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One question that comes up often is how to best come back from a playing break, especially one of months or years. Of all the horn professors out there few are as experienced with this topic as Laurence Lowe from Brigham Young University. He has worked with numerous talented and motivated students over the years who have returned to playing from their church mission, and he has agreed to share some insights he has learned over those years with Horn Matters readers.
JE: To start, what is the biggest mistake you see people make when they attempt with no coaching to come back from a playing break?
LL: The biggest mistake is coming back with too much enthusiasm, too fast, with high expectations. Students want to sound exactly like they did when they left after a single warmup. Pressure damage is likely in this scenario.
JE: How should a player coming back start?
LL: Very slowly, with basic buzzing and gentle arpeggio and scale work. The high register should be approached gently. The lips should be allowed to get strong gradually.
JE: How do breathing, buzzing, and isometrics fit into the early practice? I have heard people advocate for buzzing but I worry that it may be more strenuous than people realize for the comeback player.
LL: Buzzing is a great thing to do, because it is pressure-free. But the buzzing must reflect actual horn technique, which is hard to do for some people. I encourage students to buzz in great sweeps, up and down.
JE: How many minutes a day, how much range, what is the overall schedule?
LL: For the first week, no more than 20 to 30 minutes a day is enough. Again, the high range should be approached carefully and gently, mostly to avoid damage to the muscles through excess pressure. Players then gradually increase the time they spend and the range they attempt. Low range is encouraged from the start. But high playing, especially loud, is risky without carefully building strength.
JE: One tactic I have been told is to do a little bit of playing at first but spread out over the day. For example getting the horn out at your home and whenever you walk by it play a few notes. What is your opinion of that tactic?
LL: That could be very helpful. Just avoid the kind of fatigue that results in excessive pressure, like getting in a show orchestra right away for a summer gig.
JE: How will a person know that they are pushing it back too fast? Or too slowly?
LL: PAIN. Also, excessive stiffness and poor response. If its too slow, progress will plateau and interest will wain.
JE: How long should a player plan to take to be back in shape after a longer break? Is there much difference between several months off compared to several years?
LL: Some players are ready to resume a tough schedule in as little as 3 months. Others say it is not quite the same even a year later. Some players never get their playing back; it is as if a window of physical opportunity closes on them. Oddly, some players come back and are almost immediately far superior to the players they were when they left. I have seen players try to return after several years (more than the two an LDS mission takes) and never be able to get a buzz to work again.
JE: Thank you for these insights!
For more see also this related article, by Bruce Hembd, Taking Time Off from the Horn
