A bit depressed...looking for advice

[garrobito]

My teacher start with theory and scales and mayor and minor and diminished and jonic and.. etc, etc, etc...
I just take my sax and play "When the saint go marching in" in a different key and a very slow, New Orleans style.. he saw at me and tell me... "well.. that's music..."
Music is not theory, music is what you decide to do with all that notes on a partiture. Particularly I always change something.. a note, a key, rhythmic...
I back to play after 30 years, I play for few month (from May this year) and not even consistently due family/work combination but I think it's about the road.. someday down the road I would remember a pentatonic who I feel particularly nice... remember everything?? naaaahhh.. for what reason??
Take it easy on you, one of the most interesting thing you can explore with a sax is your own style and sound...

 

[Sunray]

I apologize in advance for a bit of a long thread but will try my best to keep it short so it may seem a bit disjointed...sorry!
I have been playing for a year and a half, enjoy it, but thinking about giving up.

---------- 8< ----------- Polite Snip ---------- 8< -----------​

Don't ever give up ...

View: https://youtu.be/GITP5a6MfEw?t=86

 

[trimmy]

Did Sam Davis have one of those clear mouthpieces

 

[Thierry]

I apologize in advance for a bit of a long thread but will try my best to keep it short so it may seem a bit disjointed...sorry!
I have been playing for a year and a half, enjoy it, but thinking about giving up.
Have posted here a few times (and bought the sax books to support the forum) and you all have been very nice and helpful!

So...

I'm old (late 50's) but have always loved the sax. (I listen to tons of jazz!) I've been playing electric bass since I was a kid but was mostly self-taught. I've played many gigs with top-notch musicians and have managed to maximize my primitive musical knowledge and keep pace with musicians much better than me...in other words, faking it!
I have dabbled with other instruments but always had to stop for one reason or another.

Now, every time someone tries to teach me theory you might as well have been trying to teach me brain surgery with one hand. I just can't memorize it and the few things I can I have no way to connect them to any musical ideas. I also, at this age, don't have the patience to play a I-IV-V blues over and over playing simple lines so I can progress to longer ones.

I know my teacher (who is very very nice) has no grand plan as he is a local player but admits that he doesn't know how to teach very well. I have had no luck finding a new teacher. We went through some Rubank books to learn the basics. Now he says, 'Well, I can't shelter you from theory forever. I'm going to start showing you the basics.' Now I know 2 things: 1. My major scales 2. That I will be 352 years old before I know the millions of scales and chords not to mention alternative fingerings (if I could ever get to altisimo) and the mountain of work needed to better tone.

I have great ideas in my head but they are so complex that I will never be able to play them. But I have fun for hours trying to replicate them.

Thanks so much for reading! Any bits of wisdom you can share would be really appreciated.

Late 50s ain't old dear, just matured like a good wine. Open it up, let it breath and enjoy consuming it