going without practice

Callidor · Post by **Callidor** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:01 pm

having been kind of busy over the weekend, I haven't really played the flute since friday. I just put the thing together and started playing and WOW I feel like I havent played the instrument in ages. im sort of worried, because I'm going to be spending the summer as a camp counselor and won't have much time to play. by the end of the summer am i going to be back at square one?

Is it always going to be that if you go just a few days without playing it becomes really hard to get back "into the groove" or will that be less the case as I get better?

chaos0008 · Post by **chaos0008** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:54 am

hmm.. for myself, if i have a week of no playing.. it takes me a few days to get back to my normal playing self. i've never tried much longer than that before.

perhaps you can just try to do some playing every other day? like just scales and some long notes to try to help? no idea if it will help though. if i were you, i'd just do some fast scales and practice a few songs for maybe 5~10 minutes then pack.

hopefully some of the other players on the board will be able to give more help that has backing and not like mine. which are just guesses.

kflutist · Post by **kflutist** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:54 pm

The better shape you are in and the more regularly you play, the easier it will be to get back into shape if you don't practice for several days. Going without practice though is not advisable and will leave you relearning things that you had already learned.

For myself, I had been sick for over a week and couldn't practice because of a bad cough. I'm getting back to it now and feel like I am way behind. If you just aren't practicing because you are busy, make time. It goes for anything in life, if you really want to do it you will find the time. It could be just as simple as getting up 15 minutes earlier or going to bed 15 minutes later. At the very least you can keep yourself in shape through the summer so you don't have to go relearning everything.

The only one who can keep yourself in shape is you. At the end of the day you are the one who's going to know whether you made the effort to put the time in or not. Don't look for huge changes just something small like 15 minutes a day.

Callidor · Post by **Callidor** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:27 pm

what's interesting is that the thing that i found most difficult upon picking the instrument back up was sort of feeling the embourchure hole (as weird as that sounds.) It's sorta like some of the time your lips can slide really easily across the lip plate, and other times it feels more "sticky," and harder to get a good feeling embourchure. im hoping you guys know what im talking about and i dont just sound weird lol

im still sort of feeling that some of the time, making it harder to hit lower notes. (mostly just low D and C)

could this have anything to do with weather/climate? it's getting a lot hotter here.

kflutist · Post by **kflutist** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:24 pm

Do you mean that your lips felt weak? This does happen for me more on piccolo than flute anymore. It does take some time to switch embouchers if you aren't used to it. This happened alot last year for me when I was switching between flute and piccolo.

If the lip plate is sticky or slippery it may be that your lip or chin is sweating, maybe due to the weather getting hotter. If you mean something else let me know.

Callidor · Post by **Callidor** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:23 pm

well perhaps slippery and sticky were bad words...just that sometimes it feels easier for my lip to slide across the lip plate and find that right position..whereas other times it seems a little less defined...i don't know..its really difficult to describe what i mean ^^;

oh well...having been playing again for the past few days, I think I'm getting back to where I was

kflutist · Post by **kflutist** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:07 am

Good for getting back to practice.

I think I might know what you mean now. Finding the right place on the lip plate can just be hit and miss when getting back to practicing. Your mind knows where it is and sometimes if you over think it then you can miss it. That happens for me even with practicing sometimes. If I'm distracted or tired I miss and can't find the right spot. It happens.

kodalyflutist · Post by **kodalyflutist** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:05 am

Callidor wrote:well perhaps slippery and sticky were bad words...just that sometimes it feels easier for my lip to slide across the lip plate and find that right position..whereas other times it seems a little less defined...i don't know..its really difficult to describe what i mean ^^;

Callidor -

I mostly post in the summer and haven't read what your age and experience is, but here is my 'take' -

When you have become an established player (finished your college undergrad degree or thereabouts...), your muscles will have built up a certain amount of muscle memory, and taking a few days off is not as much of a problem. As a matter of fact, taking some time off can be good to get rid of bad muscle memory (tension). However, as a younger player - still in high school or younger perhaps, taking time off can arrest your progress and even cause you to go backwards in your playing progress.

In either case, there is always a period of getting back in shape after taking time off. Established players usually know how to do this very efficiently and with little wasted practice time. When you are still in the learning process as a younger player (for we are all still learning - at least that is my philosophy) - you will likely be searching for the right way to get back in shape, fighting a bit against the 'out of control' feeling, and there will be wasted practice time as a result. This is why it is recommended to practice some time every day, even if you are not able to get in a full practice session.

The slippery or sticky comment is not wierd at all - if you are female, do you notice this more or less when you are wearing makeup, or not wearing makeup? I discovered that I felt more comfortable practicing with at least some makeup on (lotion/foundation) - that dry skin (washed but no makeup) was stickier - there were not enough natural skin oils to allow the lip plate to move across the skin without sticking. Some players cannot stand to play with any lip balm on at all, but I have discovered that I do like the Softlips brand of lip balm - it helps the lip plate slide a little bit but not be too slippery - and that enables me to find the exact right spot for my most comfortable embouchure placement. If I am especially hot, I do also sometimes experience some sweatiness on my chin that can cause too much slippage. No really great advice on that - just have a hanky handy for absorption!

