Saxophone beginners If you had to do it all again

[Phil]

I may have taken the blue pill instead of that Damned Red one!

 

[Dr G]

I may have taken the blue pill instead of that Damned Red one!

They say it’s never too late. Be aware of potential side effects - you may start liking smooth jazz and develop a taste for riding in elevators.

 

[Digger2054]

If I had to do it all again, I would find a good teacher that specialized in saxophone.

This ^

I wish I had my current teacher when I was at school.

Rather than just being told to play up and down a scale, which was boring and seemed to serve no purpose.

My current teacher explains why, and how to learn things that gives you a lot of mileage, and can be adapted into other playing.

I was joined on Bari a couple of weeks ago by a teenager, I joked how I wished I had listened more at school as he was a brilliant player & musician.

 

[mizmar]

My current teacher explains why, and how to learn things that gives you a lot of mileage,

In my case a "better" teacher as a kid would have been as much as a waste as any I actually had (music, just clarinet for a year, or classroom or otherwise) because the pupil was no good 😊

 

[SuperAction80]

If I could do it all over again, I'd assume that I'd already be going back with the knowledge that I already picked up along the way. I would most certainly change a few of the hangs and gigs I bet on. Opting for better results with less work, which should be everyone's goal. Ultimately, we only get one shot at this life thing. The fact that you learn something later than you "should have" doesn't omit the fact that you learned it. I probably wouldn't change much outside of that juvenile competitive spirit I had as a teenager. It's useless in the long run. Only thing that a musician can do is be the best that they can be. Oh, and I would have invested in Google and Bitcoin. Yeah. Definitely should've done that. I could have bought Selmer by now.

 

[Gandalfe]

So my question is, if you had to do it all again - how would you go about it, what would you concentrate on?

So yeah, I did that (in 2001). I got an alto sax, took lessons for ~7 years from various instructors focusing on different things. Now I play sopranino through bass sax, often soloing, and have run my own big band for over 20 years. Bonus, my wife was a clarinetist in the row in front of me in high school and she joined me in this music quest. She learned to play sax and was the all time most reliable sub for my many ensembles (quartet, big band, rock band, jazz combo, and community bands).

Also, back when I worked in the corporate world, I would add a giving day item where I would give an hour session titled, Sax Lesson. In the descriptive narrative I'd promise to go over everything I wished I'd known before I got started again. 🙂

Sold out and for decent money (contributed to the Giving Campaign), and would end with recommendation to a qualified instructor based on their fav style of music. I also checked out their gear, fixed the easy stuff, and made recommendations. At the end of my work years, I was donating two of these a year. Some of my friends help band directors check out instruments with the students, but I prefer working with adults.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

I would have bought a dozen of each, Sopranos, Altos and just six Baritones, back in '60.
Selmers of course. 🎶🏴‍☠️🎶

Studied, from day one, with a legit Sax teacher, Juilliard grad, studio player.
They all advised to get your Clarinet chops together after your Sax skills were solid.
Memorize everything was another must do.

 

[Ghr9204]

If I was able to do it over again. I would have remained a full time Army bandsman until vested with a pension.

After 20+ years, still a young man, do something else. I would have been a lot happier as it was a lower level of stress instead of project management.

What turned me off was the Army started emphasizing college courses to get promoted, a year's worth to make Sergeant First Class (E-7). I couldn't see myself taking a couple years of evening classes to chase that.

After I left, they dropped that requirement.

Instead, I stayed on as a Reservist, a weekend a month, 2 weeks active in Summer. Vested with 20 years plus a year extra in case they miss-calculated.

Took non-regular pension with full benefits but reduced pay at age 60. So basically arrived at same end.