Anyone taken up an instrument again after 20 years?

[swedishmum]

Yesterday I owned up that I used to play the violin. I've now got a month to get a pretty tricky sonata to the level it was when I was about 18! Though I taught class music for years I've hardly touched my violin since about 1984.
Please someone tell me it will come back to me. I sounded pretty feeble today. I think the really sad thing is that as dh isn't remotely interested in classical music I gave up too many of my interests when I was young and impressionable.

Hi Swedishmum. I bought myself a cello when dd2 started to learn. Hadn't played one for 20 years either. It definitely came back to me, but not to the level I once was. Unfortunately it is now gathering dust in a corner again! I think it would help to play in an orchestra/chamber group of something.

What's the performance for? That's quite brave!

I started singing again after 10 years. I managed to get myself signed up to perform a solo recital! It took me about 4 months of lessons every other week (but very little practice in between!)

Go for it! Could you afford to have a few lessons just to give you confidence and iron out any technical bits?

It's only in front of a few friends not a recital people will pay for! It's Brahms G major violin sonata - didn't realise quite how many notes were in it till yesterday... If I'm feeling brave tomorrow I might phone up the music school about lessons.

Perhaps The Really Terrible Orchestra could go national...

My ds1 is teaching me the violin. I can play songs from the wagon wheels book!I am very proud of this.

i did music at uni and have continued with flute and piano, on and off. i (madly) took up cello when i was pregnant with twins and by the time i got to 32 weeks, i couldn't fit round it anymore! fortunately, my daughter has just graduated to full size cello so it's getting some use ... 14 years later.
been singing in choirs in brum lately - best fun!
my piano playing is crap - but it's my latest resolution to get through the 48... (i can do about 3 of them)

Yes it'll come back. I took up the violin again after 20 years and enjoy my lessons so very much - my teacher has helped me to brush up on technique and improved my tone no end!

enjoy!

Now I've started I'm enjoying it - wish I'd kept it up! I think it will come back to me, at least to some extent, but I have a long way to go. It's good to know I'm not the only one out there. I'll have a nose round for a teacher I think - we live in the sticks but I'm sure there are lots of excellent teachers tucked away.

perhaps we should put together a mumsnet chamber orchestra- I haven't played my flute properly for about 3 years