& i got talking about how i can still play bits of pieces i learned more than 25 years ago on flute. how something about the simplicity of the fingerings meant that once i started playing a piece, i could just feel my way through it. a combination of memorization and muscle memory, each helping the other. he mentioned that when he was younger, he could learn a hard piece of guitar music in a few days, whereas now, it's weeks to months (which is where i'm at, too). & suggested that maybe a lot of my muscle memory on flute was due to the age at which i was learning these pieces - 15-17.
i conceded it might be true. i also don't totally believe it. so i've decided to give myself a sneaky summer project. get my flute embouchure back. play through my usual catchup pieces (js bach sonatas, taffanel's andante pastorale, etc), and then try to learn and fully internalize a new piece.
i've chosen syrinx. it's a standard part of the repertoire, but it wasn't part of the lessons i took in high school. it's pretty, it's only a couple of pages. apart from a few months at the start of the pandemic, i've let my flute playing languish. i'm off to long & mcquade this afternoon to pick up some papers for my pads. maybe a new polishing cloth.
i'm lowkey kind of excited. let's see how far i can take this.