I’m sure we’ve all had these moments but last night was definately one of the lowest points for my playing ever. Up until 6 months ago I was a grad student in Newfoundland and seemed to have tons of time to just play and play and play. Anyway, about 3 months ago I moved from Newfoundland, a place with an incredible trad music scene, to Alberta, not so incredible trad music scene, and began working. (Now, I’m not trying to upset anyone here in Alberta, but if you ever have the chance to play a session back in Newfoundland you’ll instantly understand what I mean) Since then I’ve hardly done any playing, due mostly to the fact that I just don’t have as much time.
So, last night my girlfriend went out for an hour or so and I thought “Great, I’ll be able to play for a bit”, but when I started playing everything went to crap. My tone was still there but I couldn’t hit the proper notes, my fingers were all over the place, and my rolls were just sloppy. I kept at it for an hour and things got marginally better but by the end it was still depressing enough for me to not want to play.
I’ve had friends who did similar things, became very proficient swimmers, competed all through high school, and now don’t even swim for fun because they just don’t enjoy it, not being able to perform at the same level. That’s what it feels like right now, I can’t perform at the same level and it’s not fun.
I know what the solution is, practice. There’s just not enough time though. I guess I’m writing this because misery loves company and I’m curious to know how many of you have been in a similar situation.
Knowing how most people on the board, are I’ll thank you in advance for the moral support…
Yes, I’ve been in that situation too. Last night, for instance. I’ve been really busy and haven’t been playing, but I did some last night, and really familiar tunes were just horrible. Sounded OK, but couldn’t find the notes. Very sad. Jim’s right, though – it’ll come back fast.
I’m too inexperienced on flute to comment on that in particular, although my impression is that an embouchure is a very demanding thing that requires constant work. I also play too may instruments to be in practice on all of them all of the time.
On guitar, still my first instrument, I occasionally have a fairly long lay off while I work on other things. When I come back to it something really weird happens. Often I just pick it up and within five minutes it feels like I’d never stopped playing. Off I go having a great time. I have been playing for nearly 40 years though so you don’t lose that knowledge overnight. Now, next day when I pick up the guitar, I’m complete crap. I then have to gradually work back to full dexterity. If I practice for a couple of hours a day, I can get back to something fairly respectable in a few weeks, only a couple if the lay off wasn’t very long. I have absolutely no idea why this happens.
I’m still a novice, with a scant year under my belt. I recently had to take 5-6 weeks off with pneumonia. The first week back was dreadful, but since then things improved dramatically. Two weeks after the layoff, I think I was where I would have been without a layoff at all. I think the mind was still active even as the muscles atrophied.
Be patient with yourself, Wes. You have gone thru a techtonic shift in your life. You won’t be able to have what you had in newfoundland back. i’m sorry, it’s gone. that hurts, i know this and you know it too. it is a serious loss. a loss fully worth a period of mourning and perhaps even some therapy but definitely a bottle of jameson. you are going to have to re-introduce ITM into you life. that will take time practicing and otherwise…
Thanks for the sympathizing, most people just don’t get how big a part of your life music can be… especially when you start to lose it. I’ve sort of gone through this same thing in the past, although I’d never gotten so involved with the music or the session-culture when playing guitar. I’ll pick up the guitar every now and then, just to keep in touch with “popular” music a bit but it’s just not the same as it used to be. My fingers remember the motions but not the subtleties.
When I moved out west, leaving behind so many friends, and several truly GOOD friends that I’d met through sessions, was pretty rough, but now getting so far out of practice I feel like I’m starting to lose touch with the music too. It’s time to start making sacrafices I suppose, I can’t imagine how tough it would be to find the time if I had any kids. I don’t know how those of you with families manage it!
Brendan: I’m not sure I agree with you about never getting that part of my life back. I moved across the country once and I may just do it again. Regardless, I am more than willing to discuss it with you OVER a bottle of Jameson’s sometime. Seriously, if you ever happen into Calgary be sure to drop me a line and I’m sure we can find a bottle somewhere… and maybe a few tunes as well.
Now, I’m off for a weekend of snowboarding in the Rockies to try and drown my flute-related downer in (hopefully) several feet of nice, fresh, deep powder… living in Calgary does have some benefits!
Shoot, that happens to me when I AM playing regularly!
The good news is, it’ll mostly come back in a week’s steady playing, I betcha. And better yet, your time off might have given you some fresh insights. As has happened to me on numerous occasions (mostly re: dressage horses & riding thereof & various injuries limiting said pursuit thereof), you might have a whole new approach to certain tunes tucked away in your limbic little flute brain … and sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to strip a tune down to its basics again, anyway …
Peace!
Hang in there - you’ll be glad you did. Yes, it is tough to play with a new town and work schedule. Just try to squeeze in 20 min a day and FOCUS on one aspect. I think it is like playing scales - I hate it, and I only do them when life makes me, but at the end of the year I find it really helps overall. doesn’t make it any less frustrating, but it helps nonetheless .
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