Playing By Myself...

[saxplayer67]

Of late, I've started to get mildy irritated with this situation I find myself in...

I played violin at school back in 1976 - 83, give or take a year. In secondary school, I was in the school orchestra. Fast forward to 1995 and I started to play sax (having been playing keyboard after I left school and dabbling on harmonica and guitar). Since my schooldays, I have only once played in an true ensemble, which was last year at an open day at the Guildhall in London (a 'scratch orchestra' made up of clarinets and saxes, playing from sight with no rehearsal). The only other ensemble playing has been playing along with my sax students at our Christmas gigs for the last few years.

I've been playing other gigs with just my sax to backing tracks, which I enjoy immensely and wish to continue but I also wish I could play in a duo, trio or bigger but there don't seem any opportunities in my neck of the woods. I tried to find a pianist for a piano-sax duo (a combination which I would love to do) a couple of years ago but didn't have ANY response to my adverts in local music shops and on the Kent Music School website.

There are a couple of ensembles in Maidstone, Kent where I live, one is the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra but they want musicans of a high grade standard and they're probably not sax-friendly anyway. Although I have grades in violin, I have none in sax, as I play for pleasure, though I have been successful in teaching sax to others (from the ages of eight to eighty, literally).

There is the Maidstone Winds but I have had no success in finding contact details for them and I suspect they would only want doublers, whereas I only play alto, soprano and tenor saxes.

Does anyone else share my frustration? Can they offer help? Playing sax more or less on my own for the past almost twelve years is enjoyable but at the same time, very frustrating - I'd just love to have a pianist feed me the changes and his own style, to be a springboard to my playing 'outside the box', not just playing to strict tempo backing tracks.

Also, I have the sheet music for a sax and piano duet of 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' and I'm just aching to play it with an expressive pianist, it's an excellent arrangement. 🙁

 

[Bobby G]

I'm also sorta looking for a band, but in the meantime I satisfy my desire to play with other people by going to jam sessions a couple of times a month. One is a jazzy session which has a tendency to head towards r'n'b at times, the other is a funky, bluesy affair which gets a bit rocky at times, so I'm covering quite a few styles. Is there any kind of jamming going on in Kent?

I understand your frustration as I'd like to do something a little more organised, get to know and interact within a group of musical personalities. I'd also like to do as you do, play to backing tracks rather than jam along to CD's, but the ultimate is to play with real people.

Cheers, Bob

 

[saxplayer67]

Not much of anything happening here, Bob. I think it's up to me to form my own little band but, as I said about the pianist above, no one responds. 🙁

 

[RedBottom]

You could have a look round here:

http://www.windbandfestival.co.uk/site/public_html/about%20the%20assn.html

There are one or two in Kent, and there's a link at the top of the page to the main directory.

You could also see if your local council has a listing of community music societies. Have you tried asking at your local music shopas well?

 

[saxplayer67]

Hi Red

That link's dead, the page doesn't exist on geocities.

Music shops in my area number two and both are dire. I've trawled the internet for local contacts and have just emailed a contact for the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra. There is also the ensemble Maidstone Winds and I just emailed them, although they insist on grade 8 standard and I have zero woodwind exams (but I do have two violin grades and have taught many sax students as mentioned above and one of my young autistic students has obtained a distinction in grades 1 and 2 on sax). So that excludes me immediately.

I'll brave the local music shops again soon, maybe they've improved recently.

Thanks, Red!

 

[suethesax]

http://www.musofinder.com/

Have a look here - you might find someone. Good luck

 

[Linky Lee]

I feel for you, I want a nice backing trio to jam with.

I'm thinking of setting up a jam session on a Sunday afternoon or something in the local hall and just put adverts everywhere, invite everyone and everything and see what happens.

I've got a bit more luck though as I've been invited to play soprano with a dixieland band Tuesday nights in a local pub. Great fun, Great music, even the beer is better if I'm playing 😛

 

[RedBottom]

What IS it with geocities that it just won't copy links into other sites?

I've put in another link, Saxplayer. If you click that and then scroll down to the "Directory" bit, clicking that should take you to the right place.

 

[saxplayer67]

Okay, maybe getting somewhere at last...

Advertised on the Kent Music School website for a pianist, one responded, then backed out. Strike one.

I got in touch with Maidstone Winds, even though they like grade 8 standard. They don't have a regular tenor player and I can go along to try out (problem is alto is my main ax, I'll think about it).

A Forum member here put me in touch with the organisers of a concert band about 27 miles from me. They don't need any more altos in their concert band but they have any number of players in their training band. Although I'd be surrounded by beginners, as I haven't really played in a 'proper' ensemble since school orchestra back in the early eighties, it might work well, to get me up to speed with ensemble playing, despite the fact I've been playing for so long. Caveat - starts at 6pm, I finish work at 5 if I'm lucky, so work might exclude my taking part, due to rush hour traffic. 🙁

 

[philthd]

i found my bandmates when we were doing a workshop together.
aside from the fact its always good to play with different people to hear different ideas and stuff, workshops and jams give you a chance to meet people who play.

 

[saxplayer67]

I've attended a few workshops at the Guildhall in London, as part of the annual Clarinet and Saxophone Day. I've decided not to bother this year, mainly because it's devoted to clarinettists for the better part, with saxophone events few and far between and the majority of the tutors and participants practice the evils of musical snobbery, making for a boring event.

Good news is that the company I work for is actually letting me out early, to get to the concert band (traffic jams permitting)!

 

[saxplayer67]

Woo hoo! I'm in the band mentioned above! As long as my works can stand me adjusting my hours on a Friday...

 

[RedBottom]

Saxplayer67 wrote:Woo hoo! I'm in the band mentioned above! As long as my works can stand me adjusting my hours on a Friday...

Maidstone Winds? Hey, brilliant!!

 

[saxplayer67]

Maidstone Winds? Hey, brilliant!!

No, not Maidstone Winds - they wanted a tenor player and I'm more used to alto or soprano, til I get in the tenor practice. This is the Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Concert Band (well, actually the training band, as the Concert outfit is full). The training one has beginners to grade standard. This will be okay for now as I haven't played in a proper ensemble since my school days on violin, back in the early eighties!

 

[Linky Lee]

Sounds great!

I hope all goes well with the band, I love trying out new set-ups and different styles, I find it really improves your 'adaptability' and can influence you in unexpected ways.

Very different skills are needed to play in an Orchestra to a small combo, as you know. I find these different situations help to keep your progress well rounded, as consistent settings can bias one aspect of your musicianship if you're not careful.

 

[saxplayer67]

Grrrrrrrrr. Although my manager was 'kind enough' to let me go for the first session with the band, now I say it's going to be a regular thing, meaning I need to leave half hour early on a Friday (yet said I'd stay late another day) and he doesn't want to let me do it. 🙁 I'll continue applying pressure. I've been working there for nineteen darn years, you thought they'd cut me some slack! 😡

UPDATE: My boss' boss said 'no problem' when he relayed my request, so up him!!!!