Vince DeRosa would take six weeks in Europe every summer without his instrument – and return to play first horn on a movie call first day back, saying, “We don’t forget how to do this.” I don’t recommend that. Vince was the exception that proves the rule.

Practice is vital – so is rest. There are several theories in this regard. One thing seems clear, Insufficient rest can lead to injury.

Megumi Kanda tells of her experience with an overuse injury. Rafael Méndez would frequently practice 12 or 16 hours a day (however, he would be sure to rest as much as he played). Dave Wilken speaks to this. Roger Bobo wrote “If you’re going to practice all day, go for two or maximum three hours, then rest at least one hour.” Claude Gordon said, “If you rest properly you can play all day.” Christian Lindberg “. . . used to practice up to 8 hours a day. Nowadays it is around 2 hours every day.” He feels sessions of 24 minutes on and 6 off are beneficial – spread out through the day.

It seems to me there are several aspects of rest. One is rest during a practice session, another is rest between practice sessions. Taking time off the face between exercises is wise as is spreading practice into several discrete sessions throughout the day.

Also, taking an occasional rest day is a good idea and a week or two annual vacation can’t hurt. In fact, such a vacation – if one’s schedule allows and care is taken – can allow some bad habits to weaken and good habits to be reinforced – with a slow, controlled, return to practice. Remember – rest.

Get the rest you need.