Beginners' Diary - Chris

[sandeha_lynch]

Hmm ... just for the record, Frank.

You came out with several melodies that were way ahead of me.

I just riffed a bit, thass'all.

And folks, let me tell you ... the audience clapped at the end. 8)

 

[Bobby G]

sharon wrote:


Whenever I play something I like for the first time (even badly) it makes me want to laugh out loud. The idea of pressing a few buttons on a brass tube and a song coming out is just so cool isn't it

Sharon

...and that's jazz great innit? I can say, three and a bit years down the line it keeps getting better!

Very happy blowing to everyone

This post is an immediate reaction to having gone back to work today 🙁 after two weeks off

 

[frankb]

Sandeha Lynch wrote:
I just riffed a bit, thass'all.

Niiiiiiiiiiice riffing, though! 😉

Sandeha Lynch wrote:
And folks, let me tell you ... the audience clapped at the end. 8)

Aye, all one of her!


And Sharon's right, Chris - Please keep on with the diary. It's a right good read and I really enjoy it!

 

[Chris98]

FrankB wrote:
My short term goal is to keep having my fix of the hour a day when I don't (can't!) think about work, dodgy central heating, recurrent car problems, money worries, what I'm having for dinner for the rest of the week, whose birthday is coming up and what I'm getting them, that thing I laughingly call a career, the swine who cut me up on the way home...

Hi Frank,


Thanks for the support,

Chris

 

[Chris98]

sharon wrote:

Whenever I play something I like for the first time (even badly) it makes me want to laugh out loud. The idea of pressing a few buttons on a brass tube and a song coming out is just so cool isn't it

Hi Sharon,


Thanks for the support,

Chris.

 

[Chris98]

14/10/2007


Back to basics though, Kate noticed my mouthpiece was creeping further into my mouth again. Having now pulled it back, I have regained some control and managed to suppress the squeaks that were beginning to make their presence felt, or rather heard. Since my lesson I have spent a bit of time going back over the basics, my strap height was sinking southward and readjusting it made the whole experience much more comfortable, with that and taking in less mouthpiece I have also stopped biting so much, another thing that was on the increase. I am hoping the slight discomfort I have in my thumb should get better now that I have readjusted the strap.



My tone was (is) still a little dull, lacking the definition on the attack of the notes and so figuring it might not be a bad idea to re-evaluate my reeds I cycled through the five reeds that I have on the go only to find that two had become really easy to play but squeaky, two seemed to have matured and sound good and one has gone breathy. Concentrating on one of the good reeds I decided to experiment a little, I have a Light Rover ligature that I bought fairly early on and a dark one that I got with my new mouthpiece. Up until now I have been using the Dark one on the Jody Jazz, but out of curiosity I swapped it with the Light, wow, much better, that definition on the attack of the note that I was looking for was beginning to come through. If you are looking for the point where it all went wrong it was there. This started me thinking, 'well if there is a noticeable difference between them, then what about...'

... I have a confession to make, Friday night I added to basket again, I could come up with what would seem to be a very coherent argument as to why I needed this particular ligature, a Vandoren Optimum, and even impress you that I chose, after much consideration, to go for the plastic cap instead of the metal one, it was not economic, well actually yes it was partly, but I had a vision of shoving the cap in my back pocket and forgetting about it only to then sit down on it. Okay, honestly, desire overrode better judgement.


All the best,

Chris.

 

[Pauline]

Hi Chris! just want to say thank you for writing all this. As a newbie myself I'm really enjoying reading your diary and finding it very, very useful (especially as I am teaching myself). I can recognise the emotions, the dilemmas, the highs and the lows....and it is encouraging to know that we all go through the same things!

By the way, it sounds to me like you are doing really well.

 

[Mikec]

Hi,
It's fascinating reading your diary and finding that i had gone through almost exactly the same experiences, and still am! As you say so often, it's a journey, a never-ending one I suspect. As Sharon said in an earlier post, the magic of pressing buttons on a metal tube and music coming out makes it worth persevering.

 

[Chris98]

Pauline wrote:
Hi Chris! just want to say thank you for writing all this. As a newbie myself I'm really enjoying reading your diary and finding it very, very useful (especially as I am teaching myself). I can recognise the emotions, the dilemmas, the highs and the lows....and it is encouraging to know that we all go through the same things!

By the way, it sounds to me like you are doing really well.

Hi Pauline,



All the best,

Chris

 

[Chris98]

Mikec wrote:
Hi,
It's fascinating reading your diary and finding that i had gone through almost exactly the same experiences, and still am! As you say so often, it's a journey, a never-ending one I suspect. As Sharon said in an earlier post, the magic of pressing buttons on a metal tube and music coming out makes it worth persevering.

Hi Mike,

Thanks, it is really encouraging knowing that more experienced players went through the same or similar experiences to those that I am going through now, and that you came out the other side, no doubt the journey just goes on and on and hopefully gets even more enjoyable.

All the best,

Chris.

 

[Chris98]

25th October



The Vandoren ligature arrived and I have been using it ever since, my teacher recommended using plate number 2 to start with, having translated the bumf she identified this as the one least likely to induce a fit of squeaking.






All the best,

Chris.

 

[frankb]

Hi Chris!

As usual, sounds like you're making damn fine progress. On the ear-training front, take a shuftie at the program EarMaster. There's a free trial which might be worth a look.

I've also had a lay off recently owing to a stupid number of trips and excursions, plus a fairly demanding course at work and (yes, me too!) a cold! Yeah it's a hit but you have to remember that this is a marathon not a sprint and a pause (literally!) for breath isn't going to make such a hit in the long run. (Leastways, that's what I keep telling myself!)

