A 20 year rest between lessons!

[Anthony Miller]

Following a 20-year break I recently started playing again after seeing a local brass band had a training band and were inviting people to join. I played trumpet previous but have taken up cornet - which I really enjoy! I never had a great range (probably one reason why I stopped playing) but I'm diligently practising every day using Eric Bolvin's books as the basis of my comeback. (progressive Warm-ups etc) and I'm slowly creeping above the staff. I've jumped in and found to my cost that I need more rest than I thought. I'm trying to approach my playing with some thought now and gradually picking up helpful information here but trying not to over-analyse. So, that’s about it for now. Thanks for a great forum and for all the helpful advice that I've found here.

[Harry Hilgers]

[Anthony Miller]

Thanks Harry for the encouraging words. Although I'm not retired my work does allow me to spread the practise through the day which is really helping. The band I joined has our first Christmas concert tomorrow which I'm playing at. Lyre, head torch and Salvation Army carol book are all new to me as a player so it's going to be fun!
Thanks again
Anthony

[GeorgeB]

Good luck on your return, Anthony.

I returned this spring after a 50 year absence. When I played during the 50s and 60s I had a decent range of E above high C. Now after 9 months back on the trumpet I can hit an E but not with comfort. I am playing with a local New Horizons band and in my level I can play first trumpet easily because nothing is above the staff. But I still work on my range and my comfort level is up to high C. I also do not have the endurance I had 50+ years ago and I need to rest more often. But I am 80 so I don't feel too bad about it. I keep on doing a host of technical exercises ( long tones, lip slurs, key scales, etc, ) and it is helping me to slowly improve my playing and my endurance.

I am enjoying playing again and the ups and downs of age related issues aside, I am having a ball. I'm sure you will, too !
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

[gwood66]

I started playing last year after a 32 year break. As far as rest goes, I think the most important thing I learner early on was resting as much as you play. For example, start your metronome and play the first line of Clarke number 1. Take the horn of your mouth and finger the second line along with the metronome. Play the second line. Continue like this until you are done with the study or until you start to feel tired. Regardless of how tired you feel take a 5-10 minute break after 20-25 minutes. Practicing in this manner allowed me to practice longer without blowing up my face when I first started. I didn't figure this out until I started taking lessons. My lessons are once a month for an hour. During the first lesson my instructor would play a line then I would play the same line. After about 20 minutes we would talk for about 5 minutes. I was able to make it through most of the hour. That's when it dawned on me how I should be practicing. It also helps to have some sort of structured plan arranged so that you play the most stressful exercises just before your long breaks. This is what works for me.

[marshallash]

I've taken a few years off and not noticed much change in range, but my endurance is pretty terrible now! Iron's and I are becoming closer friends again...
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AMM

[GeorgeB]

[Matt Graves]

Any Comeback Players posting here looking for a well structured, systematic practice book of flexibility exercises, please email me regarding my book, Fundamental Flexibility Studies. It is presently a hard-to-find, hard copy book.

Hoping soon, later this year, to have it ready as an iBook for download.

I second the common sense resting approach to your daily practice.

Happy Practicing,
_________________
For Online Lessons via Live Video, email
me at matthewjgraves@gmail.com
Author of Fundamental Flexibility Studies
Claude Gordon Certified Teacher
BAC Custom Dream Trumpet

[pmlync]

I have a question for some of the comeback players who might be a little further along. I started playing again 2 months ago after about a 20-year break.

I've been practicing pretty much morning for about an hour including a lot of rests. My sound seems to be coming back slowly. Now and then I'll play a note or a scale that sounds pretty good and that's enough to keep me going.

It's my complete lack of endurance that has me a bit worried and frustrated. I'm just trying to play through some of Arban's first studies exercises but can't make it through more than 1 1/2 or 2 lines of music without having to stop and rest. I know endurance takes a while to develop but does 1 1/2 lines of music before tiring sound reasonably normal after 2 months of practice? Or should I be concerned that I'm doing something fundamentally wrong?

For what it's worth, I have taken a few lessons and my teacher seems to think it's mainly a matter of time and practice. He's probably right but thought I'd ask to see what people's experience has been.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[dstdenis]

Hi pmlync,

I understand your frustration over the endurance issue. I've found that comeback players sometimes fall into 2 traps: (1) they remember where they were when they stopped playing but have a hard time coming to grips with the fact that they aren't at that level anymore, and (2) they practice too much and too hard and keep themselves in a state of chronic fatigue.

My recommendation is to start at a beginner level. Arban is probably too strenuous. Try easier books. (Lots of choices out there.) One hour practice is probably too much. Try 30 minutes. When you finish, you should not feel wiped out. Play exercises and tunes in short chunks, maybe 8 or 12 bars at a time. Rest a moment, then play the next chunk. After your practice session, allow plenty of time for rest and recovery so you'll feel perfectly fresh at your next practice session.

Concentrate on developing your fundamental skills and playing accurately with a good sound. Don't push things on the range and endurance front. Let that come to you, at least while you're reestablishing a foundation for playing.

This approach will bring you back faster and better than overdoing it and beating up your chops. Good luck!
_________________
Bb Yamaha Xeno 8335IIS
Cornet Getzen Custom 3850S
Flugelhorn Courtois 155R
Piccolo Stomvi

[Anthony Miller]

I started again last October and I'm lucky enough, as I work for myself, to spread my practise session over a full day. I picked up on Bill Knevitt method which consists of 7 routines that covers most elements of trumpet (cornet for me) playing. I spread them out from first thing in the morning through to the evening and then finish with some jazz standards and my attempt at improvising. Compared to when I was playing 20 years ago, when I would cram my practise into an hour at night with not much rest in between exercises, this has worked well for me. Your teacher is probably your best guide.

[GeorgeB]

Unless you were a spectacular player 20 years ago, don't expect too much after 2 months. I don't remember now what things were like for me at 2 months after a 50 year hiatus, but I assure you it wasn't anything to brag about. Heck, it took me more than 3 weeks to blow a middle C comfortably.
Be patient and listen to the advice give you. Patience has its rewards.
_________________
GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet