Taking Days Off??

TrumpetProbs · Regular Member Joined: 13 Mar 2016 Posts: 11

I've heard players talking about taking a day off here and there, and even my director tells me to take a day off every now and then. What I don't understand is actually taking a day off. What do you do? Is taking a day off just taking it extremely easy, or does is mean not playing at all? If I take a day off and I don't play at all should I just use my P.E.T.E. or just let my chops rest for the entire day? Won't not playing for a day messing with my playing for the next day?

JoseLindE4 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 791

trumpet.sanity · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 Oct 2016 Posts: 763

Even God rested on the seventh day.

A break from the horn is good for the mind, body and soul...not just the chops.

When I was doing long runs of circus gigs, cruise ship gigs, or road work, or musical tours, as soon as the tour was done I'd pack up the horns and not touch them for weeks sometimes longer until the next job started.

I always got back into the swing of things right away. Taking a break is fine, you won't mess up your chops.

Rest is a good thing.

Anthony Barrington · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:00 pm Post subject:

Taking a day off can be crucial to some players and detremental to others. I personally don't usually have issues with taking days off except if I'm the middle of gigs or auditions. But there is no reason to take a day off or so if you're not hurting. To improve, you must train your body through repetition to play the trumpet. But also, sometimes it's healthy for you to take a nice break.

It's a balance thing. What may help is taking breaks in your practice sessions, which will also improve your endurance.

Hope this helps

Billy B · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:12 pm Post subject:

You can take a day off but you can't get it back.
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gwood66 · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:17 am Post subject:

As a comeback player there are periods where I cannot play for a day or two and it has not been detrimental. Of course, I am not trying to make a living with my horn or trying to keep 1st chair either. As previously mentioned, taking a day off periodically helps "sharpen the saw" mentally and physically. If you are still anxious about not playing at all, you could just play a low impact routine like Eric Bolvin's Sunday Routine.

http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/clarke/tech/bolvin/

trombahonker · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:49 am Post subject:

I try to take a whole day off from the horn (no playing) every week, usually Sun or Mon. I usually use that as a study day; listening, score study, looking through upcoming rep, or maybe I'll just totally leave music stuff alone. If I am preparing heavily for something, I may just do a 45min routine on my "off" day, then leave the horn alone.

Another good approach is to try to make sure you have 12+ hour rests overnight; ie, if you finish practicing heavily at 930 at night, maybe don't start your next day until after 930am. If a 12hr interval isn't an option, at least be sure you end with some very good focused, quiet playing in some form of warm-down. That's generally a good thing to do anyway.

~A

zaferis · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:23 am Post subject:

If I'm in shape and performing frequently, a day off can be beneficial or at least not something that then has to be recovered from. If however, I'm not it shape and I'm working on issues or preparing for an event/tour, etc, then a day off can break the flow and become something that is a noticable detriment.
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Craig Swartz · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:05 am Post subject:

tomba51 · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:24 am Post subject:

Supposedly Doc Severinsen said that "if I take one day off, I notice it. If I take two days off, the band notices it. If I take three days off the audience notices it".
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dkwolfe · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:37 pm Post subject:

Good Afternoon;

From the point of view of muscle physiology, taking a day off every once and a while is absolutely necessary. The muscles of the human body cannot stand continuous use and abuse without having a chance to heal. All professional athletes do this, but they don't usually call it a "day off". The term is "active rest", where you don't do anything that strains any of the tissues, but does get them moving. Easy mp playing in the staff would be a good example, or maybe a few long tones or a couple iterations of Clark 1.

The point is: nothing hard, nothing loud, nothing forced, and not too long. 10-15 minutes of gentle playing would probably be perfect for a rest day. That's actually what I'm planning for this coming Monday and Tuesday (I've had 7 concerts and 3 dress rehearsals in the past 2 weeks; I'm an amateur with a non-musical day job). You want the muscles to work, but only just enough to maintain function.

