Rebuilding a Lost Embouchure

[BeansTasteFine]

Well drat, I could have sworn it was right here with me!

Nah, after six years of intense learning and regular practice, I had to take off about a year to care for an ailing friend up Beantown way. When he passed, last November, I couldn't much get into music, and was also very busy settling his affairs. It was all time well-spent, and I don't regret a minute of it.

But now I'm playing again, or at least trying to. I've lost very little on whistle, mandolin, banjo and guitar, but the flute's another story. I feel like I'm starting over nearly from scratch. Weak embouchure, little power, and less stamina. Worst of all, after quite a few months, I don't even feel like it's coming back. I'd hate not to be a flute-player, but I'm not breaking it out in sessions so much anymore. I worry that my age, (late-middle), could be a factor.

Has anyone taken a significant sabbatical and then come back to it? If so, what was it like?

[Peter Duggan]

Has anyone taken a significant sabbatical and then come back to it?

Yes!

If so, what was it like?

OK, but don't expect instant results (even 'after quite a few months'). Six months or so solid work on my new Copley here (allowing for a two-month gap from April to June when it went back to Dave then got wrongly impounded by UK customs on its return!) after hardly touching flute for years, and I'm only just starting to feel like I'm 'getting there' again now.

[jim stone]

Yes, Patience is one of the chief virtues for flooters. I started playing flute when I was older than you are.
At 70 my embouchure is quite good. Mike Rafferty was playing up a storm at 80. Keep at it.
You'll be OK.

[Nanohedron]

At 70 my embouchure is quite good.

But did you have to come back from an extended hiatus, and if so, how was the experience? That's the question.

Meanwhile, if you don't mind, I'll just sidle off from you a bit to get away from Zeus's strike zone. Nothing personal.

[jim stone]

I suppose, plausibly it seems to me, that coming back from an extended hiatus is no worse than starting for the
first time, including in late middle-age.

[Nanohedron]

Possibly so.

[Denny]

I do hate to bring this back on topic

It might take a bit less time than it did the first.
You do know at this point that you could do it, it hasn't been all that long and ya might not waste as much time trying things that don't work.

Don't confuse the number of months with the number of hours a day though.

[Nanohedron]

I worry that my age, (late-middle), could be a factor.

Not necessarily. I do think a youngster would be likely to have a better time of it, but I don't think that age is so towering a barrier, especially as you've played and built habits for years before.

Has anyone taken a significant sabbatical and then come back to it? If so, what was it like?

I don't know about significant, but I have taken a break myself, and the comeback wasn't automatic at all. But the good news is that since you're coming from a previous level of ability, there will signposts from experiential memory that you can recognise to help speed you along the return. I think you might make some new discoveries as well.

I do hate to bring this back on topic

That goes without saying.

[Denny]

I do hate to bring this back on topic

That goes without saying.

It's just soooo outta character.

[Hoovorff]

Coming back to the flute, I would do long tones and overtones to help get your embouchure back. Play a D scale and overblow A, B, C# and high D with the D E F# and G fingerings. That exercise helps whips your emb. back into shape. And, of course, listen, listen, listen to find the sweet spots for each note.

[Julia Delaney]

A dog ate my lovely Alexander Lyttle flute in 1993. I was broken hearted and I really didn't play the flute again until Bryan Byrne dragged me to Boxwood, in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, in 2000. I renewed my friendship with Patrick Olwell, met The McEvoy Express, fell in love with The Great Rafferty, made life-long friends and started to play the flute again.

The most important thing is to love to play and not to ask how good you are or whether your embouchure is up to snuff. If you really enjoy playing, that in itself is the best reward that you could ask for.

[jim stone]

Very well said.

[Peter Duggan]

Don't confuse the number of months with the number of hours a day though.

Which is why I said 'Six months or so solid work on my new Copley'!

[Denny]

work ethic can make such a difference...

[psychodonald]

I've never experienced an "extended hiatus," but I'm just coming back from a "short hiatus" of about three weeks, due to some abdominal surgery and I can really identify with what you're going through--very frustrating when you know you can play better and things simply won't do what you expect of them. I really liked Julia's response, a great deal of wisdom there. I've made some positive strides just within the last day or two and I was doing things similar to what Hoovorff suggested and that really helped along with the patience factor, which has already been mentioned. At any rate, stick with it, I think age does have (limited) impact, but not much.