I have a similar situation with the clarinet. At school, I played seriously and got my Grade 8. I continued to play until I left school, and then in the CU Concert Band when I first came to Cambridge. But gradually that commitment slid away and years passed without me playing seriously.

Every so often, I pick up the clarinet to play but I find I'm out of breath after only a couple of minutes. Speaking to other former-clarinettists, I'm told this is not uncommon, and some proper practice would get it all back again. I do feel some shame that I used to be so much better, but if it really is 'in there' somewhere, it's going to take some digging.

(Now, the piano, on the other hand, is an instrument where I have no formal training or ability, yet I'm happy to hammer away upon it all day!)

I picked up my flute* a few months ago and after a few tunes I had to sit down before I fell down; I remember being dizzy as a kid when I first started but it doesn't half seem worse when you've got further to fall! Though I'm hopeful that when I have money and start playing again (aiming for folk, instead of classical which frankly makes me faintly nauseous) my lungs will come into better condition than they were when I was living with two smokers.

*grade 4 then I gave up to get some A levels; I was clearly a substandard teenager compared to the rest of this lot if I couldn't get 5 A levels and be a virtuoso on a big pile of instruments at the same time

I got to the point on the flute where my teacher said if I did an exam it would be grade 4, but I was scared of doing an exam so I gave up the flute. Then I did A levels. I've just started picking up the flute again... it's rather fun.