Beginner Recording yourself

Jay

Senior Member
I just recorded myself. :confused:

Didn't help that my 'pet' reed decided to give out and I had to find another one. :rolleyes:

But still. 🙁

Now I can hear what my teacher means by breath support. :confused:

Bit discouraging though, I sounded better than that from the 'inside'. 🙁

Better have a cuppa then go and do some more long tones I think......... :rolleyes:
 
It is a real eye opener, I've only recently started recording myself and really listening I was quite upset but it has set me on the path for improved tone 🙂


Don't be disheartened there is so much to concentrate on in the beginning.


Jx
 
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Or the sound of breaking glass like when I do >:)

Jx
Let's not reflect on that...............
smileys-vampire-365380 (1).gif
 
so glad your pet demise was just a reed (one of many!)

A bit like: hearing your own recorded voice?

On a positive, you have identified breath support, so you're relating to your teacher's efforts... it is what is is (sorry) but you will learn from it (and from others' recordings)..

better to know than now surely?
 
so glad your pet demise was just a reed (one of many!)

A bit like: hearing your own recorded voice?

On a positive, you have identified breath support, so you're relating to your teacher's efforts... it is what is is (sorry) but you will learn from it (and from others' recordings)..

better to know than now surely?
Yes, definitely better to know. And I'll improve because of it (hopefully), once I've got over feeling despondent.
 
My daughter recorded me during my solo at a concert given by all the students of my tutor. I thought I was OK but listening to the playback I discovered that many notes started with an almost inaudible octave overtone. Until I heard the replay I was totally unaware of this foible. During the ensuing lesson I discussed this with the aforementioned tutor who identified the cause as a less than firm embouchure. So............although my ego took a bit of a battering, I was able to focus my practice on note production. As a result my performance has improved dramatically.
 
I always think the recording sounds slower than I thought I played.
I checked the timings and it isn't, but trying to play a piece faster makes it sound wrong to me at the time.
 
One of the more difficult concepts to learn and to teach is to blow through the notes and through the phrase. A good analogy that works for a lot of players is to imagine blowing up a large balloon. It is so easy even for experienced players to get lazy and let the longer notes "die on the vine" rather than sustaining the intensity to the release.
 
One of the more difficult concepts to learn and to teach is to blow through the notes and through the phrase. A good analogy that works for a lot of players is to imagine blowing up a large balloon. It is so easy even for experienced players to get lazy and let the longer notes "die on the vine" rather than sustaining the intensity to the release.
Ah yes, I know what that sounds like, from singing.

Which I'm not doing any of at the moment, which might be related to:

I seem to need a breath per few notes, even a deep breath doesn't seem like much air, even being conscious of my diaphragm (well, you know, conscious of not only breathing with my ribs). And I've also got very unfit.

I think I might need to work on my lung capacity - ah, so did my teacher, he asked randomly the other day if I'd ever been a smoker - answer, no, not in any real sense. But then he didn't say why he'd asked.

Right, breathing exercises whenever I think of them, and get my lazy self up the hill with the dog, and see if this improves things - might improve my post-Christmas waistline if nothing else!
 
It's good to use recording as a self help/improvement tool. Having said that, I've never recorded anything that I was satisfied with on playback. However having said that, I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised, when listening to old recordings, how much things have changed and how original ideas have developed on a frequently played piece and not always for the better. That's all apart from being fun that is.

To increase your lung capacity try inhaling to capacity, holding, breathing in some more, holding and topping up once again before exhaling, holding, exhaling more and then pushing out the last dregs. I've taken to wearing a little olibas oil when performing lately to keep the pipes clear.
 
Right, breathing exercises whenever I think of them, and get my lazy self up the hill with the dog, and see if this improves things - might improve my post-Christmas waistline if nothing else!
Plenty of practice will help get you fit, too. I had some surgery a couple of years ago. After the pre-op checks they commented I was in good shape for a man of my age (mid-50s), especially blood gases. I was quite surprised as the only exercise I'd been getting for the past couple of years was an hour or two of sax practice a day. After a while you start breathing from the boittom of your lungs all the time, whether playing or not. It's more efficient.
 
I liked the blissful ignorance of unconscious incompetence. Am not enjoying conscious incompetence very much 🙁 Seems like 'what's the point of learning to play anything else until I've sorted out how bad it sounds'.
 
I liked the blissful ignorance of unconscious incompetence. Am not enjoying conscious incompetence very much 🙁 Seems like 'what's the point of learning to play anything else until I've sorted out how bad it sounds'.
Do it, then 🙂. There's your motivation for lots of lovely long-note practice. Learn to think relatively. Don't try to sound like (insert favourite player's name here), try and sound better than last week. You can and will and it will feel great.
 
Do it, then 🙂. There's your motivation for lots of lovely long-note practice. Learn to think relatively. Don't try to sound like (insert favourite player's name here), try and sound better than last week. You can and will and it will feel great.
That's good, positive advice. Thank you 🙂
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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