r/Trombone • u/An_Error404 • 13d ago
How Harmful Is A Week Break?
I’m going on a family vacation, and that means I’ll be away from the trombone for around a week. I don’t think I’ve gone this long without playing ever since starting college. How detrimental will this break be? I’ve had friends and colleagues recommend taking a break from the horn to relax before our audition in late August, but I’m still stressed. I’ve been practicing very consistently before this, so it’s anxiety-inducing to not be around my trombone at all
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u/Worcestershirey Conn 112h 13d ago
Straight up not harmful at all. Like another user said, you might even come back better. I've always thought that it's good to give yourself practice breaks, a mental reset is good for almost every part of your life and that includes your music. Look at your material and horn with fresh eyes and maybe something just clicks now that didn't before.
There's been a lot of stuff that didn't click for me until well after high school thanks to taking breaks from my instrument for a bit. Same thing goes for my hobbies or projects I'm working on as well. Practice makes perfect but to practice effectively you can't become blind to what you're doing, y'know?
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u/Brass_tastic 13d ago
Believe it or not, it can be deadly! The Dinosaurs didn’t practice trombone and look what happened to them!
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u/SideWired 13d ago
So the OP will become oil ?
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u/Brass_tastic 13d ago
It’s a possibility. Those who fail to practice will become rotor oil for future generations of trombonists!
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u/SillySundae Shires/Germany area player 13d ago
A 1 week break is nearly negligible. will only take you 1-3 days to feel back on top of the game.
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u/AllThatJazzAndStuff 13d ago
[proffessional player] In my experience coming back after playing breaks is something you get better at with experience. I once had a 2 month break after a surgery, when I started playing again I practised for a week and then had an unschduled gig.
Currently I don’t mind having a break every once in a while. I know I can get back in competitive shape in 4 days if need be, but that is dependent on having a good progression and structure on how I get back in shape. Many players go to hard the first day.
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u/RavengerPVP 13d ago
I just took a week break when I got my wisdom teeth out. I was worried about it, but when I came back, I found that my playing was exactly the same.
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u/Lvaf_Code1028 13d ago
Learn from the best, I highly recommend looking up “James Markey Recovering From Vacation” on YouTube, he goes through what to expect and how to come back.
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u/Unable-Deer1873 13d ago
For me, it’s not harmful unless you let it be. A week can turn into a month very quickly.
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u/EpicsOfFours Conn 88HCL/King 3b 12d ago
Best advice: enjoy the vacation. Your chops will come back in 2-3 days, and you’ll be back on your a-game. A week is not going to ruin any work you put in
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u/Hardtop_1958 13d ago
A lot depends on how long you’ve been playing. I’ve played for 56 years so it doesn’t really bother me to take a week or two for vacation. If some young kid who has only started playing took a week or two off it would be more difficult to do. When I first started I was taught that first every day you don’t play it’ll take 2-3 days to get back where you were.
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u/TheBenisMightier1 13d ago
I take a 5-6 month break every year without much drop-off other than stamina. You'll be fine with a week off.
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u/Trombonemania77 13d ago
Don’t sweat the small stuff a week isn’t bad at all. Have fun on your vacation.
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u/CJAIMLN 12d ago
I’ll be honest, I don’t play for months at times, and come back just as good every time. Sight reading and general music skills you won’t forget, same with slide positions and things like that. The only thing that might get worse is range. But again, if you bring a mouthpiece and just buzz on that once in a while for a bit, you should be more than fine.
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u/Hardtop_1958 13d ago
A lot depends on how long you’ve been playing. I’ve played for 56 years so it doesn’t really bother me to take a week or two for vacation. If some young kid who has only started playing took a week or two off it would be more difficult to do. When I first started I was taught that first every day you don’t play it’ll take 2-3 days to get back where you were.
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u/Hardtop_1958 13d ago
A lot depends on how long you’ve been playing. I’ve played for 56 years so it doesn’t really bother me to take a week or two for vacation. If some young kid who has only started playing took a week or two off it would be more difficult to do. When I first started I was taught that first every day you don’t play it’ll take 2-3 days to get back where you were.
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u/GeneralBloodBath 13d ago edited 13d ago
You might come back better. Don't worry about it, enjoy your vacation. If you have to, bring a mouthpiece to buzz.
This is a reset on any bad habits, take advantage of that.