Saxophone beginners Going to jam session tomorrow night

[Colin the Bear]

Emotions are expressed in music. Sometimes we can hear them.

 

[Grumps]

... when we are as free as possible from the things that hold us back: fear, confusion, anger, impatience, jealousy, and sadness/depression.

In my view, that can all be wonderfully inspirational to the creative process as well. Especially if you're writing lyrics.

 

[JayeNM]

Raise your hands if you’ve got dreams and aspirations that you’re trying to reach!

This is not a cliche.

Whatever you want to do in this life, if you give it your all, you don’t listen to what anybody says if it’s not positive, and you put your mind to it, you’re gonna be exactly what you want to be in this life.

That is nice, and laudable. Not being snarky at all.

The only thing I wanna point out is....

in order to ATTAIN those dreams and goals, or work at attaining them in a somewhat...efficient manner, so you don't just muddle thru the same mistakes over and over, but rather are able to NAVIGATE A PATH which gets you moving there...

IS to receive and occasionally take advice and feedback from others (especially when they have already WALKED A SIMILAR PATH)

As opposed to just discarding useful suggestions and feedback, even if some of it may be harder to hear.

 

[AlonW]

That is nice, and laudable. Not being snarky at all.

The only thing I wanna point out is....

in order to ATTAIN those dreams and goals, or work at attaining them in a somewhat...efficient manner, so you don't just muddle thru the same mistakes over and over, but rather are able to NAVIGATE A PATH which gets you moving there...

IS to receive and occasionally take advice and feedback from others (especially when they have already WALKED A SIMILAR PATH)

As opposed to just discarding useful suggestions and feedback, even if some of it may be harder to hear.

That would require effort. I'm fine the way I am. Not being snarky here either, I'm just trying to say that presenting yourself with a challenging situation will only bring hardship. Why not make it easy? Just think easy. That's what I do.

 

[Ivan]

I posted my rules for sitting in with random rock/pop bands which may be helpful in a number of situations

Good advice, born of experience

 

[JayeNM]

That would require effort. I'm fine the way I am. Not being snarky here either, I'm just trying to say that presenting yourself with a challenging situation will only bring hardship. Why not make it easy? Just think easy. That's what I do.

You constantly present yourself with challenging situations tho. Occasionally, if I may say, due to your own creation.

You even said yourself 'we have to face our fears'...have stated that many a time. It's a very heroic position, that.
So you, now, saying this or that 'would require effort'....why make the effort if it can be avoided ?...is pretty nonsequitir to your previously stated beliefs.

The path is there, regardless of whether you choose to utilize sound advice to navigate it more smoothly...or consciously reject that advice to navigate it with more difficulty.

You seen to have reversed things around. Taking good advice and implementing some of it, if I understand your reply her, becomes the hardship. It requires effort.

While using a modus operandi which historically has produced questionable results, is easier.

But the former gets you to reach your destination more quickly, less pain, less alienation.

While the latter , although more familiar to you and therefore more comfortable...is also oftentimes delaying your travel along the path...and making the destination harder to reach.

So which actually is taking 'more effort' ?

 

[AlonW]

You constantly present yourself with challenging situations tho. Occasionally, if I may say, due to your own creation.

You even said yourself 'we have to face our fears'...have stated that many a time. It's a very heroic position, that.
So you, now, saying this or that 'would require effort'....why make the effort if it can be avoided ?...is pretty nonsequitir to your previously stated beliefs.

The path is there, regardless of whether you choose to utilize sound advice to navigate it more smoothly...or consciously reject that advice to navigate it with more difficulty.

You seen to have reversed things around. Taking good advice and implementing some of it, if I understand your reply her, becomes the hardship. It requires effort.

While using a modus operandi which historically has produced questionable results, is easier.

But the former gets you to reach your destination more quickly, less pain, less alienation.

While the latter , although more familiar to you and therefore more comfortable...is also oftentimes delaying your travel along the path...and making the destination harder to reach.

So which actually is taking 'more effort' ?

Is it not challenging to learn an instrument? To learn to read music? Improvise jazz? I chose this path because of my love for the music that I had from an early age. I did not ask for a challenging situation. A lot of our lives are challenging and I'm pretty sure a lot of us sometimes wonder why. I am not ignoring advice that others give me, God no, I am absorbing everything I can to get better. But sometimes I am choosing to do things a different way, the way that works for me. That's all. The result is the same, whether you use effort or not. The difference is when you play music this way, I mean really play live jazz, this attitude becomes a part of the music, a beautiful, effortless feeling. That's why I encourage people to use the things that bring them joy in life to be their guide. It brings me a joy when I am really doing what I envision. My vision means less is more. It means playing without thinking about chords too much, or structure, or habits and patterns. There are only 12 notes, and all the things in between. After a while, it's possible to connect to the instrument in a way where we can recall the notes we want, and make our horn play them without making a complicated effort. When I go up to play a tune at the jam session I think about NOTHING. This is the power of trust. Without it, I'm floundering.

 

[JayeNM]

Is it not challenging to learn an instrument? To learn to read music? Improvise jazz? I chose this path because of my love for the music that I had from an early age. I did not ask for a challenging situation. A lot of our lives are challenging and I'm pretty sure a lot of us sometimes wonder why. I am not ignoring advice that others give me, God no, I am absorbing everything I can to get better. But sometimes I am choosing to do things a different way, the way that works for me. That's all. The result is the same, whether you use effort or not. The difference is when you play music this way, I mean really play live jazz, this attitude becomes a part of the music, a beautiful, effortless feeling. That's why I encourage people to use the things that bring them joy in life to be their guide. It brings me a joy when I am really doing what I envision. My vision means less is more. It means playing without thinking about chords too much, or structure, or habits and patterns. There are only 12 notes, and all the things in between. After a while, it's possible to connect to the instrument in a way where we can recall the notes we want, and make our horn play them without making a complicated effort. When I go up to play a tune at the jam session I think about NOTHING. This is the power of trust. Without it, I'm floundering.

This is where convos with you typically turn into a mobius strip...a moving target, you changing the goalposts, tho.

Which is why, historically, folks get frustrated with your threads and drop off, lose interest...

I do not say this with any expectation that this will dramatically change (conversationally speaking)...although I share with you that the latest iteration of your sax forum persona CLEARLY SHOWS that you have the abiility to CHANGE AND IMPROVE as a player...

Something which previous versions of yourself as a player were not illustrating, IMHO.

Perfect example in your response here. In same reply you state both that

A) "i chose this path because I want to learn an instrument and realize learning to play, read, improvise is challenging"

and

B) "I did not ask for a challenging situation"

But you see....

You DID 'ask for a challenging situation'.

Just like you say you wanna become a solid player, then when experienced folks here suggest do A or B...you reply...

'but that would take effort. Why not make it easy ? I want easy.'
or
'presenting yourself with a challenging situation brings hardship'
or
'I reject that suggestion and am instead gonna choose a way which works for ME" (when in fact that 'way' has illustrated it doesn't work in reaching the goal).

It's the 'cannot have your cake and eat it too' situation.

By virtue of the fact that your playing HAS gotten better, and your improv has dropped the incredible amount of poor phrasing and clunkers it used to have...it is very CLEAR that you HAVE MADE EFFORT and YOU HAVE GOTTEN THERE VIA CONFRONTING HARDSHIP (both musically and as a person). You did not discard that bad/weak stuff by magic, by just staying the path which got you to those bad habits. You shifted something (consciously or not..I would guess consciously).
Which took effort right there.

So why not acknowledge that and just realize you can do this without expecting it to be easy, and trying to 'chase easy' when everyone knows that ain't the way it goes ?

The folks here are suggesting paths which acknowledge the challenge but also point towards methodology which makes that challenge consumable and doable.

When you HAVE taken and implemented some of that advice...you had a good jam experience. When you tossed it aside and left it to stars or the grace of god (or whatever) to guide you...you had poor jam experiences.
'

 

[PigSquealer]

Which is why, historically, folks get frustrated with your threads and drop off, lose interest...

No, I respectfully disagree. Most folks help by answering the questions straight out. Understand the individual’s situation. Present options in different ways, and know when to quit beating it to death.

 

[AlonW]

Next week I'm going to play Bye Bye Blackbird. 🐦‍⬛

 

[jazzdoh]

There are only 12 notes

But thousands of ways to play them.

 

[Grumps]

Next week I'm going to play Bye Bye Blackbird. 🐦‍⬛

I love playing that tune and used to call it all the time; first with my father's group and then later with my combos. Have fun with it!

 

[PiccoloPirate]

If a goal is to sound like a Pro musician, here are some tips:
Play in tune
Play in time
Play with feeling and expression, especially, if the tune has lyrics.

If the goal is to sound like a Pro jazz musician, here are some tips:
1 all of the above +
2
3
4
5

Will post my tips later, have fun gardening chores now.
What are your tips, to help those achieve this?
Let's leave free jazz out of this for now, just take it out, but keep it in, improv.

 

[AlonW]

If a goal is to sound like a Pro musician, here are some tips:
Play in tune
Play in time
Play with feeling and expression, especially, if the tune has lyrics.

If the goal is to sound like a Pro jazz musician, here are some tips:
1 all of the above +
2
3
4
5

Will post my tips later, have fun gardening chores now.
What are your tips, to help those achieve this?
Let's leave free jazz out of this for now, just take it out, but keep it in, improv.

How do you try to play with feeling? You either feel it, or you don’t.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

^^^^
I did not use the word "TRY".

 

[AlonW]

^^^^
I did not use the word "TRY".

good, because there is no try, only do!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ4yd2W50No

 

[Colin the Bear]

Don't tell the Rugby squad. 🤔

 

[Targa]

good, because there is no try, only do!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ4yd2W50No

So if you can’t swim and fall off a boat you just wait to drown?

 

[turf3]

So if you can’t swim and fall off a boat you just wait to drown?

I am SO SICK of that quote. It's nothing more than a clever crack from a FICTIONAL STORY IN A MOVIE. All it does is make the person parroting it feel so smart, but it doesn't actually contain any meaning.

 

[Targa]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jz4VO_NiY24&dp_isNewTab=1&dp_referrer=youtube&dp_allowFirstVideo=1