Practice

In this section

• Returning to it

  For the returning and late-start player: what comes back quickly, what needs rebuilding, and how to pick up the horn again without discouragement.

• I haven't played in 20 years — where do I start

  Start gently and short. Your reading and valve memory come back fast; your embouchure and endurance need weeks of patient rebuilding. Long tones, simple tunes, and short daily sessions beat long occasional ones.