Advice for a newbie... Tunes or Scales...

[Patrick]

Hi good people of the forum

Searching for a teacher at the moment but some advice for a newbie would be very much appreciated.

I have been playing the sax for a total time of about 1 hour (stop that chuckling). The trouble is I am not sure how/what to practice at the moment.

This is my current situation...

I have no musical theory under my belt however yesterday I came across WWhWWWh & WhWWhWW, so I have now cracked the enigma code which is major and minor scales ( one small step for man...). I have also come across some simple tunes with the notation 123|-2-.

The question is, should I attempt to practice my new found scales or play some simple tunes using the 123|-2- notation ( note: if the former then can anyone point me in the right direction for a finger chart that I can understand).

Thanks in advance

Patrick


As an aside, I never understood why people fall in love with inanimate objects... That is starting to change 🙂

 

[Patrick]

D'oh...

http://www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-practice.html

Still finding my way aroung the site, however a finger chart I understand still woudn't go amiss

Patrick

 

[Linky Lee]

spike gave me a link to one with everything from standard fingerings to crazy fingerings for the altissimo register, which is playing notes above the 'standard' range if you didn't know.

I'll see if I can find the link.

 

[Patrick]

Spot On... Thanks

Patrick

 

[Bobby G]

It's a good idea to play scales so you get the feel of each key on the horn; it's a good idea to play tunes because you put your scales practise to good use and it's fun.

So, do both! 😉

 

[tengu01]

Bobby G wrote:
So, do both! 😉

Sporting Analogy:
Scales/Technique is like the fitness practice
Tunes/music is like playing the game

Technique is an asset to any style of playing, but don't forget why you wanted play in the first place. Technique just helps you play better

 

[Patrick]

Cool stuff guys, appreciated... What a site eh? 🙂

 

[emmalto]

Oh, and get a decent book. I'm currently working through 'Jazz Method for Saxophone' (they do this for Alto and Tenor) and it really is a good buy. I feel like I've learnt loads from it.

 

[Patrick]

Nice one EmmaTenor... I'm on the case

 

[tengu01]

Patrick wrote:
Nice one EmmaTenor... I'm on the case

Just to add to that, a warning from personal experience: At one point I spent hours and hours on the internet and in music shops collecting as much instructional material as I could find.

Then found myself in the middle of a roundabout with millions of exits: with no idea of where to start, the order in which I should have tackled things and what would benefit me best and how to apply it. I still have a shelf full of material which, were I to have mastered it one at a time, I would be a master of the sax. Instead, I kept collecting and sampling a bit here, a bit there and then onto the next thing.

In short, what I am trying to say is focus. Work your way through the book you buy and really try to soak it up and get it under your fingers. The focus you apply now will save you countless hours (and some frustration) later on down the line.

Good luck 🙂

 

[emmalto]

Yep, I'm sticking to my one book for that reason. It's really rewarding to see yourself progress through a book 🙂

Also got the sheet music for One Step Beyond (all the way through) which is more of a long term thing 🙂

 

[Bobby G]

Good luck with the One Step Beyond, Emma - it sounds like you're loving your tenor already.

Now, taking a tip from tengu's last post, and also his thread on 'relearning/restarting', and almost becoming a beginner again, I am seriously thinking about doing something similar - I'm completely self-taught, having learned from a fingering chart then playing by ear; now, I think it's time I got a little more direction into my playing (even though I love what I'm doing now), so would the 'Jazz Method for Saxophone' be suitable for me do you think? I've been playing for 4 years nearly every day, but the last couple of weeks with very little sax action has kind of made me reassess my situation.

I totally agree with tengu about sticking to one book rather than taking bits of possibly conflicting ideas from many sources and hope that a book like this would put some direction into my playing and/or fill in the gaps in what I already know.

I have some books that I got in the package when I got my first sax (a used Buescher Aristocrat 200), but none of them really seemed to be what I was looking for...

 

[spike]

Tunes - are more fun than scales

 

[Bobby G]

Slightly belated congratulations on your 1000th post Spike 🙂

Yep, tunes are more fun than scales, but depending on how seriously you are intending to study scales are important too. If it really was one to the exclusion of the other I'd say tunes 100%

 

[phil_edwards]

Bobby G wrote:
...so would the 'Jazz Method for Saxophone' be suitable for me do you think? I've been playing for 4 years nearly every day, but the last couple of weeks with very little sax action has kind of made me reassess my situation.

Bobby, here's a variation on 'doing a Phil'...

I've got the Alto version of that book/CD, currently residing in my "things I'm not using right now" pile.

PM your address and I'll lend to ya! I'll want this one back as I run through it occassionally for fun, but have it for a few weeks, or months even. Crikey, I'm a librarian now!

If you like it you can get yourself a copy, if you don't, well, nothing lost.

Personally I suspect you're above the standard of this book, but there's only one way to find out.

regards, Phil

 

[mick_wilson]

just to add guys as you are aware im new to this and im doing simple tunes and one scale at present . i also find its ok doing scales but then you do a song you have to learn it and your tone goes out the window until you grasp the fingering.

keep at it ive been told by my missus im sounding better probably to stop me from singing only tho 🙁