Gigs setting up a music group-- anyone interested

are there any players london or south of England that would be interested in setting up a mixed group. Just playing for fun all abilities just a good blowout. I have access to a hall near Heathrow but we could look at other areas. Just an idea at this point I've got a bit fed up playing (or trying to play) alone over the last year...

 

[Tenor Viol]

Only takes 20 mins for me, so not too bad.

Edit. No inconvenience at all.

It's about an hour for me

 

[trimmy]

That's why I take on the booking and brews 🙂

Jx

Oh and don’t forget those Banoffee pies, you’re a star

 

[thomsax]

Heathrow is an hour's drive from where I am in Oxfordshire, so quite doable. My problem is that Covid has knocked my business on it's arse and I have to build back up before I can commit to recreational trips, also I'm a single father, so difficult to commit to regular schedules. Spending an hour a day playing sax feels like a guilty pleasure as it is.
I can read melodies okay, but have a similar problem of reading the timings in a score, I understand what crochets, minims are etc. but I haven't internalised it. i.e. I can follow a long if I know a song, have a backing track etc. but would struggle to play in time from a score at first sight. I'm working on this though with metronome and backing tracks.

I enjoyed reading @thomsax 's story of his progression. As a relatively new player, I enjoy hearing how people got to where they are. It seems saxophonists all have pretty unique journeys, I thought a lot more would have a traditional musical education, but far from it. I am encouraged that many other people have taken it up later in life like myself.
I'd be interested in what people think about this from @thomsax: "I think there are more bad teachers than there are good." ?
The guy who I bought my sax from, said a similar thing, i.e. he had a teacher, but looking back on it, feels that teacher had sent him in the wrong direction. I have also heard a lot of 'sax' teachers are doubling on the sax with clarinet or some other instrument being their main. I am not put off getting a teacher, and have found a local one for when I am able to get back out in society. I think it is easier now to check out teachers online and have a better idea if they can help with one's own musical goals.

I think a (saxophone) teacher should have some kind of pedagogical qualification including methodology and didactics. All students are differnts and to have a big toolsbox as a teacher is good. When I was young I think I needed teachers with bigger toolboxes.