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<blockquote data-quote="Veggie Dave" data-source="post: 184554" data-attributes="member: 4016"><p>It's funny how quickly any ego, arrogance or simple confidence you may have allowed to grow because you're finding something easier to do than you first expected can be so easily destroyed by the simplest of things. <img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2064%2064%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20font-size%3D%2254%22%3E%F0%9F%98%89%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="22" height="22" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>Before tackling the classic and iconic <em>Will You</em>, from Breaking Glass, I thought I'd try something rather easier from the same album first ... and <em>Who Needs It</em> seemed the perfect choice.</p><p></p><p>Who knew something so simple as playing a staccato low E to middle E, a musical challenge that's so hard on a stringed instrument that anyone can do it even if they've never played a note before, would be something I'd find nigh on impossible to do on a sax.</p><p></p><p>Playing a low E isn't a problem. I haven't quite got the attack I'd like when tonguing it, but it's fairly consistent - until I drop down from that middle E to it. Suddenly I can no longer play a low E; I can play a middle E with low frequency overtones, but a pure low E? Nope.</p><p></p><p>I've tried relaxing, different mouth shapes, different tongue shapes, standing differently. The only thing that seems to work is losing any attack, so it must be something to do with the tonguing, except I don't think it is. I think my mouth muscles are constricting the reed, I'm too tense as I drop from the higher note to the low one ... but can I fix it?</p><p></p><p>Can I hell...</p><p></p><p>Having something so simple be so frustratingly difficult to do is a little, well, frustrating. <img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2064%2064%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20font-size%3D%2254%22%3E%F0%9F%98%89%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="22" height="22" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veggie Dave, post: 184554, member: 4016"] It's funny how quickly any ego, arrogance or simple confidence you may have allowed to grow because you're finding something easier to do than you first expected can be so easily destroyed by the simplest of things. ;) Before tackling the classic and iconic [I]Will You[/I], from Breaking Glass, I thought I'd try something rather easier from the same album first ... and [I]Who Needs It[/I] seemed the perfect choice. Who knew something so simple as playing a staccato low E to middle E, a musical challenge that's so hard on a stringed instrument that anyone can do it even if they've never played a note before, would be something I'd find nigh on impossible to do on a sax. Playing a low E isn't a problem. I haven't quite got the attack I'd like when tonguing it, but it's fairly consistent - until I drop down from that middle E to it. Suddenly I can no longer play a low E; I can play a middle E with low frequency overtones, but a pure low E? Nope. I've tried relaxing, different mouth shapes, different tongue shapes, standing differently. The only thing that seems to work is losing any attack, so it must be something to do with the tonguing, except I don't think it is. I think my mouth muscles are constricting the reed, I'm too tense as I drop from the higher note to the low one ... but can I fix it? Can I hell... Having something so simple be so frustratingly difficult to do is a little, well, frustrating. ;) [/QUOTE]
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