Picking up an instrument after a 6 year break

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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When I was younger I had a real passion for traditional Irish folk music and took up playing the tenor banjo when I was about 12. I played until I turned 15 by which stage I was pretty good. I was playing at sessions in bars at music festivals and joining in with the 'big boys' so to speak. I loved it but for some weird reason, most likely getting stick at school for playing a geeky instrument, I gave it up. Now, 6 years later I really want to get back into it but I'm getting some weird feelings. I'm almost afraid to pick it up again, I don't want to see how much I've deteriorated. I did have a pluck at it a couple of years ago and I had pretty much lost it, my fingers were like 4 cocktail sausages.

I have a deep love for the music and really don't want to get disheartened when I have a crack at playing again. Has anyone went through a similar expereince and if so have you any tips? I think it will be a very steep learning curve to get up to my old standard again but hopefully it'll be worth it.

What do you reckon? Any tips?
 
I think some might say it's just like riding a bike, you'll be able to pick it up quickly but your standard and finger flexibilty will probably need some work.

I play two instruments but have never had a significant amount of time away from playing them. I play guitar and bass and i'm guessing if I stopped playing for 6 years, the tips of my fingers will have softened and I wouldn't be able to be as flashy as I am now.

Just take it gradually and as long as you put the time in, it'll come back to you. :)
 
Chronos-X said:
Try guitar.
Click to expand...

Guitar really isn't for me. The Irish tenor banjo is an instrument which always manages me make the hair on my back stand up, I love it. My previous expereince will hopefully be an advantage at getting up to scratch again.
 
I don't play banjo but play other stringed instruments.

I think the best thing to do is to just get hold of one, maybe you can rent one from somewhere? If not i'd buy one anyway and just see what you can remember.

I'm not familiar with traditional Irish repertoire lol But are there any songs you knew like the back of your hand? Try getting hold of the music for them (if you learnt from sheet music or other manuscript) and I think eventually it'll begin to come back to you.

If I haven't played a particular song in ages I personally find that if i'm shown (or read from paper) a bit of it it's like a piece of string that begins to unwind and you gradually remember it all.

If you're worried about the technique then with practise that'll definately come back. It might take a while for you to feel as though you can play it comfortably but I wouldn't worry about not being able to play it ever again :)
 
Just go and play it. You mightn't be as good as you used to be (or barely be able to play at all) but after playing it a few times it will all start to come back. I've heard of people taking their instrument up again after 20 year breaks and within a few years they are better than they ever were. You will probably progress even better now because you have more patience and you know how much you want to play.

I know what you mean about the traditional Irish music. It's fantastic, I used to be amazing at it on both the fiddle and the tin whistle and have only recently started to get back in to it after years of doing classical graded exams. I've had an Irish wooden flute sitting under my bed for a few months which i've been scared to play until I get my flue diploma out of the way - this week (can't wait :) )

If you enjoy something never give it up, i've got some stick for playing the flute, violin and piano over the last 10 or so years from friends, strangers in school and even family. Everyone always told me I should have been playing instruments like the drums and guitar but I played what I wanted and now i'm glad I never listened to them.
 
I'd just have a go you'd be suprised how quickly you'll pick it up again with practice.

I played violin throughout my school years, but just let it slide at university. Picked it up a few weeks back (after almost 4 years), and after an hour or so i could play some of the old music i used to play, nowhere near as good as I used to be and I was stoping and starting quite a bit, but I was suprised how much I remembered. At somepoint I'm hoping to take it up again, as i love classical music and used to enjoy playing it.
 
If you had talent 6 years ago then you will have it now but it will just take a bit of practise to get back into it.
The question is 'How much do you really want to pick it up again?'.
If the answer is 10/10 then you needn't have come on here asking.

Recommended listening - Horslips, The Pogues and the new Hayseed Dixie DVD No Sleep Til Liverpool. Reverend Don Wayne Reno is the best banjo player you'll hear and is daddy wrote Duelling Banjos.
 
on a slightly different tack, but i've not properly played the sax for about 6 years, pick it up probably once a year, and i get back to a reasonable level within about 5/10 mins
if you want to do it just do it, play the things you enjoy, otherwise i dont see the point in returning
agreed with dmpoole about the hayseed dixie stuff
 
I gave up guitar after getting fed up with groups and needing cash 20 odd years ago but bought one a year ago to see if I could get back into it. I'd say you will be back to as good as you ever was within a couple of months with regular practice.

It's like riding a bike really :)
 
It will probably take a bit of regular practise to get your fingers doing what you want them to do again, but I very much doubt it will take a long time. It won't be the first time you're learning to do things, so you should know how they are supposed to be done.
I would love to get back into playing my violin, and I pick it up from time to time, but it needs a few bits replaced and I really can't afford that or the cost of lessons right now :(.
 
Whatever you do, just make sure you pick up the thing and at least give it a go. Don't put too much emphasis on being amazing straight away, just give it a try and see where it takes you. At the end of the day if the magic has gone, then just leave it, but if you pick it up and the hairs stand up on the back of your neck (regardless of your skill!) then you know you've made the right decision!

Personally I gave up playing guitar when I was at school too and regretted it ever since until I started playing about 5 years ago - without doubt it was one of my better decisions in life. :)

EDIT: It's kinda already been said but the dexterity and stamina of the required muscles in your arms will have gone, but no doubt you've learnt how to learn to play an instrument and probably remember more than you'd give yourself credit for. Either way just give it a go...
 
It'll probably be about 2-3 months before you feel you're getting back to somewhere near where you were before, and a while longer to get back to 100% of what your speed was then :)
 
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