Playing the saxophone Learn to play by ear or by reading music

[Pixie]

Rightly or wrongly I started on a D

 

[Alice]

Prompted by a post in another thread I decided to play "Run Rabbit Run" and the intro to "Dad's Army" and found it quite simple to pick up and play. I am going to play it for my 75 year old mother on Sunday because she loves that show and I said i'd take her to the movies to see the new version.

 

[Pixie]

Prompted by a post in another thread I decided to play "Run Rabbit Run" and the intro to "Dad's Army" and found it quite simple to pick up and play. I am going to play it for my 75 year old mother on Sunday because she loves that show and I said i'd take her to the movies to see the new version.

Well done, let me know about the film 🙂

 

[Colin the Bear]

There's a film?

 

[jbtsax]

I'm trying to play by ear and find it really difficult so thanks for this thread. I'm trying Moon River ..... Well part of it

Neat tune---one of my favorites by Mancini. I find that working in out on a keyboard sometimes helps. The advantage is that you can actually see the notes and where they are going which you can't do on a saxophone.

Rightly or wrongly I started on a D

Good choice. That puts you in the key of G on alto (Bb concert). The tune begins on 5 of the scale or "sol" then up to "re" and down to "do" and on down part of the scale.

Prompted by Pixie, I've just had a go at "Moon River", only to realise that I don't know the tunehalf as well as I did! Darn thing's wider than a mile.

You are right my "Huckleberry Friend". 😀 There are quite a few major 7th leaps in that tune (do up to ti)

 

[Targa]

Prompted by a post in another thread I decided to play "Run Rabbit Run" and the intro to "Dad's Army" and found it quite simple to pick up and play. I am going to play it for my 75 year old mother on Sunday because she loves that show and I said i'd take her to the movies to see the new version.

Buy her a choc ice from me.

 

[Targa]

Much as I've tried I can't play by ear but when warming up this evening just going up and down the notes at random I realised I'd played the first 15 notes of 'The First Noel', I had to stop because I was laughing at the thought that I'd confused the old lady next door.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Very easy to spot bum notes on moon river. Top of the morning , just having the craic

 

[BigMartin]

You are right my "Huckleberry Friend". 😀 There are quite a few major 7th leaps in that tune (do up to ti)

That's the one I use to remind myself what a major 7th sounds like.

 

[gladsaxisme]

Am I playing Moon River in the wrong key then because on my alto it starts on A

 

[richardr]

Am I playing Moon River in the wrong key then because on my alto it starts on A

I don't think there is a "wrong" key when you're playing on your own. It matters only when you're playing with other musicians or a record/backing track. If you're simply playing from memory on your own, just play so that it sounds right without worrying about the key. Those are issues that you'll need to tackle in due course but right now, if I had only just made a start on playing by ear, I'd be rather pleased with myself learning to play "Moon River" in any old key!

 

[Little My]

Really interesting thread, thank you all. I've read dots for nearly as long as I've read words, but then learning to understand and play the changes was a whole new ball game... Playing more by ear was a part of that for me. It's still not easy but I would like to have a choice of whether I play something by ear or from the dots. To be honest, many of the pieces that I play are only a short head, so it shouldn't be that big a deal to get them under my belt, I do wonder if I use the dots as a comfort blanket on such pieces. I've got a few weeks without any gigs now so have put my music stand away and will take my chances. There was a question a few pages back about whether any teachers teach playing by ear... my lessons regularly now include my teacher putting a cd on for me to play over (typical conversation is me: "what key is this in?" teacher: "I'm not telling you"). It's actually going ok.

 

[richardr]

Really interesting thread, thank you all. I've read dots for nearly as long as I've read words, but then learning to understand and play the changes was a whole new ball game... Playing more by ear was a part of that for me. It's still not easy but I would like to have a choice of whether I play something by ear or from the dots. To be honest, many of the pieces that I play are only a short head, so it shouldn't be that big a deal to get them under my belt, I do wonder if I use the dots as a comfort blanket on such pieces. I've got a few weeks without any gigs now so have put my music stand away and will take my chances. There was a question a few pages back about whether any teachers teach playing by ear... my lessons regularly now include my teacher putting a cd on for me to play over (typical conversation is me: "what key is this in?" teacher: "I'm not telling you"). It's actually going ok.

A really interesting post:
Dots as a comfort blanket - although my reading is poor, I find the same thing - it's easier to use sheet music to get a head dead right than to try to follow the harder bits (typically the middle 8) by ear. My other lazy way is to play something that fits where I can't remember the tune properly.
Recognising the key and playing over records is something on which I'm beginning.
You're obviously far ahead of me but not so far that you're out of sight. I can learn from you. Thanks.

 

[Little My]

A really interesting post:
Dots as a comfort blanket - although my reading is poor, I find the same thing - it's easier to use sheet music to get a head dead right than to try to follow the harder bits (typically the middle 8) by ear. My other lazy way is to play something that fits where I can't remember the tune properly.
Recognising the key and playing over records is something on which I'm beginning.
You're obviously far ahead of me but not so far that you're out of sight. I can learn from you. Thanks.

Thank you! In some ways the head by ear is harder than the improvising because it's easier to get it "wrong".

 

[Nick Wyver]

my lessons regularly now include my teacher putting a cd on for me to play over (typical conversation is me: "what key is this in?" teacher: "I'm not telling you").

I do that. Makes the buggers think about what they're doing.

 

[Little My]

I do that. Makes the buggers think about what they're doing.

Yep, he's onto me. It's working too.

 

[Alice]

I don't know "Moon River" Can anybody recommend a good version of it? I don't enjoy schmaltzy versions.

 

[jbtsax]

Am I playing Moon River in the wrong key then because on my alto it starts on A

The tune begins on the 5th of the scale, so starting on A puts you in your key of D with 2 sharps. The choice of key in most cases is to find one that puts the sax in a comfortable playing range. In the key of D, that tune in the lower octave goes down to low D. If played in the higher octave it goes to high E above the staff.

You might find taking it down a 5th to the key of G and starting on D is more comfortable key for you to play in.

 

[kevgermany]

I don't know "Moon River" Can anybody recommend a good version of it? I don't enjoy schmaltzy versions.

Avoid the Andy Williams versions. Try this:

 

[Sue]

I don't know "Moon River" Can anybody recommend a good version of it? I don't enjoy schmaltzy versions.

Not sure if you'll like these:
Here's the composer and his orchestra

From the film (Breakfast at Tiffanys)

Frank