I was thinking of this thread a bit the past couple of days–I took last Saturday through Thursday off the trumpet completely due to travelling (decided not to take my horn).

Playing on Friday when I got home felt very weird and a little frustrating (like I was a bit uncoordinated), but my lips felt noticeably relaxed and I felt like I had less of a need to resist tensing as I ascended–like there was not much/any instinct to do so any longer. I had gotten good at managing myself that way, but it’s now as though there is no tendency anymore the past few days. Maybe it’s just a coincidence or my memory is a bit off.

I’m definitely having to restore my accuracy of articulation, “Shape”, etc. So I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend taking that much time completely off of the horn. But, a little rest and time away can be helpful. And I was thinking again today about how important the mental aspect of playing is. I felt like I’m in a good place in my mind coming back to the horn–totally patient, no expectations, just an objective observer with no emotional attachment to the outcome of my experiments. As I notice things that I can’t do, I spend some time working on them, etc. It’s been interesting.

Things are coming back together pretty well today (Sunday) and yesterday was much better than Friday.

As I expected, I’ve lost zero range–I had been focusing on my range up to the break and was slightly concerned that I would come back and not be able to play as high as before. That is definitely not the case–range is definitely more of a precision/coordination thing than a strength thing.

Sure, I’m sure my endurance took a step back, but my range is still there and in fact I feel more relaxed than I remember feeling before and my low, middle and upper registers feel more connected and smoother than ever.

Hoping that these sensations last as I get myself back into shape.

I definitely can’t play music as well as when I left as my concept of shape and articulation is a bit off. I definitely noticed my air was off as well, but things are coming back each day and I feel confident that I know how to get myself back to where I left off and continue progressing from there. I’m very grateful for that and all that I’ve learned the past few years.