So, it has been around 5 years since I began practicing the saxophone again. I would like to think I have gotten better. For sure, I have not progressed as far or as fast as I once did when I was younger.
I have managed to practice 2 to 3 times a week. However, when I was young, in college, the Armed Forces School of Music, I practiced at least 4 hours on a daily basis, after playing in ensembles all day, for weeks. My improvement was light years faster than it is now.
The problem back then, I guess, there were so many other distractions. Eventually, I stopped practicing the way I knew I should. Then, I got married and had kids. That’s the end of free time. Any off-time went to family.
Then, believe it or not, the job itself (the job where I play music all day) got in the way. In the Navy we did so many Naval ceremonies, it became a routine where you didn’t have to think. You could get by without practicing. I lost my drive and the rest is history. I was complacent and lost my edge. I burned out.
So, it is good to be playing again. Whether or not I get to play professionally again remains to be seen.
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