Should I try easy or difficult sheet music?

[bobk]

Hannah & I are still having fun with our sax and are getting a bit better after 3 months experience. We're having weekly lessons but, in addition to the pieces our teacher gives us, I also enjoy mucking around with a few old tunes I like which I've either worked out myself (e.g. Moon river, Fly me to the moon) or deciphered with the aid of MIDI transcription software (e.g. Stranger of the shore, Wichita lineman).

I am thinking of buying a book of this sort of stuff. My question is this. Do you think I would be better off with a book with 'easy' or with 'intermediate' versions of songs? I guess it is a matter of stretching oneself in terms of just getting the notes out in the right order as opposed to having the fluidity and confidence to concentrate on tone and phrasing with easier stuff.

cheers,

Bob

ps - All this stuff about fluidity, tone and phrasing doesn't mean I've become extraordinarilly good in 3 months - low C is still hit and miss and I often fumble b flats. My wife can, however, often figure out what I'm playing without having to be told!

 

[jadoube]

Bob,

Since you seem to be doing these on top of your homework mainly for the fun of it I'd say the main criteria is tunes you like.

On the one hand, if its too hard put it to one side and wait. I have quite a few books like that, for example Gerswin jazz arrangements that have sat waiting for over a year. Thging is you can end up with a lot of sheet music on one side waiting, which may be a waste of funds.

As an extra I trawled the web to get a few old tunes, including my wife's favourite, and use them to mess around. If you're not after something specific or recent there's a fair bit out there you can download for free.

 

[freddysilk]

You're better off with intermediate sheet music if you've mastered the basics. Trust me, the easy sheet music gets boring real quick plus if the intermediate is a little difficult, it gives you something to look forward to mastering.