Author: nielsen57
Date: 2006-08-07 06:41
My own "Desert period" occurred when I was a bit older than you, already finished with one performance degree and starting to work on another. I spent nearly a year feeling like I had "lost" my sound, and thus spent much time and money trying out new equipment and new reeds aimed at fixing the problem. I also experimented with variations in my practice: more time, additional technical exercises, and the like. I ended up practically unable to touch my horn without getting angry or breaking out in tears.
Feeling frustrated and out of options, that summer I stopped "practicing"....but I didn't stop playing. I'd sit down when I was in the mood and start reading through material I enjoyed, my personal favorites being transcribed Bach suites. Very soon I noticed that not only was I logging far more hours with my horn than I had all year, I was playing less tense, my fingers were flowing, and (finally) my sound was feeling like my sound again.
Gradually, I reintroduced "practice" into my playing time, and have been going strong now for a few years. If I'm feeling tight or negative, I'll take the occassional day off from "practice" and return to playing.
Moral of the story: My personal experience taught me that issues with my playing don't have as much to do with the physical factors, but rather the mental ones. Don't forget why you're playing in the first place...it's FUN! Slap a reed on there and play something you love...your sound will find you.
meg
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The Clarinet BBoard
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