 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bsharp
Date: 2026-01-07 18:48
I am increasing aware, now in my late 70’s, that my ability to securely execute longish passages of notes has diminished significantly.
I am still successful if the passages are scales or arpeggios (that have been drilled in over 65 years of playing), but if the notes begin to deviate from these standard things - especially in longish passages - I can’t reliably execute. I’m not sure of the exact cause, but I suspect that - in part - the reason is mental processing speed: that I cannot read ahead or remember transitions quickly or accurately enough. Even when I have practiced such passages by breaking/chunking them down into manageable component parts, putting them back together is fraught.
An analogy might be like reading a paragraph written in your native language that begins to look unintelligible as you scan along.
Have others experienced this? If so, what strategies do you recommend for coping?
Steve
I am an amateur- but fairly accomplished- player still performing publicly several times a year, currently working on the York Bowen sonata, which contains these sorts of mixed passages of close-to-but-not-quite traditional scales and arpeggios.
Stephen Schiffman
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-01-07 20:05
I'm not quite there yet myself. But I've witnessed it in many of my older bandmates. So I'd say it's a natural thing and there's probably nothing you can do about it besides adapt to your new normal. It will happen to all of us eventually.
Getting specific, everyone near 80 or older in every band I've ever been in seems to have trouble with timing and rhythm, as if their reaction time has slowed. Tone control also deteriorates. Same reason driving is harder at that age.
Post Edited (2026-01-08 00:50)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2026-01-07 22:28
Well I don't know about that. What you describe sounds a bit unique. What happens if you chunk certain parts in rehearsal........say, start playing the passage three bars in (purposely ignoring the first two bars) and just play a few bars..... AND STOP. Will that small chunk in the middle work?
Sounds like for you this doesn't work but I just want to clarify. For me, most issues anything like that revolve around not having the air to go forward.
Anyway if your brain wants to glom onto a starting point and then get muddled after a short spell, that's probably something other than just the notes.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Luc
Date: 2026-01-08 00:37
Hello Steve,
I am new here - sort of. I was active on this forum some years ago, but I let it slide as well as my clarinet playing. In any case I am back into it once again and I'm gung-ho about it this time around for precisely the same reason you brought up. I crossed into that septuagenarian realm last year and speaking for myself only, I too have noticed the gray matter isn't firing as quickly as before! So I'm going out of my way to challenge myself synaptically in all kinds of areas... and rediscovering my clarinet and music is just what the doctor ordered. Don't know if the brain sweats during a workout but mine must be sweating bullets when I practice. And IT DOES take more reps to finally get stuff in there.
Anyway I sympathise with you Steve. Take it with a grain of salt I guess and keep at it. Best of luck.
Luc
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Author: Bsharp
Date: 2026-01-08 02:49
Paul wrote:
“Well I don't know about that. What you describe sounds a bit unique. What happens if you chunk certain parts in rehearsal........say, start playing the passage three bars in (purposely ignoring the first two bars) and just play a few bars..... AND STOP. Will that small chunk in the middle work?
Sounds like for you this doesn't work but I just want to clarify. For me, most issues anything like that revolve around not having the air to go forward.”
Me: Air not a problem at all. Small chunks not a problem either. It is putting them all into a seamless line reliably. I practice these parts every day - and by the end of a practice session I get pretty good, but not 100% at executing. But when I return the next day, I am pretty much back to screwing up. Some improvement with practicing over time, yes, but not enough to gain security.
“Anyway if your brain wants to glom onto a starting point and then get muddled after a short spell, that's probably something other than just the notes”
me: I’m cognitively pretty sharp still (a former mathematician who still teaches and plays around with mathematics) and I don’t have this problem reading (text) quickly, so I don’t think it is a cognitive issue if that is your thought. But of course it might well be the beginning of cognitive issues!
Stephen Schiffman
Post Edited (2026-01-08 02:58)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2026-01-08 03:06
Still…what happens if you start the “phrase” late, and end early????
…….. Paul Aviles
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2026-01-08 07:13
I too have passed 70- (72 in April). I don't THINK I have slowed down in my reading or playing yet. I still am principal in a prof. band each summer. We do tend to repeat a lot of stuff, as do most of these bands, and play 10 or so per concert with one rehearsal. I find that I have to concentrate at times a little more than usual perhaps-- on the easy stuff such as the solos, not missing an entrance, making sure I'm counting rests in 2 if it's in 2, not in 4.... I was often a soloist with this group, doing the Debussy last summer. I think those days are coming to an end as I seem to be worried that I'll screw something up, which shouldn't happen with a lead player. It's more the worry than the actual playing.
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Post Edited (2026-01-08 07:14)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-01-08 12:57
The old jazz greats that I knew during my youth, used to say that they played fewer notes, but chose them better. Of course, you can't pick and choose your notes when you're a Classical player and playing your part.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Bsharp
Date: 2026-01-08 16:37
Paul wrote:
“ Still…what happens if you start the “phrase” late, and end early????”
Yes, this is good advice, and is part of my “chunking” strategy.
Nonetheless when I first get back to these passages the next day, I am again unreliable in execution. (But it is not all negative; I do see that I am making a bit of progress)
But I will persist with this strategy in hopes of getting more consistent execution.
As some others have mentioned here, this may be the new normal for me; I’ll just have to work harder to gain the same level control I used to have.
Thanks for all your advice.
At least I’m still “in the game” playing.
Steve
Stephen Schiffman
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2026-01-08 20:19
I'm in my mid-70's, and I'm having similar issues. One caveat: I took 34 years off from playing after college, so I don't have the technique well "ingrained" over many years of continuous playing. Add to that, that I was not really taught how to practice when I was younger.
Like you, I find day-to-day consistency to be an ongoing problem. Perhaps a passage that was clean yesterday is a mess today, even at a slower tempo. I also notice the problem with "continuity"--My eyes and brain can get stuck looking at the previous line, rather than moving down the page, or worse yet to the top of the next page! It seems to be a concentration/distraction factor--My brain finds other things to think about in the middle of playing!
And like you, I'm still slowly making progress in my playing despite the frustrations; and I am able to play competently in two fairly high-level amateur organizations. Playing is still mostly a very positive experience for me, and I will as you said, stay "in the game".
Good luck!
Steve
Amateur musician, retired physician
Delaware Valley Wind Symphony, clarinet 1
Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, clarinet 2 (sub)
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