Beginner recording A Blues Lick...

[Veggie Dave]

...Rather than a blues lick in A. 😉

I recorded this yesterday, a whole 11 days after getting my first sax. I'm not only new to the saxophone but new to wind instruments as a whole so I really have nothing to base my playing on or any prior knowledge to help spot errors. I also haven't found a tutor yet so I'm looking for criticism and tips to help me move forward while I find someone in my area.

Obviously, you're not going to hear anything impressive (especially as the whole sound clip is only 17 seconds long) but hopefully I'm on my way to building a solid foundation for everything that's to come.

Dropbox - first-time-ever.mp3

 

[jimmylh]

Not bad for 11 days worth.

 

[Chris]

Hey Dave not bad for 11 days, hopefully you will find a tutor as that is the best option to begin with.
Stops you learning to many bad habits haha..



Chris..

 

[Veggie Dave]

Thanks chaps.

Until I can find a teacher, did you hear anything where you thought 'oh, he better sort that out before it becomes a real problem!'?

 

[kevgermany]

Had me tapping my foot. Good start. Add some long tones into your practice and work on the sound. Rhythm is hood. Shows your bass experience!

 

[Veggie Dave]

One of the things I do practice is holding notes for as long as I can without the tone, volume or intonation changing. It came as a bit of a shock how challenging that actually is.

But you've mentioned one thing that keeps catching me out, timbre. One second I'm hearing a lovely, rich tone, then suddenly I'm playing a fog horn that's much louder and painfully harsh, or I'm strangling the note and it becomes thin before rapidly succumbing to the death it so richly deserves.

At least I know how I'm causing these problems at the moment but a tutor would be helpful.

 

[jimmylh]

One of the things I do practice is holding notes for as long as I can without the tone, volume or intonation changing. It came as a bit of a shock how challenging that actually is.

But you've mentioned one thing that keeps catching me out, timbre. One second I'm hearing a lovely, rich tone, then suddenly I'm playing a fog horn that's much louder and painfully harsh, or I'm strangling the note and it becomes thin before rapidly succumbing to the death it so richly deserves.

At least I know how I'm causing these problems at the moment but a tutor would be helpful.

Welcome to the club. For me, getting a full rich tone is the hardest part of playing the sax. After 10 months of playing my mid range still sounds like a harmonica. That just increases my awe of other people's abilities.

 

[kevgermany]

It's down to embouchure, breath support, how much mouthpiece you take in, tongue and how open your throat is.

You could try a little less mouthpiece.

Long tones allow you to experiment and adjust while not having to worry about things like keys, timing... And they focus you on control to get the stability. Pete's Taming the Sax vol 1 has a lot of really good long tone exercises - and when you're ready will take you a lot further.

 

[ProfJames]

Well done mate!!! Eleven days worth of learning! Great stuff

 

[Nick Wyver]

Not bad at all.
It helps enormously that you've played an instrument (any instrument) before.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Sounds like me when I'd been playing 11 days! I hope that can be taken as a compliment. Hmmm....

Anyway, sounds like you are off to a great start.

 

[thomsax]

Very good!

 

[Veggie Dave]

It helps enormously that you've played an instrument (any instrument) before.

I don't think the benefits can be over stated - knowing how to play one instrument to a reasonable level makes learning a second instrument infinitely easier. A bit like learning languages; once you've learned your second one, learning more becomes easier.

And one of the reasons I chose sax was because I thought the sax and bass share many, many similarities as bizarre as that may sound.

 

[Colin the Bear]

One of the things I do practice is holding notes for as long as I can without the tone, volume or intonation changing. It came as a bit of a shock how challenging that actually is.

But you've mentioned one thing that keeps catching me out, timbre. One second I'm hearing a lovely, rich tone, then suddenly I'm playing a fog horn that's much louder and painfully harsh, or I'm strangling the note and it becomes thin before rapidly succumbing to the death it so richly deserves.

At least I know how I'm causing these problems at the moment but a tutor would be helpful.

You'll struggle for that certain sound your whole saxophone career. The fact that you're listening to what your playing and are dissatisfied, bodes well. At this early stage, practicing will be the most effective. It takes a little time to develop your chops. Don't over do it at first. If it gets hard work take a short break.

Playing sax and bass have a lot in common. If you look at some early 20C dance bands in films , there's a Bb bass sax doing the job. More articulate than a Sousaphone or Tuba and more ooomph than a string bass!