BOTM BOTM November 2019 - But Beautiful

Ballad of the Month
And so we have come to the end of yet another month.
Many thanks to all the contributors.

As usual, this thread will remain open, so it will be possible to add further contributions in the future.
 
Here's my over-indulgent second attempt at this tune. Only a day late. I meant to do this earlier but got stuck in a Christmas song project. I bought Band in a Box recently have been playing about with styles a lot and found this great solo guitar accompaniment. I also got a new mic and figured out how to make a video, so lots of new stuff to distract me from actually practicing. I realise now that static shot of a saxophone player's head is not great video content, but never mind...
 
Here's my over-indulgent second attempt at this tune. Only a day late. I meant to do this earlier but got stuck in a Christmas song project. I bought Band in a Box recently have been playing about with styles a lot and found this great solo guitar accompaniment. I also got a new mic and figured out how to make a video, so lots of new stuff to distract me from actually practicing. I realise now that static shot of a saxophone player's head is not great video content, but never mind...

A lovely laid-back version. I really like the guitar accompaniment too.

My gut feeling is that the sax could be just a little more prominent in the mix.
 
I tried earnestly to record a proper take of this, but I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. (Is it because I'm in E major?) I can't stop making the bum notes happen, or lines that don't make sense, etc. On the positive side, listening back, I feel like I'm pretty much in the zone a lot of the time. But when the flow is interrupted, it feels devastating and I can't accept myself for it. That's why I have a love/hate relationship with saxophone. I have so many videos I'm not proud of on my YouTube channel already, so what's it hurt to add one more?

(warning: this video may contain cacophony)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOWF0RdunoU
 
You are doing a fine job, @AlonW .

This one IMO is a toughfy. Even though it is a very mellow slow ballad, its challenge is in the question and answer, major chord then minor / diminished, etc. On the alto it is in the key of E, but then add accidentals in chord changes with jazz interpretation makes it a challenge.

To me it is like a tonal poem. It's been a while since I practised it, the song is the first one in my Hal Leonard's Jazz Play-Along, Jazz Ballads, Volume 4. First off, the good is that when I went for my book to look up this song found that I misplaced or lost it. Located a good used copy on the 'bay w/o CD for only $6.50 plus free shipping, makes up for the loss.

You're doing great, we all make mistakes. Plus, your posting this shows others that one does not need to have a recording studio perfect take to post their work. Plus as an advanced player, you inspire others to post their work, too. And, your openness to critique means you are approachable by others.

One thing I've learned is when I've made a mistake, just keep moving. That's how we learn. Plus we learn how to take that mistake and turn it for good. Chances are, when a concert or piece is over, I don't think many people even remember the mistake.

I look back at how I played something 10 years ago, now how I play, there's progress. A muscle doesn't grow without resistance. We grow by practising and playing more challenging pieces.

But the good thing is, we improve with time. That even extends into our elder years, which now I've attained to along with some others here.
 
I tried earnestly to record a proper take of this, but I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. (Is it because I'm in E major?) I can't stop making the bum notes happen, or lines that don't make sense, etc. On the positive side, listening back, I feel like I'm pretty much in the zone a lot of the time. But when the flow is interrupted, it feels devastating and I can't accept myself for it. That's why I have a love/hate relationship with saxophone. I have so many videos I'm not proud of on my YouTube channel already, so what's it hurt to add one more?

(warning: this video may contain cacophony)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOWF0RdunoU
That recording sounds pretty good to me! It's really hard to keep the flow going at that slow tempo, and you manage it very well.
And it's great to hear new recordings on this old thread.
 

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