I just spent a bit more than a month abroad and couldn't take a heavy instrument with me, so I took my flute, which meant neglecting saxophone, and I play baritone saxophone in a big band and in a quartet. So it's important to me to be able to play at a decent level.
Upon returning from abroad, I tried playing sax and was relieved that I could still do it. I have rehearsals next week, and I want to be ready for them.
A friend of mine, a fellow amateur multi-instrumentalist reassured me that playing sax, after all the years that I've been doing it, was like riding a bicycle. This was only mildly encouraging, because at my age, nearly 81, I'm not about to ride a bicycle. Nevertheless, he's right. I can still even play clarinet, though I haven't played much clarinet since I was in high school. But, if you haven't ridden on a bicycle for a long time, your legs get tired quickly, and your balance won't be what it once was.
I keep wondering how long I will be able to play at all. One of my music teachers told me not to worry about wrong notes. His brother-in-law is a neurosurgeon, he said, and if he makes a mistake, his patient might die. But if a musician plays a wrong note, it's not a matter of life and death. I'll probably never play as well as I did when I was in my teens. But as long as I enjoy it.... Playing badly is less dangerous than falling off a bicycle.
