PPT mouthpieces
PPT mouthpieces

BOTM April BOTM - 'Round Midnight'

Hi again,

I did not succumb to the "Selmer itch", altough this is indeed a beautiful saxophone.

SBA.jpg

I tried it and will return it next week....(at least I think I will)


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6518653/Cafe%20Saxophone/Round%20Midnight%20SBA.mp3

Cheers,
Guenne
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ivan said:
Nicely done

A couple of the same deep note problems I have... I'm told long notes are the key
Click to expand...

Hi Ivan, thanks for listening.
Yes, those notes below the low D are hard to get... I am working on long tones.
I subscribed to Bob Reynolds newsletter and he mentioned in a clinic his routine to work on tone. I am trying to follow that. Here is the youtube link if you are curious:
https://youtu.be/PdDkAQgQV_8?t=28m

sound quality is not the best but it helps... I like to listen these kind of stuff.

Cheers,
Marcello
 
Sneaking in just before the month-end ... No time for endless takes, this was literally (literally!) the first take. (Not to say I hadn't been playing it over and over again without recording)

I have to say I found this very difficult, particularly the timing (as in a previous discussion, slower tunes leave you little room to hide any timing issues), and then the improv section was very tricky to get around. But I am glad to have done it, that's for sure.

https://soundcloud.com/saxplorer/round-midnight

Thanks to Chris and Ivan.
 
saxplorer said:
Sneaking in just before the month-end ... No time for endless takes, this was literally (literally!) the first take. (Not to say I hadn't been playing it over and over again without recording)

I have to say I found this very difficult, particularly the timing (as in a previous discussion, slower tunes leave you little room to hide any timing issues), and then the improv section was very tricky to get around. But I am glad to have done it, that's for sure.

https://soundcloud.com/saxplorer/round-midnight

Thanks to Chris and Ivan.
Click to expand...
As it's now May I can't comment... except to say nice meaty take
 
Ivan said:
A Mr T Monk tune from 1940's-ish

The eponymous film was released in 1986. It showed in a tiny, plush cinema in Marylebone where it enthralled a callow youth called Ivan. The pace is slow, the story tragic, the music wonderful and Dexter Gordon plays his character and his tenor equally brilliantly. Since then the tune Round Midnight has been one of my desert island discs

I had thought it was Dexters version that I carried in my head but after trawling through online versions I realise it's Dexters tenor sound combined with Bobby McFerrins notation that creates my personal ear worm... by the way McFerrin sets out the tune and the mood in plain sight www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4nVDKeVxok. I went to see @aldevis play in Edinburgh last year and oh joy, oh rapture he played Round Midnight...superbly.... the evening was complete

Many thanks to @Chris for providing notation and backing track. He wrote down some helpful playing tips, none of which I understand (something to do with triplet eights and sixteenfs... I'm sure he'll explain).

Bb sheet
Eb sheet
Backing track

Due to certain things BiaB's notation won't do.
The first three notes of bars 16, 25, 27 need to be altered to 8th note triplets, just make it one solid beam tying them together and put a 3 above 🙂 It has been pointed out that bar 13 and 37 need the 2nd note C to have a # added and the Eb sheet should have the G changed in the same way🙂Cheers Chris..

Improvisation? Chris's sheets show a murderously complex chord progression which is probably best to ignore (am I allowed to say that?). It doesn't seem to be the hardest tune to improvise to if you just throw notes at it. Every note in the tune played in any order seems to stick and if you think a note is bum (it won't be) you can hold, repeat or move on and the fast changing chords will catch up and make things better

I'm very much looking forward to hearing y'all various takes on this tune. Please yield to the urge to embellish and improvise. I think it's a tune you can mould any which way yet still it's recognisably Round Midnight. I shall be in and out of this thread casting nasturtiums or being encouraging or whatever takes my fancy. Against my better nature I'll try to be constructive.

Enjoy

Ivan

Ps. Here is my contribution

I'm not particularly fond of playing ballads because they expose my considerable inadequacies of intonation and general saxmanship. As soon as I saw that first terrible low C on the sheet I knew I would struggle... and despite practicing the low volume C over and again I invariably produced a squelching noise.

Pps. Any one else think it ought to be apostrophised: 'Round Midnight? I must read that book by Lynn Truss

Ppps. Molto grazie Alun for a well steered March BOTM

Pppps. This is not an April fool (honest)
Click to expand...

That sounds fantastic.... i have just a little more generous net connection .. but still very tenuous great to hear what you guys are doing ... Just to let you know I am listening ... and let you know what I've have been up to..
Here in Tassie it has been extremely cold..
Since moving here from Western Australia to where we live now is incredibly different ...frustratingly with no or limited internet connections but absolute beautiful environment. I will try to keep myself involved in this wonderful group and maybe participate in BOTM if circumstances and Telsra allow ..
Please excuse if this is posted incorrectly ...Glad to catch up
 
Join us in the Cafe!
Contact mods
Follow us: Bluesky  Facebook

Popular Discussions on the Café

Member Blogs (currently active)

Featured Classifieds

Calendar events

Latest Song of the Month

Forum statistics

Topics
27,306
Messages
505,515
Members
7,090
Latest member
Workthatwedo
Back
Top Bottom