Playing the saxophone saxophone is good for your mental health?

[Jules]

I'd be okay with scales and arpeggios. But not circular breathing. One, long note for all eternity? Makes Kenny G (and all the other showboating high-note squealers) less annoying.

A serious point off the back of that. The raw physicality of playing the sax; there’s something deeply meditative about long notes and circular breathing, particularly on bigger horns. I used to find playing around with harmonics on my old baritone put me in a quite otherworldy state- particularly as I used to practice in quite reverby disused industrial unit

 

[6441]

Oh, the choice between scales/arpeggios and circular birthing? Truth is, you cannot escape playing at least partial scales and a higher number of arpeggios, but you're not forced to practice them. Yesterday I was practicing this:

It's a kind of scale, but I'm happy to practice funky patterns like this. It's actually fun, especially if you can finally actually play them at speed.
It's the opening riff here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Q274pArmc

 

[Hipparion]

"Circular birthing" ? That's in Pain Major, right ? (and with only one note indeed : Aaaaaaaaaaaaah... ) ;p

 

[Targa]

"Circular birthing" ? That's in Pain Major, right ? (and with only one note indeed : Aaaaaaaaaaaaah... ) ;p

Isn't that reincarnation?
To quote Ken Dodd, "I don't fancy that, who'd want to come back as a tin of milk".

 

[ellinas]

I have had a very stressful decade.... Crisis after crisis here in Greece... Insanely hard work... And a growing family. Playing the sax kept me back to my roots. Exploring music. It's what I do all my life. A very unique and expressive instrument. I had to rediscover my whole way of playing. Im pretty sure it kept me sane.

 

[Dale.]

hi, one thing people find surprising is that music activates nearly every region of brain we’ve mapped so far.

As someone who has been diagnosed severe bipolar since I was 15, although they called it something else back then.
I can defo state that playing and working out help enormously.
Dale

 

[ghostler]

Playing a musical instrument with a sense of happiness does wonders with one's spirit. It has pulled me out of doldrums. 😀

Proverbs 17:22a KJV: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

 

[Manco]

I think that it’s a privilege to play the saxophone.

Considering how much pain there is for many in the world today, makes it even more of a luxury.

 

[mizmar]

I'm sure learning music is good for a body for all kinds of reasons.

especially an instrument like the sax

Especially the sax, though?
Stringed instruments seem to require much more dexterity, unfretted ones require superior ears, unkeyed wind instruments require more fine motor control; and at the other end of the spectrum , the electric geeetar seems to facilitate full body movement. The sax was designed to be easy to form a loud marching band out of mediocre grunts, after all. True, it's instabilities and flaws have made it very expressive, so that's a plus.

File under: Pointless Sunday afternoon pub argument

 

[Frostythesaxman]

Don't worry...be happy😉. saxophones are the BEST..OMHO