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This only occurs to me if I take a one day break (and no longer) after a few months of straight playing. Perhaps it varies by the person?

TubaCoopa wrote:This only occurs to me if I take a one day break (and no longer) after a few months of straight playing. Perhaps it varies by the person?

I think this is quite common, although there are a few people out there who can not have horn-to-face for a month (or so) at a time and be able to pick it up and play. Weird!

I have (several times) gone months at a time without playing tuba at all, and often find that when I do come back to it I have an ease of playing that I don't remember having before. I certainly don't think I'm better after taking off so long, but some things like flexibility and technique just seem to be easier. Other skills like low register playing and endurance seem to suffer after a holiday and take some time to "get back."

I agree with TubaCoopa that the phenomenon probably varies from player to player...I certainly do not recommend it as a good idea, particularly for younger players. Endurance has to be built up, and the only way to really get there is a huge quantity of face time. That may be why I can come back to the horn fairly easily after some time off...I was crazy about my practice time as an undergraduate student (but I didn't start playing tuba until my senior year of high school so it was still "new and exciting").

Funny thing...I have the same experience with golf. After being a very serious player in high school, I find that a long lay-off improves my game from where I left it. I never hit my driver so straight as the first time at the range in the spring!

I have two observations:

a) the FIRST day after a break, you will play *very well*! You'll be amazed that you've lost nothing. A few days later, things will fall apart (enough so that you will notice - others might not). The reason is that you are conscious of taking the time off and PAY ATTENTION the first day back. When you try slip back into "routine", you will find what you lost on the time off.

b) a break can be rejuvenating, and an excuse to do something different. I recently had an involuntary break from playing. I knew that I couldn't play for about a month. So...I shipped off my BBb tubas to bloke for re-grooving, took the break, and then took the opportunity to add Eb to my arsenal. Within two weeks of coming back, I had the Eb under my fingers and was ready to pick up the BBb again - and now every practice session includes both. That would have been difficult to motivate if I hadn't had two months off from rehearsal and performance obligations. By allowing my BBb skills to fade (without EXTRA penalty) I was given the gift of time to pick up Eb. Yesterday, I took the BBb to a rehearsal, even though I had played it perhaps 2 hours over the past 3 months - and it wasn't a disaster. Tomorrow, I'll take the Eb to a different rehearsal, just to see how that works out. (tomorrow night's rehearsal is less demanding than yesterday's...it will be easier to "hide" if things don't go well.)

I used this excuse for every holiday, summer and other vacation when I was in school. I truly did feel when I picked my horn back up that I 'sounded better'. But then I actually put a real practice session, or started working on long tones and then my lip starts wanting to twitch and want to go out on me long before it did before my 'break'.

I do think some things sink in while you aren't playing, tricky passages, scales, old pieces, etc etc. But your tone(usually..) and endurance will almost always be negatively effected by a long break away from the horn. I played for the first time Monday night in over a year..maybe two(I had a 'no-name-pitched-high' Eb horn about this time last year.. but that doesn't count)...while I thought my tone sounded superb, and I somehow magically knew all my scales still for warmup at a decent pace.. by the end of the night my lip was sore and not nearly as reliable.

on a side note, I am sure glad to be back playing.. After a work day, it is a complete disconnect from reality for the short time our community band meets.

bloke "for now, not really a 'holiday' type of guy"

If that current little video clip in your signature line is you on your last holiday......


It is quite amusing though, thanks for the smile,
Rob