I have looked on the internet, I have not found anyone who has a similar reaction to muscle fatigue, which led me to the possibility that I may have embouchure dystonia, yet my experience does not fit the symptoms associated with the disease. My lips only quiver when playing long tones and quiver more after a lot of practice. I eventually came to the conclusion that this was because of weak lips, but was perpetuated by my habit of slightly puffing my cheeks, which I had though until recently was acceptable. Perhaps the worst part of this habit was its subtlety; when playing, my face only looked slightly bloated, rather than full on puffing cheeks, leading to it being ignored.
This habit, from what I can tell, removed much of the stress put on my lips from playing, which is why they were weak. When correcting this habit, I made it a point of not changing my embouchure, with my ‘new form’ having tighter corners on the edge of my mouth, a more open front and back jaw, and no cheek puffing at all. My tone seems better, especially in the high register and I have a better range, but now a new set of issues has come. The first is my jaw: it seems that when I open it slightly too much, or get low that it closes uncontrollable, in a fashion similar to my lips quivering. The second is control in the low register: in addition to the movement or chattering of my jaw, I have much less control over attacks and sustained notes in the low register. And finally I have generally less flexibility, control and endurance. On my ‘old form’ I could play for as long as I liked. I could play for up to 7 hours a day (I fortunately have the time from summer break) as long as I took frequent water breaks, typically after demanding periods of long tones or high/low range work. Now I need many more breaks and cannot practice for as long. Yesterday I was able to play for 5 hours, only when spread in 1-2 hour chunks throughout the day, but when I started today, I had very little control, and then decided to take the day off. Yet this lack of control is the same kind of feeling that I have had in various degrees since I started with my new form about a week ago. Is this lack of control that I have today a result of tired lips? Am I approaching my embouchure and facial form correctly? Thank you for any help.