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Post by brassdancer on Jan 4, 2008 12:14:05 GMT -5
Simple question: How long have you ever gone without practiciing, and how was your experience when you picked up your horn again? I'm asking cause I'm going to compile all these experiences and such into a paper for my research writing class in the Spring.
The longest I've gone is a month, during winter break. I had been working on my higher range and just kind of gave up because I couldn't do it, plus I got into that funk where I didnt want to touch my horn ... but when I picked my horn back up in the Spring, I could hit high notes with ease. The only problem I had was my endurance was slightly lowered, but it was only like i couldnt make it through a 2 hour practice, and I couldnt only do an hour and a half.
So what are your stories? And dont be embarressed cause we all dont practice sometimes... haha
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2008 12:22:51 GMT -5
All summer once. That sucked
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Post by Tales From Band Camp on Jan 4, 2008 12:52:47 GMT -5
Seven years from the time I graduated college to when I started back with a community band. I didn't own a bassoon until a few years ago. :\
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Post by Flutist Kes on Jan 4, 2008 16:49:47 GMT -5
About three week for flute, four for sax. This occured over summer, of course. Actually, it's prbably happened more than once... I know it happened this summer, but I think it's always like that every summer. Part if it was because of vacation- you don't generally take your instrument to Myrtle Beach or Florida.
Anyways... When I started flute up again, I sounded... well, kind of weird. I couldn't hit the higher notes (like high A) or low notes (low C) very easily. My fingers were slower than normal. In general, I was just a little sluggish and lazy compared to how I normally am during the school year. However, the next time I practiced, it was all fine, and I was normal.
As far as sax... well, I'm not the best player in the world in the first place (understatement of the year). So it was kind of weird to play again. My tone was more airy and spitty than normal (wow, can't believe that's possible). But it wasn't too bad.
I don't practice over summer as much as I do over the school year, so I'm naturally a little rusty when we first get back for band.
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Post by bariclaribob on Jan 4, 2008 17:25:30 GMT -5
The longest I've gone without playing clarinet is maybe 2 weeks at the end of our summer marching season. Since it's not an extraordinarily long time, I didn't notice a huge change.
Then there's saxophone.
*coughs*
I went from May to late Sept, early Oct, without playing bari. I'm really pretty bad at it. The only reason I made the top band is because the good bari is posting out this year. I have never been able to hold low notes for a long time (think low C, B, and A), but it was ten times worse after a four month sabbatical. And since the way we do jazz band this year is once a week practice, I'm still not where I should be. Besides, I'm disinclined to haul that thing home with me... ever... so the only sax practice I get is on alto, but that doesn't give me the endurance training I actually need.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2008 17:30:44 GMT -5
I haul a baritone home quite a bit.
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Post by bariclaribob on Jan 4, 2008 17:41:34 GMT -5
I haul a baritone home quite a bit. You are therefore a much better person than me. I'm pretty wimpy. Bari saxes do not often travel with me without much whining and/or sore arms.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2008 18:33:54 GMT -5
I have no other instrument to carry, but I don't carry that one every day. Once I have my own, I suppose it will become more frequent.
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Post by Euphoniums PWN on Jan 4, 2008 22:42:10 GMT -5
The longest I've ever gone was two months over the summer.
It didn't help at all. In fact I got worse.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2008 0:48:46 GMT -5
Yeah, you get all raspy and your partials go to nuts
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Post by babette2009 on Jan 5, 2008 11:57:30 GMT -5
I think it was about 2 months over summer once. I just really didn't want to touch my flute and I had this mindset of "i don't need to practice." When I finally did pick up my flute and play agian, I had to work a little bit to get my tone quailty where I wanted it, and my endurance was lower. I got out of breath easily. But, once school started agian and I was back in daily pratice, everything was good agian.
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Post by chriskostyshyn on Jan 6, 2008 1:25:57 GMT -5
A month, because I couldn't get my bassoon back from the university while they did inventory in the summer, and people were going on vacation.
I REALLY sucked in the beginning, but I got better. I just went by 2 weeks (been VERY sick), but its not as bad as the month.
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Post by SaxGirl on Jan 6, 2008 11:19:51 GMT -5
I really had some serious atrophy on saxophone when I made the change to trombone during the summer between my sophomore and junior year. I really had no reason to play it, and that was when I basically stopped playing sax altogether (for school, at least). I really try to pick my alto up as often as I can, but I usually only do so about 3 or 4 times a month. My endurance completely went down the drain, though none of my technical skill decreased (in fact, it mayhave improved). Lately I've been trying to play it again and play along with my favorite pieces by ear (Holst's 1st Suite, which I have music for, or anything by Hazo or Ticheli, etc.) just to get back in the groove.
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Post by NinjaBaker on Jan 6, 2008 12:06:59 GMT -5
I hadn't touched my flute in three years when I was asked to play in the stands at a football game this fall. Needless to say, I'm glad I had a week to pick things up again, because when I first touched that thing, I'm not sure how to classify the sounds coming out of it. Endurance was down the drain, and I had a crappy embouchure. But thankfully, I have a decent ear for music, so I could play decently.
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sakura11irving
Band Nerd
I <3 anime, manga, video games, and band.
Posts: 157
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Post by sakura11irving on Jan 8, 2008 23:11:46 GMT -5
Ho dang...Thing is, is that I took lessons for a long time...I'd guess around 2 weeks. I was very squeaky when I picked up my clarinet again. >.<
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