rudjarl
Senile Member. Scandinavian Ambassadour of CaSLM
- Messages
- 599
- Locality
- Løten, Norway
I'm 47 and have recently picked up my saxophones again. Started playing clarinet back in 1971, what seems like a couple of ice ages ago, but converted to alto sax after a couple of years. It was too many clarinets and no sax in the school band. (Besides, the chicks seemed to find the previous sax players rather hot. Ergo an easy choice for a buddy of mine and me.)
In 1975 my parents bought me a Yanagisawa A-5 alto. A priceless jewel I feel no urge for being unfaithful to . That horn was my love affair in all of the band I played in. Naturally, it was just a matter of time before I needed some fun on the side, so in 1986 I bought a Yanagisawa T-800 (which was what I could afford), and the three of us had a joyful life until 1991 when I for no apparent reason stopped playing.
Just before last Christmas I was doing a spot of tidying up in the attic and came across the saxophones. The old passion came rushing though my veins again, and I made an oath to the poor neglected horns that they would never be left alone again.
I have been practising a lot. Technique is improving but still slow, and the coordination between tongue and fingers is nowhere to be found (yet, I hope). But the sound is still there. The warmth, tenderness, laughing, bending, rough, whispering... all... but the growling.
No matter how hard I try, the horn produces a clear, pure tone. I tried the humming, but I cant do it any more. Hum, then play a clear tone. Hum, then play another clear tone... Dammit, I used to be able to do this. Hum, clear tome.... How the devil are you supposed to do the humming and playing simultaneous?
I figured the internet would yield some neat shortcuts to the art of growling. That's when I stumbled upon Pete's taming the saxophone site. And the more I read, the more I dreaded the outcome. No shortcuts, only plenty of practise..... drat.....
Uuupppsssss....... as you probably have noticed, I'm a man of few words. I only meant to say hello.
In 1975 my parents bought me a Yanagisawa A-5 alto. A priceless jewel I feel no urge for being unfaithful to . That horn was my love affair in all of the band I played in. Naturally, it was just a matter of time before I needed some fun on the side, so in 1986 I bought a Yanagisawa T-800 (which was what I could afford), and the three of us had a joyful life until 1991 when I for no apparent reason stopped playing.
Just before last Christmas I was doing a spot of tidying up in the attic and came across the saxophones. The old passion came rushing though my veins again, and I made an oath to the poor neglected horns that they would never be left alone again.
I have been practising a lot. Technique is improving but still slow, and the coordination between tongue and fingers is nowhere to be found (yet, I hope). But the sound is still there. The warmth, tenderness, laughing, bending, rough, whispering... all... but the growling.
No matter how hard I try, the horn produces a clear, pure tone. I tried the humming, but I cant do it any more. Hum, then play a clear tone. Hum, then play another clear tone... Dammit, I used to be able to do this. Hum, clear tome.... How the devil are you supposed to do the humming and playing simultaneous?
I figured the internet would yield some neat shortcuts to the art of growling. That's when I stumbled upon Pete's taming the saxophone site. And the more I read, the more I dreaded the outcome. No shortcuts, only plenty of practise..... drat.....
Uuupppsssss....... as you probably have noticed, I'm a man of few words. I only meant to say hello.