Klarinet Archive - Posting 000684.txt from 2001/03

From: LauraHerndon@-----.edu
Subj: RE: [kl] The spirit is willing but the lip is weak! - from aphysi
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 11:57:11 -0500

Hello, I have been lurking until this point (I'm learning a lot more than I
can add right now) but I thought I could contribute a little here.

I too have returned to the clarinet after a break of more than 10 years.
I'm sure I didn't practice as extensively as most on this list in my initial
playing period or the current one, so my "recovery" is probably going to
take longer than most, but I have been slowly making ground with embouchure
fatigue. I wanted to give Stewart my own experience with taking a week off
from practice. I usually was spent after 15 to 20 minutes worth of practice
for the first several months, even using the very soft Rico reeds. I took
a vacation for a week in which I didn't want to tote my clarinet with me,
and when I returned it seemed that both embouchure and my playing in general
had substantially improved. It seems like the break allowed muscle to
recuperate and my motor memory to kick in. I have heard that in strength
training it is wise to rest muscle groups for a day or two to allow the
fibers to rebuild.

Laura E. Herndon
Clayton College & State Univ. Library
Technical Services Department
LauraHerndon@-----.edu

[Laura Herndon]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stewart kiritz [SMTP:kiritz@-----.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 11:13 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] The spirit is willing but the lip is weak! - from
> aphysiologist
>
> Diane,
>
> I am the person referred to who had lots of questions about embouchure
> weakness on the forum a week or so ago. My question for you is: is it
> possible that playing for too long after not playing much could fatigue
> the
> muscles to the extent that it takes several weeks to recover? I was going
> along playing in 20-30 minute sessions several times a day with no problem
> until about 2 weeks ago when I played with an accompanist for about 50
> minutes. By the end of that session, which was very focussed, my chops
> were
> gone.
>
> From then on it seems I can only play for 5-10 minutes before needing a
> several minute break. Playing on a softer reed gives me a bit more time.
> After my 1-3 minute break my muscles seem to recover and I can go back to
> playing for about the same amount of time, maybe a little less. Is it
> possible to "strain" muscles like this in such a fashion that the length
> of
> time before fatigue sets in will be shorter even after a week or two of
> recovery from such an intensive session? If so, would it be best to
> completely stop for several days or a week, or just to continue for short
> spurts with recovery time in between?
>
> Thanks much for all your insight,
>
> Stewart Kiritz
>

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