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Playing at home, what are you playing along to?

Where are you getting the music you play form?

  • Minus One i.e. Guest Spot etc

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Aebersold / Hal Leonard Jazz Play-Along Series etc

    Votes: 5 35.7%
  • Real/Fake book

    Votes: 5 35.7%
  • Make my own backing tracks

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Along to whatever is in the CD Player/iTunes

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • Make up my own compositions

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • Total voters
    14

Chris98

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,079
I'm now without the guidance of a teacher, and suddenly a bit lost floating in the void of not knowing what to be working on which books to get...

So I was wondering what do most people do here, where do you get your music from?

And any recommendations would be great too.


p.s. Anyone know how to fix the title in the poll I um misspelled something , or for that matter make it multiple choice... I should have thought this out more first
 
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Usually when there's dodgy spelling I assume it's spam, and anyway shouldn't it be "form where are you getting the music...".

But as it's you Chris..

I use most of the above when ever possible, plus my daughter is forced to accompany me on the guitar (oh Dad do I have to?)

The fake books are great, but as I only have Bb versions it's a nice challenge to work stuff out on alto.

Just bought Ken Burn's Jazz volume of Duke Ellington and there's some great tracks on there. East St Louis Toodle O, Rockin in Rhythm, Solitude, Caravan etc.

We've been playing loads of 30's and 40's Jazz at the workshop and it has gone down so well with our neighbours they've asked to borrow the CD's. It might be that they don't want us to play them any more...hadn't thought of that.

Just don't get hung up on what to play just stick something on and noodle and if you like it find the dots or work it out yourself.
 
X None of the above (sort of)

For my jazz chops, I do a lot of playing along with Aebersold and other jazz tracks on Smartmusic. I either have the heads of the tunes in my "head" or read them from my Real Book. For reading and sight reading practice I like to play along with the jazz ensemble charts included in Smartmusic which shows my part on the screen and includes a professional recording of the tune to play along with.

For classical playing there are numerous solo accompaniments that require one to have the sheet music. There are also concert band pieces to play along with at all levels of difficulty that show my part on the screen as I listen to the recording. I wish I had all this when I was growing up and learning to play.
 
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It was shame I could only give one answer, as I do my own backing tracks, write original music and play music from the real/Fake Books..

Chris..
 
Hal Leonards/ Aebersold as well as noodling along to CDs and Itunes.......
 
Well, how about playing some Bach to improve sight reading? His Partita for Flute fits entirely into the range of the sax, but for a couple of altissimo notes. Really good for almost all aspects of playing - including the challenge of making long lines of semiquavers sound as musical as possible.

As for jazz, apart from blowing changes in Aebersolds, try Greg Fishman's books, or Bob Mintzer's - some of that stuff is very challenging.

Play tunes out of the Real Book as written, then up or down an octave if possible. Ballads are a more interesting substitute for long tone exercises.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2
 
Well, how about playing some Bach to improve sight reading? His Partita for Flute fits entirely into the range of the sax, but for a couple of altissimo notes. Really good for almost all aspects of playing - including the challenge of making long lines of semiquavers sound as musical as possible.

As for jazz, apart from blowing changes in Aebersolds, try Greg Fishman's books, or Bob Mintzer's - some of that stuff is very challenging.

Play tunes out of the Real Book as written, then up or down an octave if possible. Ballads are a more interesting substitute for long tone exercises.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

I have also played some Tellemann as practice pieces - some of his flute duets make lovely Baritone sax duets, my teacher and I have some brilliant lessons working on these.

In answer to the OP, I have a number of the Guest Spot books, but am now finding them very basic (refers back to the "when are you no longer a beginner" thread) i have just got the iRealB app on my iPad, so can play along some of the Real Book standards.
But mostly I practice for the various bands that I am in or for my exams, so pieces given to me by my teacher.
 
We lived in a dumbed down world where multiple choice question and answers (that rarely have an answer that fully fits anyone) are the only means for gathering data. Data which can then be statistically skewed any which way its owners like. That's not a knock of this poll but a sad fact of life. I understand the reason for the poll, but a poll isn't much fun if the people polling can't express their actual genuine response, and isn't a very valid poll if a large number of people don't feel they can complete it accurately. Which usually means a "Other: please give details" option is required. But that's not convenient for gathering and analysing responses. I would suggest that in this case the poll would be better as tick boxes rather than option buttons so that all relevant choices can be selected, plus an additional "Other" option. Failing that the poll should ask for the Primary source of material. Sorry if that comes across as a minor rant - its just one of so many things in life that bug me.