Good Luck,

D
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chuck in ny · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:20 pm Post subject:

about one day a week is beneficial and it can be somewhat random. a lot depends on how much you are beating your chops up in between. 7 days a week doesn't work for me.

rockford · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:22 pm Post subject:

The bottom line is to determine what it takes to do with trumpet what you want or need to do. Well organized practice routines are great to makes sure you get necessary practice accomplished but, if they become regimens that are rote in nature that "must" be done for their own sake then the point is missed. Practicing on tired chops or when mentally fatigued is a recipe for developing bad habits. I suggest loosening up on those days with some easy basics and then put on recordings or study parts or scores without playing. It's a good way to improve musically without wearing yourself down even more.
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EricV · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:01 pm Post subject:

Whilst this isnt about taking a whole day off, if you are practicing and playing reasonably hard each day as i do with the Claude Gordon stuff, the link below is an article by Eric Bolvin about a sunday routine that gives your chops a bit of a rest.

As usual from EricB, it is detailed and instructive and you might find it usefull.

Eric Vine

http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/clarke/tech/bolvin/
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windandsong · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:01 pm Post subject:

For me a day off is OK ish but anything more than that when I'm ON leads to disaster.

Just 5 mins of long notes or picking the thing up and getting the lips warm and moving a little is better than nothing.

As somebody who has fought with injury over the past 5 years...there was a time when walking away worked but those days are well and truly over.

Your mental outlook and feeling about your instrument and playing is singularly the most important thing. Whatever it takes.

Find what works best for you.

A routine is so important and whatever works to keep that healthy and realistic is essential.
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dstdenis · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:11 pm Post subject:

If you find it necessary to take a day off frequently, then you might not be pacing yourself very well. Or you might have gotten yourself in over your head with playing commitments that are beyond your level. Either way, you should try to put yourself on a more sustainable course that you can handle.

If your playing activity is seasonal, try to start the season in great shape and pace yourself through the season so you don't get beat up or worn down. Balance heavy days with light days to recover and recuperate. Find time to practice basic fundamentals so they stay in good working order. Do warm down drills at the end of a tough day and at the start of the following day to keep the embouchure flexible and responsive. (Michael Sachs has good warm down drills in his Daily Technical Studies book.)
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razeontherock · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:18 pm Post subject:

Day 1 of the Reinhardt Routines (a $15 book) is excellent for recovery and to work on chop response, which is usually an issue if the chops are abused. I find that approach is MUCH better than missing a day of practice. I did not practice yesterday, for no reason whatsoever. I played worse today for it, but still managed to work on some Dizzy Gillespie transcriptions. I would have come closer to getting them up tempo had I practiced intelligently yesterday, that's for sure!

Doc Reinhardt actually advocated taking a light day every other day, given that a "light day" meant working on fundamentals via all prescribed drills, exercises, routines, etc. Presumably with a goal of also playing some music afterwards. The following "heavy day" could then (hopefully) entail just picking up the horn and making music, with little time spent warming up or on fundamentals. Even on a heavy day in the practice room, he advocated putting the horn down while the chops felt good, so as to never abuse them. In performance he said forget Reinhardt and do whatever you have to do to make good.

This approach has worked for me far better than anything else I've tried.

Ed Hernandez · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:11 pm Post subject:

As an amateur with other full time employment, playing gigs once or twice per week, and practicing the other days, 1 day off per week works well for me. Day off meaning not picking it up at all. 1 day but no more, otherwise I can really tell the difference. Now, while on vacation or job related business trip away from home, at a minimum the mouthpiece comes with me. Preferably, If I can squeeze my student cornet with mute in the suitcase I do.
Then again, I've had weekends where had to play Friday, Saturday night Big Band 3 sets, then get up early in a.m. for 08 a.m. Rehearsal down beat at church subsequently playing 2 services at 09 and 11 am. My chops have required Monday off and light practice Tuesday before Wednesday's church service.
Bottom line, it all depends on how much playing and how the chops feel. Not to mention the 600mg of Ibuprofen and warm to cold lips/ chop soaks I've done to speed-up recovery on those heavy weeks which don't happen often for me any longer. Hats off to the pro's playing daily for a living. I salute you all.
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Billy B · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:38 am Post subject:

Craig Swartz · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 1:45 pm Post subject: