Hallelujah, Praise the Saints and all the Little Fishes

[Ivan]

The past few months have been increasingly frustrating; a sort of tenor sax purgatory. I've been struggling and struggling to keep intonation, articulation and everything else for that matter under control. The sax has become an unruly beast, an object of loathing

Today I read this http://www.steveduke.net/pdf/steve_d..._placement.pdf care of davidk to whom I am very grateful: http://cafesaxophone.com/showthread.php?3186-Embouchure/page4

I followed the instructions and quickly realised that I've been allowing the mouthpiece to sit further and further back on the cork (dunno why) consequently creating a wildly difficult set-up. I've been tuning the midrange to a tuner then watching the pointer oscillate from way sharp in the high range to way flat, flat as roadkill, in the low. Despite the precarious mouthpiece position I didn't use my tiny, teeny tiny, peanut sized brain to consider that the problem wasn't the equipment it was me (I do know that rule wot I broke)

Anyway the difference is chalk and fromage. The tenor is back to being a musical instrument rather than a wicked piece of yellow metal sent up from Hades to expose my inadequacies as a musician, sentient being and hitherto functioning member of society

I should probably learn a lesson from this. But the dim bulb that illuminated the peanut inside my head oh so briefly this evening will fade soon and I'll end up doing something stupid, very stupid or stupidissimo in the not too distant

 

[sushidushi]

I really ought to try that, though I do feel slightly scared lest I come to realise that I have been doing it all wrong for over a year. But then, it could be a reason for my total lack of progress...

 

[kevgermany]

The past few months have been increasingly frustrating; a sort of tenor sax purgatory. I've been struggling and struggling to keep intonation, articulation and everything else for that matter under control. The sax has become an unruly beast, an object of loathing

Today I read this http://www.steveduke.net/pdf/steve_d..._placement.pdf care of davidk to whom I am very grateful: http://cafesaxophone.com/showthread.php?3186-Embouchure/page4

I followed the instructions and quickly realised that I've been allowing the mouthpiece to sit further and further back on the cork (dunno why) consequently creating a wildly difficult set-up. I've been tuning the midrange to a tuner then watching the pointer oscillate from way sharp in the high range to way flat, flat as roadkill, in the low. Despite the precarious mouthpiece position I didn't use my tiny, teeny tiny, peanut sized brain to consider that the problem wasn't the equipment it was me (I do know that rule wot I broke)

Anyway the difference is chalk and fromage. The tenor is back to being a musical instrument rather than a wicked piece of yellow metal sent up from Hades to expose my inadequacies as a musician, sentient being and hitherto functioning member of society

I should probably learn a lesson from this. But the dim bulb that illuminated peanut inside my head oh so briefly this evening will fade soon and I'll end up doing something stupid, very stupid or stupidissimo in the not too distant

Mark the cork now you've found the right place!

 

[Ivan]

Go on

Scare yourself

 

[sushidushi]

Go on

Scare yourself

I am feeling so deflated that I don't think I'll ever be able to produce enough air to blow through the thing again. It was all over the place, to the extent that I really had to put it down. I might try again later, if I dare.

 

[Ivan]

I am feeling so deflated that I don't think I'll ever be able to produce enough air to blow through the thing again. It was all over the place, to the extent that I really had to put it down. I might try again later, if I dare.

Well it's easy to get discouraged... it happens to me fairly frequently interspersed with moments of great pleasure when it goes right but that I suppose is the nature of musicianship and pretty much any skill we care to learn

Good luck and don't give up. If the worst comes to the worst you could seek out a teacher for face to face discussion & guidance if you haven't already. I don't use a teacher 'cos I simply don't have time at present but in the long run I'd probably improve more quickly and make fewer schoolboy errors if I did.

 

[daveysaxboy]

When you get knocked down get up again and keep doing this .That's the life we picked learning this thing.

 

[Ivan]

When you get knocked down get up again and keep doing this .That's the life we picked learning this thing.

In the spirit of the title
Amen to that Brother