As for me I....

Play songs from Real Books.
Get scores from Wikifonia and occasionally elsewhere.
Use Play-along Books/CDs
Use Backing tracks from this forum and occasionally other sources.
Am starting to try to create my own BT compositions using iRealB, Garageband, and hopefully soon to be Band In a Box, to improvise over.
Am currently putting together/practising a set for a relative's wedding that I've been asked to play at using various of the above.
Band parts when I can be bothered.

I rarely seem to fit in the convenient box, I suspect like many other people too.
 
I'm now without the guidance of a teacher, and suddenly a bit lost floating in the void of not knowing what to be working on which books to get...

So I was wondering what do most people do here, where do you get your music from?

And any recommendations would be great too.


p.s. Anyone know how to fix the title in the poll I um misspelled something , or for that matter make it multiple choice... I should have thought this out more first

Hmmm it did come across as quite a rant didn't it - sorry lol. Especially in light of your desire to make it multiple choice (which I obviously hadn't read at the time). Apologies.

PS I won't self delete it though - I'll take the flack :w00t:
 
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Play what you like to listen to. Lots of backing tracks on you tube for free. Lots of sheet on wikifonia for free. Have a bash at ballad of the month and other threads on here. Pick a tune you like, master it then slowly build your repertoire.
 
I voted playing along to CD's, but I also use the Aebersold playalongs when I practise in the studio, and if noodling or practising certain licks and varying them counts as anything, then it's 'spontaneous self-composition';}
 
Thanks to everyone who voted and commented, and sorry for making it so limited. Thomas, I hate tick boxes too, I often feel a resentment that someone would presume to fit me into a box.

It has however helped me out, I grew out of the guest spot stuff years ago and moved onto some of the more advanced minus ones, great for sight reading, but they often feel quite restrictive to personal growth. So it's really been helpful to me to know that the majority of people are using the real/fake books, so I'll look into getting one soon. I see that Hal Leonard also produce CD backing tracks to go with them.

Thanks again, and sorry for restricting people to only once choice, I should have thought it out more fully before setting it up.

Best wishes,

Chris
 
Chris,

I don't know if you or other mentioned it, but the iRealB app has lots of backing tracks, or you can write your own, to go with The Real Books music - quite useful if you want to grab a piece from the books and just play along.
iRealB contains thousands of backing tracks, just piano, bass, percussion.
if you have a smart phone or iPad, it's about £7.00 IIRC
 
I thought that ticking any of the categories shown would be misleading about what I do.

Having returned to the Sax after decades away I'm rebuilding embouchure and repertoire and trying to remember what I had in my head way back... (apart from women, wine, whacky baccy and sailing...)

I still have a few back-of-fag-packet tunes - one of which ('Manumission') I haven't heard anyone else play...- scribbled out using alphabetical notation (impressive sounding expression just coined meaning 'letters not dots').

I have been looking at stuff from beginners level to intermediate (a) as revision after a long absence, and (b) I'm hoping my 8 year old son might be ready before long to have a go at alto sax (fingers too skinny to cover the holes on my clarinet!) and teaching is the best way to learn where you have skated over things...(!)

I have a stack of Wikifonia stuff. My reading was always pretty poor (working on that now!) so I use this both as reading practice, aide memoir to stuff I used to play, source of new tunes and info on harmonies (this last treated with caution - it can be a moveable feast...).

Pete's Taming The Saxophone stuff is extremely accessible, not intimidating and very sound educationally - it encourages you to improve. It will be the core of my son's material as soon as he is past the simple melody and 'learning where all the notes are' stage... plenty of stuff there for years...

Jamie Aebersold's stuff (the free online book) seems to assume a quite a bit of understanding of musical 'theory' (a word of questionable application) but it does give new insight into improvisation (I think that everyone's thoughts on impro are worth hearing, even if you might reject them as not immediately helpful) and his stuff on scales and chords are a valuable resource provided you don't get put off by the sheer depth and volume of information - suggest use it on a 'need to know' or when you fancy doing your head in basis...

Forest and Eric ( http://jazzadvice.com/ ) have some really 'do your head in' stuff, if you fancy a challenge (PhD in music advisable before you try). Seriously, best used as a 'need to know' basis resource. Dip in here and there until you find something which helps you grasp a point you've been working on, ignore anything which makes your eyes revolve in your head - it might be useful later...

I run through the cycle of fourths pretty well every time I practice, occasionally going around in the other direction (fifths) and am working on top and bottom notes and gradually getting my tone back (amazing how long some stuff takes to recover after an absence...) Arpeggios, licks, whatever.. everything and anything from time to time.

I have always thought that the 'free jazz' concept was a useful way to practice scales, chords and modes you needed to brush up on while practising impro - beat the hell out of the chord or whatever, then modulate on to another one. You can go from one you are familiar with (reminding yourself that you are not entirely crap) to one you are not, go atonal, whatever, and aiming to make it all sound musical and swing like mad or haunting with long notes and concentrating on your tone...

I find switching between the 'free jazz' concept and doing impro over chord sequences gives a useful and illuminating aspect to practice. Ideas, phrases, licks, sequences can suddenly pop out of apparently nowhere because your mind has accessed stuff in your memory and used analogical extension to create new stuff you never knew you had in you... which is very encouraging!

I'd say that I used to be a crap intermediate player, a moderate improviser and weak on reading who did a few gigs from time to time. I ought to be back at that level soon and aim to improve on that position. Web resources are amazing - wish I had them when I was a kid!

Never used a metronome - my old sax and clarinet teacher once mildly observed that I was playing from a score written in one time signature - and my playng was sticking to that - while tapping my foot in something quite different... I always have imagined different rhythmic things going on while playing... I like Indian music, Celtic music, African music, Chinese music, polyrythyms.... and, oddly, I think that it helps me to keep the beat (!?!).

Hope these maunderings help!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I thought that ticking any of the categories shown would be misleading about what I do.

Having returned to the Sax after decades away I'm rebuilding embouchure and repertoire and trying to remember what I had in my head way back... (apart from women, wine, whacky baccy and sailing...)

I still have a few back-of-fag-packet tunes - one of which ('Manumission') I haven't heard anyone else play...- scribbled out using alphabetical notation (impressive sounding expression just coined meaning 'letters not dots').

I have been looking at stuff from beginners level to intermediate (a) as revision after a long absence, and (b) I'm hoping my 8 year old son might be ready before long to have a go at alto sax (fingers too skinny to cover the holes on my clarinet!) and teaching is the best way to learn where you have skated over things...(!)

I have a stack of Wikifonia stuff. My reading was always pretty poor (working on that now!) so I use this both as reading practice, aide memoir to stuff I used to play, source of new tunes and info on harmonies (this last treated with caution - it can be a moveable feast...).

Pete's Taming The Saxophone stuff is extremely accessible, not intimidating and very sound educationally - it encourages you to improve. It will be the core of my son's material as soon as he is past the simple melody and 'learning where all the notes are' stage... plenty of stuff there for years...

Jamie Aebersold's stuff (the free online book) seems to assume a quite a bit of understanding of musical 'theory' (a word of questionable application) but it does give new insight into improvisation (I think that everyone's thoughts on impro are worth hearing, even if you might reject them as not immediately helpful) and his stuff on scales and chords are a valuable resource provided you don't get put off by the sheer depth and volume of information - suggest use it on a 'need to know' or when you fancy doing your head in basis...

Forest and Eric ( http://jazzadvice.com/ ) have some really 'do your head in' stuff, if you fancy a challenge (PhD in music advisable before you try). Seriously, best used as a 'need to know' basis resource. Dip in here and there until you find something which helps you grasp a point you've been working on, ignore anything which makes your eyes revolve in your head - it might be useful later...

I run through the cycle of fourths pretty well every time I practice, occasionally going around in the other direction (fifths) and am working on top and bottom notes and gradually getting my tone back (amazing how long some stuff takes to recover after an absence...) Arpeggios, licks, whatever.. everything and anything from time to time.

I have always thought that the 'free jazz' concept was a useful way to practice scales, chords and modes you needed to brush up on while practising impro - beat the hell out of the chord or whatever, then modulate on to another one. You can go from one you are familiar with (reminding yourself that you are not entirely crap) to one you are not, go atonal, whatever, and aiming to make it all sound musical and swing like mad or haunting with long notes and concentrating on your tone...

I find switching between the 'free jazz' concept and doing impro over chord sequences gives a useful and illuminating aspect to practice. Ideas, phrases, licks, sequences can suddenly pop out of apparently nowhere because your mind has accessed stuff in your memory and used analogical extension to create new stuff you never knew you had in you... which is very encouraging!

