Long Tones!
Back from vacation and my playing is bad
So I took a (actually still on vacation a bit) two week vacation. I picked up my tenor for the first time in a couple weeks. Man, I simply am not playing good. Basically, my playing stinks.
after half an hour I put my tenor away and pulled out my clarinet. Same thing.
So I started playing scales. That kinda got my fingers in to a somewhat ready mood. Then started playing some intermediate type exercises. I'm slowly (and i mean slowly) coming around it seems.
But my fingers are awfully slow, embouchure is dead, etc. basically giving myself lessons to get back into some form of decent shape. I've taken other vacations before but I do not recall degrading this much in the past.
Anyways, I'm curious how other ppl get back into playing after taking some leave of their instrument ??
after half an hour I put my tenor away and pulled out my clarinet. Same thing.
So I started playing scales. That kinda got my fingers in to a somewhat ready mood. Then started playing some intermediate type exercises. I'm slowly (and i mean slowly) coming around it seems.
But my fingers are awfully slow, embouchure is dead, etc. basically giving myself lessons to get back into some form of decent shape. I've taken other vacations before but I do not recall degrading this much in the past.
Anyways, I'm curious how other ppl get back into playing after taking some leave of their instrument ??
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Dude, I haven't played in about a month and a half because of my ear surgery. I don't want to think about how much I may have lost during this layoff.
Doc Severtsen is rumored to have said,
"If you miss one day of practice, you'll notice. If you miss two days of practice, the band will notice. And if you miss three days of practice, the audience with notice!"
"If you miss one day of practice, you'll notice. If you miss two days of practice, the band will notice. And if you miss three days of practice, the audience with notice!"
Who has this quote not been attributed to??Gandalfe said:Doc Severtsen is rumored to have said,
"If you miss one day of practice, you'll notice. If you miss two days of practice, the band will notice. And if you miss three days of practice, the audience with notice!"
Look around apparently everyone has said it.
Two days of practice you'll be back. Don't worry about it.
I always tell my students that it takes two days of practice to get back one day off of your horn!
shockingly for me, I put my sax down for about a week, and then on saturday I began playing it again and it's like I never had left it, but I could of improved during those five days but I had no choice anyway, I was busy the whole week!
Don't worry about it, your brain probably forgot about the sax, give it a few days before you get that nogalstic feeling back.
Don't worry about it, your brain probably forgot about the sax, give it a few days before you get that nogalstic feeling back.
I know what you mean. If I don't play for two days, I feel the difference! One day on flute!
usually i can skip days all the time .. but i haven't had an extended layoff like this.
after playing clarinet for a couple hours i have some good technique back, air support is coming back (getting airy on 3.5 - normally use a 4, but 3 too soft - started on a 2.5), emb is okay and consistent .. through the brain-finger link is causing problems on faster (intermediate level) technical stuff
i don't even want to pull out the normal tech stuff that I play .. way too technical for me at this moment for my fingers and brain-finger sync
I only play my flute a couple days per year .... so that's not very good. i normally have alot of balance issues for the first couple hours
after playing clarinet for a couple hours i have some good technique back, air support is coming back (getting airy on 3.5 - normally use a 4, but 3 too soft - started on a 2.5), emb is okay and consistent .. through the brain-finger link is causing problems on faster (intermediate level) technical stuff
i don't even want to pull out the normal tech stuff that I play .. way too technical for me at this moment for my fingers and brain-finger sync
I only play my flute a couple days per year .... so that's not very good. i normally have alot of balance issues for the first couple hours
If i miss some days or week i need like 2-4 hours song playing and i will be normal back.Another day training more and theres no difference anymore,but when i first take sax out of box when i havnet played for long it sounds terrible
i cant play technical parts without clomping
i cant play technical parts without clomping
Are you one of those people that other people love to hate? Like the people who can eat all the time and never gain weight?JazzItUp said:shockingly for me, I put my sax down for about a week, and then on saturday I began playing it again and it's like I never had left it, but I could of improved during those five days but I had no choice anyway, I was busy the whole week!
Don't worry about it, your brain probably forgot about the sax, give it a few days before you get that nogalstic feeling back.
By the way, isn;t the title of this thread the name of a blues head from the 50s?
YES! That's me! I can eat about 5 big macs right now and stay the same.danarsenault said:Are you one of those people that other people love to hate? Like the people who can eat all the time and never gain weight?
By the way, isn;t the title of this thread the name of a blues head from the 50s?
Don't hate, appreciate!
After playing violin in a show for the last 7 weeks, I got called to play a gig on tenor sax and Bb clarinet. I get there and see the music. First chart is in E on tenor. Great, a relatively easy key. I look over the part for a moment and rehearsal begins. They call the first chart out. I find the part is a clarinet chart in the key of F#. Crap. Then they count it out, Quarter = 160 - crap crap. Darn guitar bands.
I survived just fine, but the slop in my technique from not playing for 2 months was not too cool, even though nobody else heard anything, I heard it. To top off the night, my tenor fibracell blew out near the end of rehearsal. It didn't delaminate like my usual experience at the end of their life, but instead split in 3 places.
Oh well. At least it is a low profile gig coming just before the season starts up around here. Better to get these issues sorted before the paying gig season.
I survived just fine, but the slop in my technique from not playing for 2 months was not too cool, even though nobody else heard anything, I heard it. To top off the night, my tenor fibracell blew out near the end of rehearsal. It didn't delaminate like my usual experience at the end of their life, but instead split in 3 places.
Oh well. At least it is a low profile gig coming just before the season starts up around here. Better to get these issues sorted before the paying gig season.
Just remember, John Coltrane always kept his sax by his bedside, and every morning when he woke up he would begin his scale routine. It's gotta be a part of your daily practice.
There's some incentive to get my own apartment... living at home has disadvantages like angry little sisters!trahansax said:Just remember, John Coltrane always kept his sax by his bedside, and every morning when he woke up he would begin his scale routine. It's gotta be a part of your daily practice.
(I'm only 20, so I'm allowed to live at home a few years yet. >_>)
I could do that before I turned 25.JazzItUp said:YES! That's me! I can eat about 5 big macs right now and stay the same.
Don't hate, appreciate!
The simple answer is play all the time. I cant actually remember when I had a holiday and the only enforced time off was for abdominal surgery. Even then I was on the Piano or something non blowing.
I play my horn at least 2 1/2 to 4 hours a day!!
That's outside of my studio load which is about 35 students
That's outside of my studio load which is about 35 students
whenever i go on holiday ( or to you americans vacation), usually i just take the neck and mouthpiece, and every night i practice for around 10-15 minutes on blowing and keeping my embochure in shape, i know it seems boring and trust me it is, but when i get back, playing doesnt seem so hard blowing
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