When I get up in the morning I look forward to any opportunities I can find to play something on my horn. Much of the time this involves practicing routines that I was given by various teachers when I was much younger. Every once in a while I will come across a new exercise that I like doing, but I usually end up going back to the tried and true. Arbans never really turned me on, even though there is just about everything in there that you could ever want or need to practice. I have book upon book of exercises and etudes, but what I am coming to these days is trying to create new routines out of old routines. My Humber teacher, Rainer Schmidt, had a routine that I still use a few times a week. It incorporates all of the expected elements of flexibility, tonguing, range, etudes. The Clarke's Technical Studies for Cornet is fundamental to Rainer's approach. My beat up copy gets a regular viewing and rethinking each time I pull it off the shelf. I probably use the second study the most but I also like the Fourth Study for finger flex and the Third Study for lip flex.
What are your favourite exercises?