I took my clarinet out last about five years ago and played some transcriptions of the Bach sonatas and partitas for violin. It was very moving so I put it away again, broke my heart for about 24hours, and haven't touched it since.

When I last played I was practising about 4-5 hours a day and working for a diploma (I passed the theory paper but couldn't take the practical due to an operation on my mouth). I was teaching, playing with orchestras and doing the occasional recital. But, the last lessons I had (consultations rather than lessons) I was so nervous I could hardly hold the instrument.

But!.. now I'm not nervous and have just passed grade 2 violin with distinction.

Should I take my clarinet out again or will my heart break at the loss of my old skills. I swore I would never touch it again. I don't want to teach and I don't want to perform with it so is there any point. Would I be able to stand not practising 4hours a day to my old standard????? Also I have a demanding full-time job so I probably don't have time... I would run the risk of it taking over my life again!

I think perhaps I should walk away and stick to my violin.

Good luck to everyone playing the clarinet - it's a lovely instrument to learn so enjoy every minute with it!!

Lottie, I would do it.

But maybe view it as a past friendship rather than a new relationship. If it comes back to being something you want to take seriously, fine. If not, well at least you've explored it. Reacquaint yourself with your old friend. OK, you've changed a bit in the meantime, taken up a violin, and you may have forgotten the odd point of technique, your embouchure might have gone adrift a bit. But I'll bet there's more you remember than you've forgotten.

I did just exactly this with the piano - although I was never at the standard you were with clarinet. But I had a big hangup about playing that took me twenty-five years to resolve. It hasn't developed into my going on to play the piano seriously, in fact I gave up lessons again a couple of months ago. But I can play if I want to and the bad associations are (mostly) gone.

I'm sure you haven't 'lost your skills', more like they are a little dusty and need a few cobwebs sweeping away! I think it is always difficult when you reach a high standard and you want to return after years of absence, you need to have some patience with youself and take things easy and do it because you enjoy it and want to!
The fact is you can still play and you can still get pleasure from doing so. maybe you just need to approach it slightly differently and not put too much pressure on yourself to return to your top level again!.
I know a flautist who can no longer play hardly at all because his muscles just won't work properly anymore and the poor guy was heartbroken! I say make the most of it while you still can

My youngest son started playing the clarinet nearly two years ago - and I hadn't touched my own instrument for about 25 years - but in order to help him I picked it up and started playing again.

The only regret I had was having given up when I did - but now I love playing along with him and helping him with his pieces. Now we're all starting to learn the sax together - and its great fun.

Play again - and put the past behind you - music is for enjoyment and life's too short to regret what we did - or had to do - previously.

I can sometimes be pessimistic and negative myself - I think we all have periods of that from time to time - but in general, I try to look at the years still in front of me, rather than the years that have past. Make the best of those and try not to look back.

Returning to an instrument after a long period of playing inactivity is daunting, almost depressing perhaps to begin with. All you tend to think about is how good you were, rather than saying, I actually could be quite good again and it's surprising how quickly you'll be able to re-whone those skills. I lose count of how many adults contact me wanting lessons who'd played the violin while they were at school, but gave up as a teenager because under peer pressure it just wasn't cool to play the instrument.

It may break your heart to play it, but while it may be sad to play it but not as well as you once could, it seems sadder still to leave it in a box maybe you will form a new relationship as katyjay describes, or maybe you will decide once and for all that you don't want to play, but at least you will have found out, and got "closure" about it as they say.

i think you should get it out again!, if it breaks your hearat mabye you could play happier pieces?

x

What a refreshing thought - the Bach is quite 'heavy stuff'

Now what about a cheeky bit of Poulenc, or I used to adore the Bax sonata... or there's the utterly divine Copeland concerto... yes, it would have to be happy music

I think you should, but only if you want to. No point us all sitting here saying 'yes do it' etc etc, if you really don't have the desire yourself.