How an indiscriminate medical issue can keep you down

[Billy M.]

Recently diagnosed with a medical condition that requires surgery. Said surgery will make it impossible to play for 4 weeks (1 week recovery, 3 weeks mending, no lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds).

In other words, a really crappy month because I can't play my tubas.

This is seriously going to affect my tuba playing. I'm anticipating the loss of half an octave or so, quality sound, tonguing and slurring proficiency, etc et al. Anyone have recommendations about recovery methods, tools for returning to par? Or is it as simple as going back to basics? (long tones, slur exercises, aggressive Bordogni and Arban woodshopping)?

[MikeMason]

Recovery Won't be as slow as you think. Bordogni sounds perfect.

[bort]

Back to basics, and don't start too soon. 4 weeks can turn into 4 more weeks if you mess up the healing process. Also depends on the actual surgery, but clearly that's none of my business. Sorry to hear about this. At least summer is usually a pretty slow time...?

I will also offer some encouragement, that the human body (and mind!) are extremely resilient and adaptable. Even if something physically changes, you will be able to train your body and mind to be pretty close to where you were.

[ckalaher1]

After being diagnosed with the "big C" in 2012, I had two surgeries in 2013 to do some "creative design" to my digestive tract.

This put a kibosh on my playing for about 3 years, due to pain, which my surgeon believes happened because of the shifting of some organs in my abdominal cavity, and to some small degree my chest cavity.

You will be surprised at the things that come back fast, and the things that come back slow. I worked up a 30 minute daily routine that focused on air support (which was where I had the most trouble post surgery), then spent the rest of my time on Snedecor, Bordogni 2 octaves, and Kopprasch, in that order. 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, over and over. End every session on a positive note, even if it takes you just a couple of minutes longer to do so. Take lots of breaks, and give yourself some slack. It took me a couple of months before I really "worked up" anything.

Anyhow, moral of the story in hang in there. A month or two isn't a big deal. Honestly, 3 years wasn't that big of a deal in a lot of ways. I'm personally as mediocre as I ever was before the whole mess happened.

Good luck with everything.

[Will Jones]

Sorry to hear about the health. If it's any consolation, just about every military bandsman I know had at least six weeks off! (Except the marine band...)

[GC]

Similar issue here, but 1-1/2 months off the horn before surgery. Doc says I can play again after 2-3 weeks, just in time for summer break from all my groups. Meh.

Doctors seem to be incurable optimists about recovery time. I'm hoping he's right.

[hup_d_dup]

I've gone through this myself. I can't tell you how it will be because everyone is different.

In my case, the first time I played, I only played for about 15 minutes because I just didn't want to play any longer. I didn't attempt to, and I didn't want to, play anything difficult. That had nothing to do with any loss of technique: it was just my overall condition, both physically and mentally.

As my general health improved, my playing sessions became longer, and my enthusiasm for more challenging playing increased.

But the time I had recovered, my playing was back to normal as if nothing had happened.

My advice FWIW; concentrate on physical recovery, and the tuba playing will take care of itself.

Hup

[MaryAnn]

For once I agree with Bloke. I've had time off from instruments a LOT due to health issues, and continue to not be able to practice horn due to dystonia. However, at my two hour weekly rehearsal ( and now two hour concerts in the park in the blast furnace of Tucson) I have lost no range. I can say I've lost some accuracy, but even that comes back in the 2nd half when I finally get my air working properly. However, I've also noticed that people are different in that respect, and have friends whose technique seems to just go down the drain if they take a day off. There is that famous quote from Fritz kreisler that if he misses one day, he notices; if he misses two days, his wife notices; and if he misses three days, the audience notices; perhaps you are one of those, whose technique is so finely tuned that it does make a difference whether you practice. But losing half an octave does seem extreme from my point of view. Best of luck. It will turn out fine in time.

[DouglasJB]

I've been off my tubas for about a month now, so I've been playing bass trombone (I can still use my right thumb and first 2 fingers) and buzzing on my mouthpiece, I'm anticipating that once I get back into playing it's going to be slow for a bit until I regain the strength

[Billy M.]

Consistency is definitely one of my major mainstays, but I've seen even from a week hiatus or so that it is detrimental enough to be disappointing to me. Perhaps I'm getting too picky or being too much of a diva... I just hate not playing and I hate the negative effects that not playing have on me. This will be the longest I'll have not played since I took 4 years off from playing between the establishment of a certain job and my desire to not shoot every a-hole that pissed me off (ya know, go postal).

[Leland]

Took four months off for "surgery" (aka "boot camp") and came back fine.

Took two years off of the contra/tuba to play euphonium, then came back to contra/tuba and discovered that I forgot my bad habits.

You'll be fine. If you got good once, you'll get good again.

[swillafew]

Best of luck with it. Brings back a memory of being told, "life is more important than art". If it were me, I'd enjoy myself listening, maybe do some arranging. If you listen to the right people, you might come back better than ever.

[PaulMaybery]

On the good side.
The advantage is the body begins a process of forgetting - well maybe not forgetting - but muscle memory, neuro pathways and synaptic connections loose a certain sharpness. Here is a great chance to retrain all of those traits. You will never be a blank slate again, but a lot of habits are in sort of remission. Yes the good ones, but ... ah ha!!! so are the bad habits and clumbsy way of doing things. Take the time for some remedial work and maybe address some of the issues that have held back progress. The classic example was Bud Herseth who took several years of therapy and re-practicing and came back better that ever. Mr. Jacobs had a phrase something like "Remember what made you good and keep doing it." Basics - fundamentals but most of all find the ideal model and strive towards it. But even finding better ways of playing still takes a lot of training to get the body to do it.
Seriously though. Best wishes. Make lemonade out of those lemons.

[MackBrass]

I wouldnt worry or anticipate any loss of range, sound or even technical ability as much as losing endurance. I frequently take weeks and even months at a time where i have no desire to play and find the only thing I lose is endurance. The endurance will come back in no time. When i do take longer periods of time off, which isbvery often, I usually just start with basics and increase my time playing, i found that after a solid month i am back as good as ever. Once i am back into shape, i usually find myself losing interest again and start the cycle all over. Yea it sucks to have to find yourself building back up but it wil happen.

When I took 6 years off once, and i mean i didnt even own a mpc to buzz, I started slowly and 6 months later i took the dayton symphony audition just to see where I was and low and behold i made it to the semifinals. It was my endurance that still was lacking but ibdid achieve my goals for that period of time. If i could do it, i know you will be able to. Dont sweat it, the more often you do take time off you will find it easier to get back into it as you will find different ways to become more efficient in your practicing.

When i was a younger student, and i say younger because we should alway be students of our craft no matter what level you play on, i thought taking a day off once in a blue moon would be like taking a year off. I felt that when i took even one day off it would take me two or three days to get back to where I was, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. I felt that i had to play every day no matter what but as i have matured over the years i now realize that a little rest is much better than no rest at all. Look at this as a chance to rebuild better than ever.

Advice; when you start back up, keep it simple, do play slow, softer, and always think of playing musically with a great sound. If you havent developed these skills then this should be a chance to re-evaluate them. Keep us posted.