Best, Ann

Callidor · Post by **Callidor** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:01 pm

Im a 17 year old guy with minimal experience. (been playing maybe around 2 months now)

fortunately, I have been getting spare time to practice while at camp, and i'm definately improving. (i'm on a day off as i type this.) the issue i havent noticed the issue at all recently, and i feel like my range and clarity of tone is getting better.

kodalyflutist · Post by **kodalyflutist** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:41 am

Callidor wrote:Im a 17 year old guy with minimal experience. (been playing maybe around 2 months now)

fortunately, I have been getting spare time to practice while at camp, and i'm definately improving. (i'm on a day off as i type this.) i havent noticed the issue at all recently, and i feel like my range and clarity of tone is getting better.

Hi Callidor -

I'm glad you are finding time to practice. Right you are - since you are a new player, you really need this. When you get more consistent with your practice, you will really notice the positive difference!

Since you are a guy, you probably won't be wearing foundation (grin). However, you can utilize a light lotion that will achieve the same effect. Snitch a smidge of facial lotion from a female friend or relative and put it on your chin below your lip and see if that helps with the sticky issue. I wouldn't suggest using just any lotion, because you can cause break-outs and that's a bad thing on a flutist's chin. When I say a "smidge" - I mean a tiny dab no larger than a small gemstone. This might only be necessary when you practice right after showering or washing your face - when your natural skin oils have been washed away and your face is driest.

Another option in a pinch is to rub your pinky in your ear or alongside your nose, and gather some natural oils to transfer to your chin. I would use this strategy sparingly - rubbing these oils on your chin could also cause breakouts, depending on your skin-type. I often utilize these natural oils on my RH pinky so that it slides easily on the footjoint keys. I haven't tried doing this with the sticky chin issue, but in a pinch without any lotion handy, it might work.

best wishes - Ann

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:44 pm

Callidor, Another option for male flutists is to grow a beard or at least grow out the whiskers below the lower lip. If you prefer the slippery feel, the whiskers prevent the lip plate from sticking to the skin. Personally, I prefer no slipperiness. Occasionally, if I don't shave and then play, I find that it's more difficult to keep embouchure hole placed in my "sweet spot".

You may have noticed, however, that a number of well known male flutists have beards. James Galway and Ransom Wilson come to mind... Perhaps they prefer the loose feeling, too.

So, this is another option for the guys who may not want to use a lotion or just prefer that masculine look...

kodalyflutist · Post by **kodalyflutist** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:35 am

pied_piper wrote:You may have noticed, however, that a number of well known male flutists have beards. James Galway and Ransom Wilson come to mind... Perhaps they prefer the loose feeling, too.

This is a really interesting comment. My undergrad flute teacher wears a beard. But here is something interesting too - Galway advocates holding the flute very tightly against the lower lip. I have observed him in masterclass asking flutists to anchor the flute tightly against the lower lip - so much so, that if someone else were to try to remove the flute from the lip of the player while playing, that they would have considerable difficulty moving it. This sort of enters a different thread than Callidor's question, but it is related. Any thoughts on this?

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:15 am

kodalyflutist wrote: Galway advocates holding the flute very tightly against the lower lip. I have observed him in masterclass asking flutists to anchor the flute tightly against the lower lip - so much so, that if someone else were to try to remove the flute from the lip of the player while playing, that they would have considerable difficulty moving it. This sort of enters a different thread than Callidor's question, but it is related.

I believe there are two variables at play here:

A) the slipperiness or ease of sliding the lip plate and
B) the pressure or firmness one uses to keep it in position.

A is related to how readily the lip plate can be moved up/down/left/right without distorting or pulling the lip itself, while B is really how firmly one holds the flute to the lip. It would seem that there is definitely interaction between these - apply the right amount of B to keep A in balance so that the flute is securely positioned, yet the player is able to easily make minute adjustments.

kodalyflutist · Post by **kodalyflutist** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:53 pm

I guess the reason I said I found it interesting, is that Galway advocates such a tight hold - perhaps because his beard creates slippage that females (without beards <grin>) don't experience as much. I don't think that I hold the flute as tightly against my lower lip as Galway might advise - perhaps because I don't have a slippage issue - I have more of a sticky issue. I find that I prefer a little more slippage than dry skin allows, and only feel the need to apply more pressure when I have no rests (no time to swab the chin) and my chin is sweating (which is not that unusual in our performing hall, which has poor temperature control and often is in the high 80's during performances).

Does that make sense?

You are right that it is a combination of the two elements - but without the slippage of the beard, I have to wonder how tightly Galway might advise the pressure on the lip to be? I find that too much pressure is tension-producing. So....if I were a man, I have a feeling that I wouldn't prefer having a beard. Having said that, men's hands are naturally bigger and stronger for the most part - and perhaps it doesn't feel like so much pressure from a man's perspective. Because of the fact that men are stronger, the same amount of pressure from a man might feel like too much tension from a woman's point of view.

Perhaps the comparison has too many variables, eh? Anyhooo, it's fun to talk about!

kodalyflutist · Post by **kodalyflutist** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:01 pm

I got a reply from my former teacher: He says:

"I have had this beard since about 1976 and I can say this... I think it helps during things like operas because it forms a little pad. It may help keep the flute from slipping, but it does scratch up the lip plate a bit. Charlie [Delaney] used to put chap stick on his lip so he could slide on it and some folks get their lip plates engraved so they do not slide. Pick a side and you’ll find supports. My skin is so sensitive, it is better if I shave as little as I can. Even in the interest of science, I will not shave it off!"

So, there you have the point of view of a man who wears a beard.

I think it is truly a personal preference issue, but a little bit of slippage is helpful, however it is achieved.

Best, Ann