So we’re finally getting around to unpacking the den of our house (we only moved in six months ago). In that room, we’ve been storing my French horn and all of my sheet music.
I have a B.F.A. in Music Performance in French horn. In college, I was damn good. I was first chair for all four years of college in our symphonic band and our orchestra. I played in a church orchestra and was paid for doing so.
Of course, I’m not doing anything with my music degree (I work for a non-profit, and I write on the side, hoping to publish a book at some point). My poor French horn has pretty much been untouched for a couple of years now, and I’ve decided that I’d really like to start playing in the community orchestra or band. I need to practice.
So I took my horn out of the case this afternoon and put it together. I have a beautiful horn, a Yamaha Professional, and I’ve made sure to take care of it - it’s still in perfect condition, even if I haven’t played it much. Got out a couple of exercise books, cleaned out the mouthpiece, and decided to do a few scales.
Wow. Do I suck big-time. I still have a good tone - I guess you don’t lose that - but my tongueing and fingering have greatly slowed down (and before any of you smart-asses want to make a joke of that, yes, I’m aware that it sounds slightly x-rated ), and my mouth is already sore after about 20 minutes of practice. I scared the ever-living crap out of my two cats, but they’ll get used to it. I’m having a hard time going above a high F on the staff - when I used to be able to hit a C above the staff without any difficulty at all.
I’m going to head to the music store tomorrow and pick up some of the easier exercise books and pieces to start off with, since the ones I have are way out of my league right now. Poor ElzaHub is going to be subjected to my practicing now, and I suspect he’s going to be spending more time in the basement. :dubious:
I completely understand, from a third-party perspective. I wouldn’t have bothered you with a post, but thought the “arms-length” observance might be of some help.
My daughter used to be pretty good on the clarinet and saxophone. Marching band, etc.
After college, she didn’t do it for a long time, and when she tried, her tale of the results pretty much matched yours, FWIW.
I don’t think either of you suck, I just think that it generally sucks that you all spend so much time on a difficult skill and then like, lose it without constant practice.
Well, I guess if it was easy, everybody’d be doing it!
That’s what sucks - the thousands of hours I probably spent in a practice room, and now I’m back to the skill level of probably the 9th grade. It’s definitely a ‘use it or lose it’ kind of skill.
I’ll get as much skill back as I can, though - I’ll probably be playing 3rd or 4th horn in the community orchestra or band, so that’ll help.
It’s funny, though - I realized how much I missed playing when I picked it up today. I’m glad I did just pick it up and decide to play again!
Although I never went to college for it, I loved playing the trumpet, and every now and then I take it out and play. Oh yeah, it hurts to remember how good I was versus the noise that is coming from the bell now. The good part is that you will relearn much much faster than the first time round. It’s for trumpets, but all comeback players are welcome: trumpetherald.com comeback player forum
The last time I tried to play a trombone, the results were…bilious. Very depressing. And even worse, I hit my growth spurt after I gave up the 'bone, so I can’t even hit all the slide positions easily because my arms are a lot longer than they used to be. Kept pulling the slide off whenever I went for any position past 4th or 5th.
I wish I’d kept it up, because I would’ve hit college at a perfect time to take part in the ska explosion of the 90’s.
I weep for you. I played ther trumpet, and later on, the French horn in high school (my band director told us that the French horn was, in his opinion, the hardest instrument to play. I think he was onto something there…)
Anyways, when I went to college, I didn’t play either at all my freshman year, then the summer after, I was back home and played in the town band (a few of us in the high school band all joined the town band our senior year.) Good God, did I suck. I made my district band all four years of high school, and the all-state band my senior year. After less than a year of not playing, I would be lucky to get into an elementary school band…and that was just on the trumpet. I have not played the trumpet since that summer, which was four years ago, and haven’t played the French horn since the summer before that. I don’t even want to know what I would sound like today (though I should get my trumpet from my parent’s house…ti is mine, after all.)
Elza, keep your horn up; it’ll probably come back to you quicker than you expect.
I was never more than a hobbyist musician, but I did play guitar for years, both blues rock on the electric side, and classical (baroque) on the acoustic side. Recently I took out my steel string after a years-long hiatus and some of my old music. Things that I used to be able to play fluently, from memory, were now a struggle to even read. Fast forward about three months, and I’m playing as well as ever. Better, in fact, because my reading skills have improved to where I’m now tackling a couple of things which I’d passed over years ago as being too difficult to read and finger.
Former french horn player here. A very mediocre player at best, mind you. But FWIW, if you can rent a cornet and practice on that for a couple of weeks, you may find it far less frustrating and it will jumpstart the return of your embouchure. Then switch back to the horn.
I was in the same situation two months ago. I picked up my viola for the first time in five years, and man, I was so embarrassed by how awful I sounded! But I found some cool music and in a matter of days, I was back to my old good-sounding self. Actually, I play better now than I did in college because I’m actually practicing because I want to.
I truly believe your brain has the “good stuff” still in it. You just have to dust off the shelf to find it.
Okay, well, I feel better. I got some exercise books and some easier solos, and I’m sounding better already! I’m still getting tired really, really easily, though. I’ll have to work on that!
AHunter, that’s a fantastic idea - I may see what I can do. The whole reason I started playing French horn was because of the trumpet - I played trumpet in middle school originally, but then I got braces and it was too hard on my mouth, so I switched to French horn. Those two months with the trumpet embouchure really helped. I may have to see if my uncle’s still got his trumpet and bum it off of him for awhile.
Glad to know others are picking up their old instruments .
), and my mouth is already sore after about 20 minutes of practice. I scared the ever-living crap out of my two cats, but they’ll get used to it. I’m having a hard time going above a high F on the staff - when I used to be able to hit a C above the staff without any difficulty at all.
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