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pleasantly surprised

Author: cassie
Date: 2003-06-06 17:57

I recently took a 3-week vacation from picking up my horn (not by choice) and when I played the other day for the first time since, I surprised myself--I actually was impressed by my own sound! I was playing extremely well!! I opened one of my methods, picked a random page (that I have yet to play through in my lessons), and played through it rather effortlessly! I was sightreading like nobody's business! Sightreading in general has always been a strong point for me anyway, but I was doing unusually well.

I wonder if it's good to take a break every now and then from playing so much? I was afraid I might have to work my way back in to where I was where I left off on my pieces, but I feel like I have been playing better lately than before when I would spend hours working on certain passages!

Anyone else been through the same thing, or does taking a break screw up everything you had been working on?

cassie

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: Gretchen
Date: 2003-06-06 18:01

Isn't that weird!? Taking breaks gives you time to figure stuff out and re-group so when you go back, you're fresh and ready to go, and in your case, better than you left it!

Congrats!

Gretchen

Post Edited (2010-05-12 17:38)

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: ron b
Date: 2003-06-06 18:09

I find that the only really annoying problem I have with extensive 'vacations' is endurance. To keep embouchure and breath support in shape, it's necessary to play fairly regularly. Otherwise, I just can't keep up with the rest of the herd [frown]

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: Katrina
Date: 2003-06-07 19:38

ron,

How extensive is extensive?

3 weeks isn't bad, IMHO...

There WAS the time I didn't play for 3 YEARS and when I went back...

oooooo....was I in TROUBLE! LOL!

Katrina

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: BobD
Date: 2003-06-07 20:58

Personally I find it unusual that you would sound better after a three week layoff

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: Irwin
Date: 2003-06-07 21:34

Anytime I don't play for 3 weeks, my technique and dexterity take a nose dive. Takes me a couple of days to get back to where I left off.

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Re: pleasantly surprised

Author: ron b
Date: 2003-06-07 22:20

Hi, Kat - nice to hear from you

Naw, three weeks ain't nuthin'... but I consider three weeks off to be about my limit these days. After that, I find myself in about the same predicament as Irwin... breath control and dexterity begin to decline repidly. Then it take at least a week or so of half hour to one hour sessions to get back to where I was.

My longest *uninterrupted* layoff was about thirteen years. Prior to that I had been playing six (5-6 hrs) nights a week plus odds and ends such as community band, jam sessions, just for kicks etc. - so, I was in pretty good form. That conditioning made it remarkably easy to make a 'comeback' but still took three-four months to gain enough breath control to do an adequate job. Oddly, maybe, the embouchure was hardly any problem - just a few days and everything was working fine there. Once you have the technique set in your brain it's always available, I guess, but I don't expect to ever gain back the physical endurance I had earlier. I play well enough now to enjoy playing without 'working' at it.

- ron b -

Post Edited (2003-06-07 22:24)

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