where wildly different is perfectly normal
Don’t be surprised by the flute
Don’t be surprised by the flute

Don’t be surprised by the flute

When you study and work and practice and live in a practice room for years on end, you become quite good at playing an instrument. When you stop playing, all forward momentum stops and it can get hairy. When you go 14 months before even opening the case, it’s not only hairy but needs a full Brazilian, with serious touchups four months later when you give it another try. So you really shouldn’t be surprised that:

*Your lips go numb within the first few minutes.
*The stress canker sores start looking for additional real estate.
*You discover that at least two keys are sticking, you got rid of all your repair tools before moving, and don’t have a flute repair person in this time zone.
*You’re amazed that muscle memory is as strong as it is, because you’re pretty damned certain that that’s the wrong fingering…whoops, no, muscle memory is right and brain memory is seriously screwed up.
*Your left shoulder blade has seen the numb lips, and raised them tingling and oh yeah, that’s right, nerve damage.
*You look at all those teeny tiny notes and wonder what does it all mean?
*
Your left hand laughs at the left shoulder and lips and does a full cramptasm that is felt through the body and into the floor, much like a lightning strike, and about as much fun.
*Your entire body rebels as you stumble back to the laptop to type and you wonder if dictating the rest of the book into Siri might not be a bad idea.
*Twenty minutes felt like an eternity.
*It really wasn’t nearly as bad as you thought it would be, you hadn’t lost as many skills as expected, and you’ll do it again soon.

Good things for me to remember.

I’m getting the band back together starting up my flute studio again.

3 Comments

  1. First of all, totally diggin’ the new ‘do!!

    Sister, imagine picking it up again after, oh, I don’t know…26 years!! Every once in a blue moon, usually to amuse the kids, I’ll take me flute out, stumble through a scale or two, then put it immediately back in the case! I just may need to attend your flute studio. 🙂

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