Saxophone beginners Nearly gave up today

[cappers]

Remember also that we do this because we like doing it. Not to be good.

I am truly enjoying learning to play the sax and make music, far far more than I ever expected.

Six months in and I want and need it more. Even when it seems I'm getting nowhere the urge to continue overrides my negativity and I blow away those doubts. Playing calms and centres me like meditation.

At my age I have no illusions about being 'good'. If it takes 10-20 years then I've had it anyway. As long as I don't scare away animals or children.

Some one came up after the gig last night and told us we should be available on the NHS. I'm still buzzing.

@Colin the Bear Well done on making someone's day! That was a real compliment.

 

[GCinCT]

Remember also that we do this because we like doing it. Not to be good.

If I don't play for a while, picking up a horn reminds me that I should have picked it up earlier.

Playing can improve your emotional and mental health and there's some evidence it improves brain function.

It's my reason to be alive at the moment.

Some one came up after the gig last night and told us we should be available on the NHS. I'm still buzzing.

There are studies that show playing music can help prevent cognitive decline. This is good news since so many of us are in our golden years.

 

[ghostler]

There are studies that show playing music can help prevent cognitive decline. This is good news since so many of us are in our golden years.

IMO, anything that requires the brain to do cognitive thinking helps.

One is to learn and use a foreign language.

In 2019, I enrolled in Spanish Level 1 in Spring and Level 2 in Fall at Clovis Community College. As a non-paid volunteer, for 2 years, I was working about 20 hours a week doing social services interviews at the Salvation Army Corps. Since I received a heavy tuition discount being a senior (over age 65), I enrolled, aced both courses.

We had some visiting us who knew very little English but were fluent in Spanish. In interviewing them, speak about a crash course in learning! But hard-knocks is a thorough teacher!

To further my learning, I was memorising Bible verses in Spanish. Recalling them word perfect is a challenge, but taught me about verbs and their usage.

One can apply this to other areas. In college, I was memorizing Chemistry rules, writing them on business sized cards, had a review deck by book chapter. "Bronsted Base Rule 1 is ...." Worked like a charm. Prior to memorizing, got a "D" on the first quarter exam. Started this method of memorizing. Got a "B+" on 2nd quarter, "A" on 3rd quarter, aced the final with closing grade of "B+".

One could use this method to memorise favourite famous quotes, a favourite chapter of a book, a cooking recipe, etc.

Key is periodic review after memorisation to keep it locked in one's memory.

I also find that with a decent electronic keyboard (within one's budget), that I can work out jazz improv, styles, practise key signatures, etc. in the privacy of headphones, when one's living situation is not conducive to practising the sax.

Why not over time learn to build one's backing track to play along with? There are many ways to expand one's music horizons, keep learning.

 

[GCinCT]

IMO, anything that requires the brain to do cognitive thinking helps

Yes. Exactly. Science bears this out.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Pirouettes begin and end in the mind.
Any other way, you just might fall down.

I passed that sage advice, to a buddy, when her granddaughter, was accepted into the ballet program, at the new high school of music and art, in NYC.
Still in high school, she sent me pictures of the Lass, working out with the Boston Ballet Company.
Impressive for a high school kid.

Five decades ago, after a concert at a college in New England, while drinking and discussion improv, with some talented artists, the ballet master, of a well known company in the States, used that phrase, as it applies to both dance and jazz.

Ballet chops, makes the Oboe seem like a cakewalk. 😜

 

[ghostler]

Ballet chops, makes the Oboe seem like a cakewalk. 😜

I don't do tongued pirouettes while improv'ing. 😉

 

[Ivan]

I can record and listen etc. A good few times.
I do that for flute more than sax because teacher requires pre submission recording

Had your command of English been taken over by Trolls?

 

[mizmar]

Had your command of English been taken over by Trolls?

Ironic use of "troll" 😐

 

[Ivan]

Ironic use of "troll" 😐

I was thinking of the Norwegian tradition

 

[ghostler]

I was thinking of the Norwegian tradition

3 minute video:

 

[Colin the Bear]

Shrek?

 

[cappers]

I don't have any proper recording equipment so I used the voice memo app.

I played it back..............It was absolutely awful 😱 Brash, tinny, no depth, clipped soft notes and slurs, sounded like a duck blowing a kazoo into a tin can.

I bought a working, good condition Zoom H2n with remote, leads and case from a well known online auction site, and it arrived this morning. No SD card but I have a 32Gb spare for my camera.

Had a short play with it and was most impressed. Playing back through earphones it sounded true to what I did and rather good (flattering?). It will be useful for recording rehearsals as I can have the band 'at home' to practice with, and to monitor my progress and tone.

The postman also delivered a very good condition copy of @Stephen Howard's Haynes Saxophone Manual. Very useful and not cheap but for less than many copies I've seen for sale.

