Trying to learn quick

[u/Splatter8544]

Ok, I know there's going to be a lot of "you can't learn quick" responses, but I'm looking for real advice:

So I used to play a different instrument way back in 2019, stopped when I graduated, and now I'm trying to get back into music (especially collegiate music). My fiance has a collegiate-grade horn that I'm borrowing to learn with since I no longer have my old instrument, but my issue is that auditions are within like January or February next year. I'm putting in roughly 1-2 hours of practice after work each day, but I feel like my chops are blown after the first hour or so, which is keeping me from being able to practice more and slowing my overall progress.

I'm taking lessons from a friend for a little cheaper than what most around me charge (he's a performance major at grad level, gives lessons to middle and high school kids regularly). He's been a huge help, but I feel like he's not pressuring me enough. My big question to Reddit is, how quick should I realistically be able to get to my goal of being audition-ready for a college music program? Context: I've been practicing for a couple of weeks now and have had a beginner lesson and a regular lesson.

[u/Early-Historian4298]

Do you have the audition material yet? You want to solely work on playing that if/when you do.

Overall, rest is key, like what's already been said. I've been playing for decades, but am not a professional. I'll practice for maybe 10-15 minutes, then do other stuff. An hour or 2 later, practice some more for 20 minutes, more or less. But that's as a seasoned player -- I only practice the hard parts I struggle playing.

Listen to your teacher with whatever fundamental exercises they're having you do. Those will be important forever.

Lastly, whatever instrument you're coming from, I'll bet it's not as difficult as horn. Remember, when playing in a full section, not every horn player plays all the notes. In fact, I think the best horn players are the greatest because they know which notes to skip 🙃

Too bad you can't skip notes in auditions! 😂

[u/LowDistribution2837]

Close the to most important part: you have to get some rest. Every day is not optimal, since you need some days to regenerate. While practicing do little breaks.
Be sure that you have a good embouchure. And you have to use air efficiently - (thats something you can only get teached). With good air you can play a lot more efficient.
And last point is relaxation. Try to be as relaxed as possible while playing. Dont press the mouthpiece into your lips.

[u/Pretty_Willingness43]

If you are a quick learner and have developed horn playing skills in your childhood and teens, my guess is that it will take you approximately 1000 hours of systematic, guided and daily practice to become a proficient horn player again. It is more realistic to pass auditions in early 2028 than in 2027. Remember, this is not a horse race, as our goal is to produce beautiful music, and enjoy ourselves while doing it. All the best from Norway 🇳🇴

[u/Apprehensive-Bat-416 → u/Pretty_Willingness43]

I had to quit horn many years ago due to injury and was eventually able to get it back.  I would say the 1000 hours is about right.  And that was with an excellent teacher.

When I 'quit' I was taking lessons with Wayne Barrington and said he thought it would take about 8 months for me to get back up to speed if I was ever able to return.  Which I would say was a little bit of an understatement but I was also working on a major embouchure change 

And none of this includes time to work up audition materials.  Two year after returning I performed the 2nd Cherubini Sonata.

[u/Pretty_Willingness43 → u/Apprehensive-Bat-416]

Thanks for sharing your background story. So glad to hear that you succeeded. I taught myself to play horn well past 60. Lots of practice needed. I have some guidance from professionals, fortunately. And the Internet has been a blessing. 🙏

[u/Early-Historian4298 → u/Apprehensive-Bat-416]

May I ask what kind of injury? Similar story here: split my face open after a bicycle accident. Took me 2.5 years to play again, but that's including the recovery from the surgeons putting my bones back together, too.

[u/Apprehensive-Bat-416 → u/Early-Historian4298]

My issue was TMJ.

[u/kroxigor01]

Was your previous instrument a brass instrument? I would imagine it takes several years of conditioning of the vibration area of your lips and the muscles around the mouth and face that must develop to be much stronger than a normal person and have the muscle memory to make the subtle contractions to produce a brass sound.

I agree with the other commentor that suggested many short practices (10 minutes) is superior to a long practice where most of the time your lips or swollen or tight from more vibration or pressure than they can take.

On the first and last practices perhaps make your best attempt to concentrate on playing soft in the middle range but with as beautiful and full sound as you can achieve.

What is your plan if you fail? It wouldn't surprise me at all if it takes a year or more for you to get to college entry standard.

[u/Splatter8544 → u/kroxigor01]

Alto sax, so unfortunately a bit of a change. Although so far buzzing hasn't been too terribly difficult to start learning, I think I'm just coming up on too long of direct practice as everyone's suggesting (lips feel almost sore toward the end and buzzing quality starts to fall)

[u/Apprehensive-Bat-416 → u/Splatter8544]

It sounds like you are trying to cram 6-7 years of horn into 4 months. 

[u/Splatter8544 → u/Apprehensive-Bat-416]

Close to it, yeah. But the friend giving me lessons thinks it's almost doable in some capacity, especially since I already have a musical background and a large part of those initial years would be taken up by learning to read and analyze music as a whole. He's had a similar case of a student working with him to move from a woodwind to horn in the span of a year or less, but I'm personally just not sure what I should realistically expect of myself as far as audition timing goes.

[u/Apprehensive-Bat-416 → u/Splatter8544]

We don't know the quality of the program, but this seems very unrealistic.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep working.  Horn takes time and you can't speed run it. 

[u/quiptown89]

Your instructor is only going to push you if you show you can be pushed. I would imagine if you are mastering what he already is giving you that would determine how hard he pushes you. Taking lessons is a give and take and if you're not showing you mastered what he already gave you why would he push you harder?

[u/RagnarIV]

Honestly don't do all your practice in one monolithic block. Break up you practice times. Play 2-3 times a day. If you're not improving and your chops feel dull take a day off, the first day back play 15-45min and ease back into your practice routine.

[u/jmojhr-601]

Unless the audition is really easy like all 12 major scales and a simple etude it's impossible sorry. For standard audition repertoire (Mozart concertos, R. Strauss first concerto, Kopprasch etudes, orchestral excerpts) it should take you approximately 4 years of daily practice.

[u/Leisesturm]

Ok, I know there's going to be a lot of "you can't learn quick" responses, but I'm looking for real advice:

LOL. So, any advice that doesn't support your pipe dream of becoming a 'zero to hero' Horn player in, what ... four, five months, "isn't real"? Reddit never fails to deliver the lolz.

[u/Splatter8544 → u/Leisesturm]

I'm talking about things to practice, good habits to form as early as I can, etc. Telling me to spend years isn't advice, that's redundancy when I already plan on sticking with the instrument.

[u/Leisesturm → u/Splatter8544]

Your o.p. is still up there. Does it say anything about you wanting things to practice, good habits, etc.? You knew you were going to get hit on your ridiculous timeline. Own it. Even picking Sax up again after a six year hiatus would take longer than five months to sit College auditions. Starting any other Brass Instrument, except Horn, from scratch, and you could be ready for a Community Band in a year or two. College? At least four. And probably longer. The typical applicant has been playing continuously for at least six. Horn, the Queen Mother of hard to learn instruments? I wouldn't even venture a time estimate. It simply isn't ... I'm not going to repeat myself. You know the deal. If all you wanted was practice tips like anyone else, you would have written an entirely different o.p. and no one would have felt the need to tell you it was going to take you years to be College ready. It would have been understood by all that you knew (and accepted) that.