I'd say that I used to be a crap intermediate player, a moderate improviser and weak on reading who did a few gigs from time to time. I ought to be back at that level soon and aim to improve on that position. Web resources are amazing - wish I had them when I was a kid!

Never used a metronome - my old sax and clarinet teacher once mildly observed that I was playing from a score written in one time signature - and my playng was sticking to that - while tapping my foot in something quite different... I always have imagined different rhythmic things going on while playing... I like Indian music, Celtic music, African music, Chinese music, polyrythyms.... and, oddly, I think that it helps me to keep the beat (!?!).

Hope these maunderings help!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLARINET-...t=UK_Woodwind_Instruments&hash=item2580dbb49f

This might be a solution for your 8yr old.
small keys.
 
I thought that ticking any of the categories shown would be misleading about what I do.

Having returned to the Sax after decades away I'm rebuilding embouchure and repertoire and trying to remember what I had in my head way back... (apart from women, wine, whacky baccy and sailing...)

I still have a few back-of-fag-packet tunes - one of which ('Manumission') I haven't heard anyone else play...- scribbled out using alphabetical notation (impressive sounding expression just coined meaning 'letters not dots').

I have been looking at stuff from beginners level to intermediate (a) as revision after a long absence, and (b) I'm hoping my 8 year old son might be ready before long to have a go at alto sax (fingers too skinny to cover the holes on my clarinet!) and teaching is the best way to learn where you have skated over things...(!)

I have a stack of Wikifonia stuff. My reading was always pretty poor (working on that now!) so I use this both as reading practice, aide memoir to stuff I used to play, source of new tunes and info on harmonies (this last treated with caution - it can be a moveable feast...).

Pete's Taming The Saxophone stuff is extremely accessible, not intimidating and very sound educationally - it encourages you to improve. It will be the core of my son's material as soon as he is past the simple melody and 'learning where all the notes are' stage... plenty of stuff there for years...

Jamie Aebersold's stuff (the free online book) seems to assume a quite a bit of understanding of musical 'theory' (a word of questionable application) but it does give new insight into improvisation (I think that everyone's thoughts on impro are worth hearing, even if you might reject them as not immediately helpful) and his stuff on scales and chords are a valuable resource provided you don't get put off by the sheer depth and volume of information - suggest use it on a 'need to know' or when you fancy doing your head in basis...

Forest and Eric ( http://jazzadvice.com/ ) have some really 'do your head in' stuff, if you fancy a challenge (PhD in music advisable before you try). Seriously, best used as a 'need to know' basis resource. Dip in here and there until you find something which helps you grasp a point you've been working on, ignore anything which makes your eyes revolve in your head - it might be useful later...

I run through the cycle of fourths pretty well every time I practice, occasionally going around in the other direction (fifths) and am working on top and bottom notes and gradually getting my tone back (amazing how long some stuff takes to recover after an absence...) Arpeggios, licks, whatever.. everything and anything from time to time.

I have always thought that the 'free jazz' concept was a useful way to practice scales, chords and modes you needed to brush up on while practising impro - beat the hell out of the chord or whatever, then modulate on to another one. You can go from one you are familiar with (reminding yourself that you are not entirely crap) to one you are not, go atonal, whatever, and aiming to make it all sound musical and swing like mad or haunting with long notes and concentrating on your tone...

I find switching between the 'free jazz' concept and doing impro over chord sequences gives a useful and illuminating aspect to practice. Ideas, phrases, licks, sequences can suddenly pop out of apparently nowhere because your mind has accessed stuff in your memory and used analogical extension to create new stuff you never knew you had in you... which is very encouraging!

I'd say that I used to be a crap intermediate player, a moderate improviser and weak on reading who did a few gigs from time to time. I ought to be back at that level soon and aim to improve on that position. Web resources are amazing - wish I had them when I was a kid!

Never used a metronome - my old sax and clarinet teacher once mildly observed that I was playing from a score written in one time signature - and my playng was sticking to that - while tapping my foot in something quite different... I always have imagined different rhythmic things going on while playing... I like Indian music, Celtic music, African music, Chinese music, polyrythyms.... and, oddly, I think that it helps me to keep the beat (!?!).

Hope these maunderings help!

I found this.
http://youtu.be/wMCyx1mBZ8Y
 

Thank you again.

My crappy old PC died yesterday (power unit) and I cannabalised it and another old PC to produce a quicker hybrid - half an hour well spent. But no sound as yet.

Free driver downloads turn out not to be... awaiting advice from in-law anorak. Will view when sorted!

Cheers!

- paul
 

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