Beginner Progress prt 2: Leaving the nest

[Matabayahsi]

I havent kept my diary for a bit or been very active on recording myself since I have now left my nest in the middle of nowhere so I cant play as much as I was. Nevertheless on my 2nd month of sax playing I have managed to play with some guitar buskers and actually got myself in to a band yesterday. So I feel like I have left my protected area of being a beginner my nest and actually can call myself a saxophone player now!

I had band practise yesterday and it went very very smooth and they actually want me to join the band great news! Playing with the band and in front of a microphone with no fears of disturbing someone or thinking if smebody is cursing me because of my playing I realised that I actually managed to get the tone I wanted I had soo much joy during practise I ll actually record the band next week to show all of you what you enabled me to achieve. My solos were pretty slow but I realised listening to a lot of maceo parker and fred wesley made my phrases quite groovy so they really liked it. Playing with a band also forced me into playing at high volumes or staying in the background, transcribing what the bass player or the singer does (or at least trying to) on the spot, which worked most of the time suprisingly! It is a pop/funk/soul band which is all I wanted! I would enjoy if there was some jazz in there but I dont think I can handle that myself yet anyway. So hyped up after the practise I want to play more and more but unfortunately I ll have to hold it in so that I dont get kicked out from the house hehe

A little advice for the other beginners out there reading this: Play with a band it ll improve you by challenging and also rewarding.

I havent been able to practise(in terms of techinical things) I just go to the park whenever I can to play along backing tracks but I have managed to tame my high baffle mouthpiece just by doing this. Since I cant play at home I decided I should to something usefull and started learning reading dots and sightreading using this https://practicesightreading.com/create.php
webpage oh it is pretty hard to understand all these weird symbols but once I manage to understand them I ll be able to play with actual orchestras so it is worth it I suppose.

Hope everybody is enjoying their journey too

 

[Jeanette]

Great news

Jx

 

[Bolding]

Congratulations man, awesome news! Sounds like you got a real talent for expressing yourself through the sax!

The best of luck from me!

 

[Rob Pealing]

Congratulations. You clearly have a talent for music, and are prepared to work hard with it, not many people would make the park their practice place. Good luck.
Thank you for the link

 

[Alc.]

The link came up as 'untrustworthy', so I'm not going to take the chance. Congratulations, just the same. Your hard work has paid off.

 

[Matabayahsi]

You d be suprised how much people actually enjoy seeing someone play at the park everybody has been nodding, smiling even chucking some coins in my sax case eventhough I wasnt really asking for it but I think I ll be a bit more brave and try actually busking on a busy street just to see the reaction.

It should be quite safe with the link @Al C. your firewall or security program probably stops you just in case because it uses some sort of flash based program to generate the sounds for the dots it shows but then again I am not an expert on these things for all I know I might be hacked now :/ Although anybody who hacks people trying to learn reading dots is going to have a really boring time I think. At least with my computer they will

Thank you all, I think all I have is this forum to thank because you have all been my teachers and my classmates at the same time.

 

[Alc.]

Continued good luck, Mata. I don't know a lot about computers and I don't care. I still use my old typewriters a lot before I put my stories onto the internet. I don't like computers, but then I'm a very old fud who likes saxophones more than electronic gizmos. Anyway, if you play in the park and people toss money into your sax case GO FOR IT! I think it's great! Maybe someday this old fossil will try to busk in front of Walmart. If they don't like it I'll trip them with my cane. Keep up what you're doing. It seems to be working.

 

[Rob Pealing]

even chucking some coins in my sax case

I think if I played in the park they would throw coins at me to drive me away.

" .....classmates..... "

I hope we will remain classmates

 

[kevgermany]

The site has a security certificate problem. May be an administration error, may be a lot worse. Assuming a firewall/avoid program will protect you is taking a chance.

 

[Rob Pealing]

Hi, Soundcloud is telling me that it cannot find the track your link points to, and if I go to your home page it is not listed.

 

[Matabayahsi]

hmm strange I ll make them public for a while then that link was supposed to work with private songs try again now may be ?

 

[Rob Pealing]

Now they play, I admire the vigor in the band, though not my taste in music.