Remember me? Im the one who was freaking out asking all the questions that I guess any reasonable first time traveler to Ireland (or out of the country for that matter) would ask. Poor Peter Laban and David Levine! They were so patient with me!
Anyhow, just writing to mention just how good a break from the flute (or any instrument sometimes, since I do play 3 others) can be for your playing. My other passion while here on earth, is aviation. Ever since getting back from Ireland, I have only been to one session, and I have not played as much as I did prior to going since I had to take some time to absorb all the new tunes, techniques, and experiances that I had over there. The new found friends, the taste of the air, learning from Niall, Kevin, and the gang, and strangely the daylight that lasted nearly 20 hours a day…it was all so good. But, I decided to put more time into the flight simulation business, and finding a way to leave customer service of Blue Cross of Florida!
Having said that, the past week I have been getting back to picking the flute up almost daily, and I must mention this because I have really improved a lot since taking a break. I would normally subscribe to the theory that practice makes perfect (and it usually does) but in this case, I think I just needed time to bring back some ballance.
Whatever you may think, maybe this advice can help others who somtimes feel they need a break. It has really brought back the freshness of playing! And, my breathing has improved a ton too!
Eric, I appreciate what you’re saying, although my experience doesn’t mirror yours exactly.
I’m a little more advanced in years than you, but not a helluvalot more advanced in fluting. Through playing the whistle for a few years and the flute for considerably less, I’ve found that I just plain don’t play that much during the summer. When I started flute lessons early this year, I was playing at least an hour a day, at least ten hours a week. But I knew that I wouldn’t be doing that during the summer, when yard work, long days, etc. get in the way. I didn’t, but I also didn’t completely abandon the flute. I’m in the midst of an uphill climb in terms of getting back some of the embouchure, especially endurance. OTOH, I have processed a lot of the music, both sub- and consciously.
I think it was Yehudi Menuhin who talked about the need for “silent practise.” This just means going through the tune and keeping it in your head.
Even whistling is good for the embouchure muscles.
OTH, Stefan Grappeli said, “If I don’t practise for one day I notice it. If I miss two days other musicians notice it. If I miss three days the audience notices it.”
I think that silent practice can mean a lot more than remembering the tune.If done properly I believe it can help to maintain the finger memory which violinists, pianists and others rely on.The finger movements can be rehearsed in the brain so maintaining the reflexes.
I am reminded of a (heartbreaking) movie I saw called “The Pianist.” It was a holocaust movie. The main charachter, a Jew in hiding, had been a concert pianist, and though he cannot play the piano (or make any other sounds), he sits at the piano moving his fingers over the keys feverishly, and we (the audience) hear the music in his head and fingers, even though he is not actually touching the keys. It’s an incredibly moving scene.
But, to add to the topic started by the original poster, I, too, find that taking a break can be beneficial. Pregnant women have a hormone called relaxin that prepares the body for giving birth by relaxing tendons and muscles. Well, when I was pregnant it did a number on my embouchure muscles! One day I started to play and sounded awful…I thought it must be the flute, so I started playing other flutes and each one sounded awful. I felt as if I was playing exactly the same as I always did, but after going through a moment of blaming lack of humidity for the problem, I realized it was me, and I did some research. So anyway, I didn’t play flute much through the second half of my pregnancy, though there were some days when I could play. I do think that in general, skill is cumulative. Yes, it’s good to get back in the swing of playing, but I don’t think you lose everything you’ve put into it. And you can come back to it feeling a renewed fervor for it.
Stunning movie, 2002. Yes, he got some time off from playing
the piano.
Director: Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Ninth Gate, Rosemary’s Baby, Frantic, Death and the Maiden)
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood (Cry the Beloved Country, The Browning Version, Taking Sides; cowriter of The Dresser; next up is The Statement)
Based Upon: The autobiography of the same title by Polish composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, first published in Poland in 1946. Roman Polanski also escaped the Nazi’s as a child in Poland (though his mother did not, dying in Auschwitz). Mr. Szpilman just died recently, on July 6th, 2000. The original title of the book, in Polish, was Death of a City.
Premise: This is the true story of how Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Brody) avoided being sent to the Nazi concentration camps, living and hiding in the Warsaw ghetto from 1939-1945, focusing on how he used his music to get through the horror.