Had the leaky neck tenon adjusted on Monday and it sounds noticeably better. I'd not had any difficulty playing or noticed tone issues (apart from mine ) before it was fixed but now it seems as Stephen mentioned, more 'lively'. MrsC said I sounded good today, really "saxophone-ish"

Going to a solo improvisation workshop with the band this evening. Playing the saxophone seems to have taken over my life

 

[mizmar]

I bought a working, good condition Zoom H2n

I find mine useful in many ways. Some experience:
- Practicing, I power it off a USB brick - so don't worry about leaving it on.
- I never mess around deleting stuff; copy off what I want and reformat the SD card now and again.
- I've recently upgraded the earbuds to a pair of Shure SE215 IEM. A bit better sound and good control over the degree of isolation... So how much comes from the H2n and how much directly.
- useful trick; if you set the dial to 2ch or 4ch you can feed the line-in from a tablet or phone while the MS is active. There's only 1 gain control so getting a good balance requires fiddling with the phone volume, gain and volume out. Then:
- you can hear - through headphones/buds - backing or metronome while you play& record (and nothing is ear damaging loud) and listening to playback.
- if you're feeling fancy, 4ch will record the line-in and MS to separate, strerio, tacks - for convenient post processing.

Great tool.

 

[rhysonsax]

My Zoom H2n did sterling service for a decade or more. Just recently the mic selection switch on top went dodgy and developed a mind of its own - I'm guessing corrosion on the contacts.

I bit the bullet and bought the Zoom H2e (Essential) which is its direct replacement but slightly smaller and having 32bit floating point recording. This means that I don't have to worry about setting the gain as it's practically impossible to clip or distort the audio.

The recordings are really excellent and I have bought the Zoom bundle of accessories and carry case - the wind sock really helps for recording outdoors.

Rhys

 

[Saxlicker]

I'm trying to learn to improvise so I today I spent some time just noodling, playing whatever came to mind/fingers, aiming for some melodic phrases. I had my phone nearby as it has a tuner so I thought I'd record what I played. I don't have any proper recording equipment so I used the voice memo app.

I played it back..............It was absolutely awful 😱 Brash, tinny, no depth, clipped soft notes and slurs, sounded like a duck blowing a kazoo into a tin can.

I seriously thought if that's what I sound like after 6 months with a teacher and diligent daily practice then I should give up. And what am I doing in a band with a gig on Sunday sounding like this? I listened to it several times becoming more disheartened each time.

After dinner I asked my wife what she thought or more exactly "Is this what I actually sound like?" If I did she would say so!

Fortunately, she said that it sounded nothing at all like me, that my tone is much fuller and rounder and like a saxophone should sound. Her analogy was when she photographs one of her paintings it never looks like the original.

I know I can sound bad but it's a relief to know I don't sound as bad as on that recording

I've only just seen this thread.
Haven't read it all so It's probably all been said but...
I've been playing 37 years and I still feel like that from time to time.

I can vouch for horrible recorded sounds more than 10 years into playing.
Technology has come along way since then (especially affordable) and I'm pretty confident that you could find a relatively cheap set up that will get you far closer to hearing on playback, a sound that is a lot more like you thought was when you blew.

When you find that, it's so useful because you have proper representation that you can scrutinise with more confidence and 'tweak' your techniques. Then when you listen back again you eventually get that 'aha' moment.
It's not magic, you won't fall in love with what you hear but it's so much fairer than what you have listened to.

With regard to improvising, if notes are wrong we all still do that but again, thats building blocks combining knowledge, control and your own developing personality.

Good Luck, you wife wasn't just being kind.

 

[cappers]

Going to a solo improvisation workshop with the band this evening. Playing the saxophone seems to have taken over my life

More detail below for anybody interested.

Beginner (playing) - Come on now, join the band....

My imposter syndrome has been replaced by blagger syndrome - if in doubt leave it out, wiggle the fingers and pretend to blow :rolleyes: Wouldn’t it be hilarious if everyone did that at once?!

cafesaxophone.com

 

[cappers]

I've only just seen this thread.
Haven't read it all so It's probably all been said but...
I've been playing 37 years and I still feel like that from time to time.
...........
Good Luck, you wife wasn't just being kind.

Thanks for your input @Saxlicker.
I got a Zoom H2n today which seems ideal. I still wince a bit hearing my recorded playing - same as hearing my voice on a recording - but it sounds a lot better than it did on the voice memo. I didn't want to give up but hearing the first recording did make me wonder if I was wasting my time. Now I sound more like what I hear, far from good but getting somewhere. Always room for improvement of course.

MrsC is supportive, kind and honest and will tell me if I sound bad rather than "that was nice dear" She sits upstairs in her art studio whilst I tootle away and says she's lucky to be serenaded with sax music every day. She must be tone deaf

 

[ghostler]

MrsC is supportive, kind and honest and will tell me if I sound bad rather than "that was nice dear" She sits upstairs in her art studio whilst I tootle away and says she's lucky to be serenaded with sax music every day. She must be tone deaf

I seriously doubt she is tone deaf. Being an artist and your better half, she is appreciative of your abilities. (Think of the positive, she's happy you're not chasing other women!) 😉

 

[skeller047]

I seriously doubt she is tone deaf. Being an artist and your better half, she is appreciative of your abilities. (Think of the positive, she's happy you're not chasing other women!) 😉

Trouble is, if you get really good, the women will chase you. Can cause some difficulties when the wife comes to the gig...

 

[ghostler]

Trouble is, if you get really good, the women will chase you. Can cause some difficulties when the wife comes to the gig...

Like? 😉