Take care of yourself and keep on honkin'!

Frank

 

[nosaxyet]

Chris

An awesome read as always and it's interesting to note how much of what you say seems to be mirrored by my own experiences.

I'm up to my fifth lesson and it's been about 10 weeks since I bought the sax. I eventually settled for a 'Link Edge Tone 6 mouthpiece and have been experimenting with reeds a little. I've pretty much settled on Vandoren Java 2.5 and ZZ 2.5. Nice tone and no squeaking!

I too have had a cold and its amazing how thats affected playing. I only wish I had the time to practice every day but work pressures often mean an early start into London and a finish late enough so as to make practice too anti-social!.

I think like you Chris, my ability to read music in hampering me a little - I know all the notes but reading them fast enough for the brain to tell the fingers what to do is a challenge.

My big issue though is getting a big even tone. I have been improving a lot and my teacher says I am doing well but I am rather impatient for that 'big sound'. I know its my breathing/diaphragm control that not right and I'm struggling a bit to get this right.

I was on the tube in London on Thursday and this guy was busking. As I came down the escalator I head this amazing sound - sounded like tenor sax being played really well. Turned out to be an alto but boy did this guy know how to play. His low notes were absolutely amazing. Enough to make you want to give up! Back to the drawing board.

Keep up the great 'blog' its a superb read!

 

[Linky Lee]

Play in the underground system does add a lot, and I mean 'a lot' or reverb to your sound. He won't sound like that 'on the surface' I can guarantee you. Probably still quite good though.

 

[Chris98]

19/11/2007







All the best,

Chris

 

[Linky Lee]

You want more Chris, all musicians want to share their music with other people, just maybe not yet for you.
The point of feeling comfortable enough to do your first public performance will obviously be different for everyone and depends upon you attitude, your expectations and all the other pressures around you.

As I taught myself how to play sax for the first few months in my school during music lessons, I was thrust upon public performances to my peers straight away, even before I'd played the instrument properly!

I'd also been used to performing in various different situations before because of my previous flute playing. So for me sax performing was instantaneous. In contrast, I don't think I performed publicly until after about two years with the fife/flute.

 

[jadoube]

Chris,

I recognise, and share, the fears you're expressing. Its a hurdle I've yet to meet.

"Just jump in" is often good advice - at the right time. On the other hand many people may need to dip a toe in the water and take it more slowly. Maybe your teacher was aiming to give you a comfortable opportunity to build up confidence in stages?

The key question is would you have liked to do it if you felt you'd a good chance of playing the piece without falling apart? If so you probably "want more".


John

 

[Thaumaturge]

I agree with Linky, music is for sharing not a solitary pastime. Your time will come when you have more confidence. I found that playing in a concert band was a great help to boosting confidence and I had an understanding musical director who didn't expose my early limitations.
I once heard that to become a musician you first play your instrument to please yourself. Secondly you play to please other people. Thirdly, if you're lucky, you get paid for it.
Patience and perseverance will pay off eventually.

 

[Chris98]

Hi,

Sorry to take so long before responding, I just don't know where the time is going at the moment. I really appreciate your thoughts and comments, it's given me pause for thought about a few things.

I was mulling over the concert with a friend one lunchtime, he's older and wiser than I, and about to start gigging with his new band in the new year. Why is it others can often see in us what we can't see in ourselves? He wasn't surprised that I'd backed out, he had been very supportive saying I should do it but, he knows me well enough to know that I will walk most of the way there and then decide not to take the final step. Not to risk too much, not to allow for the possibility of failure or success as it might actually change my life! I wasn't expecting that learning to play an instrument would put me on the spot like this.

Whilst we were talking I could not help thinking of a John Lennon quote; "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." and also about some hazy half remembered thing from Roger Waters in the documentary 'Making of Dark Side Of the Moon'. He talked about how one day he realised that throughout all of his upbringing he was preparing for a life that would happen once he finished his education, but that in reality life was happening now, it had started when he was born.

I think in some respects I have often approached things in a similar way, my intention being to learn how to do it and to do it properly and then do it. The thing is that with music as with most other things in life that point will never come. I guess I was thinking that once I have mastered the saxophone then I'll be ready to play with others and to an audience, but when will that time come? There will always be things I can't do or things I will want to do better!

I went to the concert anyway out of curiosity to see what the other students were like, I guess part of me was looking to compare where I was with them but as soon as the concert began I just got lost in the music. A lot of the musicians were barely teenagers, some so small they seemed dwarfed by the instrument they were playing, there were a few adults as well but a little out numbered. What I found quite amusing was that I am really drawn to the sound of reed instruments. So when a more mature student stood up towards the end with a clarinet, it was like, oh yeah, I'll have to try one of them sometime, and then there is tenor sax, well that's a definite must at some point!

What was also great was seeing my teacher perform, having never seen Kate in a concert before I was expecting her to play the alto. I guess because that is what I associate with her because of my lessons, but she played the tenor and also the flute and sounded great.

At the end of the concert I was allowed to pick up my new sax case, something Kate has been developing and I have been eagerly waiting for since she first showed me the sample cases a month or so ago, the only decision was which design to go for.

http://tinyurl.com/3599hq

In this week's lesson we stared on some jazzed up Christmas tunes, which is fine by me but can you imagine what it must be like for Kate, all those Christmas tunes every day!

All the best,

Chris.

 

[nick_cook]

[color:green]I told my teacher about a 6 weeks ago that I was starting to learn Christmas carols so I'd be reasonably proficient by Christmas. She said "I'm not going anywhere near Christmas carols until December!!!!" 😀

She's going to organise a Christmas ensemble with her adult students in a couple of weeks though. I'm really looking forward to it!!![/color]