Six months wasted (Topic moved to Breakfast Room)

[john_mcgeechan]

Hi all.
Just thought I would give you my tale of woe.
Got a brand new sax for Christmas from my lovely wife. Never played before though I have been in bands all my days. (Guitar and vocals).
Decided to do things right and got myself a teacher. twenty three year old Graduate from music school. She is a very good saxophonist.
Things went ok to start with but as I progressed to the higher registers I was finding it extremely difficult. Nothing she could tell me helped to get these high notes. So through sheer frustration I took my horn to the local repair man who found several things needed adjusting. At this stage I was ready to give it all up and take up the Piano.
However when I got my instrument back the repair man recommended a teacher that he went to. Nothing ventured nothinging gained as they say. After one lesson lasting 45 min. I went home to practice and was able to play all the notes with ease.
This new teacher was a 70 year old veteran who informed me after 5min. that my embochure was wrong and told me how to correct it.
He has taken me on as a student and charges less than half the price of the previous teacher.
If only I had met him first.
Let this be a lesson to other begginers to choose carefully who they give their money to.

John

 

[Rogerb]

Yes, my teacher is also a 70yo, and the most useful thing he's done for me, IMO, is to help me 'control my expectations' regarding speed of progress.

New graduates are rarely, IMO, good teachers, because teaching skills are quite different from playing skills.

When I tried alto 20yrs ago, I gave up after a few months, because I had a duff teacher and expected to be much better , much sooner, than was realistic.

Good luck, John 🙂

 

[john_mcgeechan]

Hi Roger,
Do you think I may be expecting too much too soon? I just felt that after six months I should at least be able to play high D&E without too much trouble. As it was I found myself adjusting my embochure to try and achieve these notes. Now I blow exactly the same right thro' the registers and get the notes without even thinking about them.
Is this unrealistic?

regards John

 

[Rogerb]

I don't think one should have too many 'expectations', John, as we all progress at different rates, because we all practise different amounts, have differing physical make-up, motivation, etc, etc.

It's very hard to set 'short-term objectives' in terms of progress, you can only set targets for, say, x hours of practice/week, and for what you actually *do* in your practice.

I've been playing seven months, too, but I'm sure we'd be at quite a different stage of our 'development'.
I certainly don't practise as much as I'd like to, but.... 😉

My advice, FWIW, would be to just keep at it, include the long tones in practice and be satisfied if you are a *bit* better at the end of each month 🙂

I hope your teacher will offer the occasional word of feedback/encouragement to indicate that he sees you progressing.
Mine is quite 'sparing' with this, but that's probably because that's all I deserve

 

[john_mcgeechan]

Hi Roger'

Thanks for the advice. I have never had a lot of patience, but I will try to follow your lead and hopefully improve graduallly.
I practice for a minimum of one hour every day, which is all the time I can afford at present.

Cheers John

 

[Rogerb]

One thing you have to learn if you live in Spain is patience..... 😀

 

[john_mcgeechan]

Why?
I love spain and go there twice a year so don't knock it. Kidding!!
Did you move there or were you brought up there?

John

 

[Bobby G]

Just an aside, as an expert (arf) of 2 1/2 year's playing - one thing I've noticed is that my progress has not been a steady upward curve. I usually feel like I'm getting somewhere, but occasionally periods of mild frustration set in when I feel I'm getting nowhere. On the other hand, I get times when I seem to leap ahead. It's kind of like running a hurdles race. Up a mountain.

 

[john_mcgeechan]

Hi Bob hope we all reach the top sometime.

No what you mean though. Sometimes I finish a practice feeling pretty good with myself, other times I wsh I hadn't bothered.
John
😉 😛

 

[Rogerb]

Bob Green wrote:
Just an aside, as an expert (arf) of 2 1/2 year's playing - one thing I've noticed is that my progress has not been a steady upward curve. I usually feel like I'm getting somewhere, but occasionally periods of mild frustration set in when I feel I'm getting nowhere. On the other hand, I get times when I seem to leap ahead. It's kind of like running a hurdles race. Up a mountain.

A slippery mountain.... sometimes you seem to go backwards a bit!

I have retired to Spain, John, having lived at various times in UK, Rhodesia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand!

I love it here, but it's not perfect and getting anything 'official' done(or waiting for mail to arrive) does test one's patience 😱 😛

 

[Bobby G]

I bet you don't have hosepipe bans though, Roger!!

 

[Rogerb]

Well, I was told yesterday that we *do* at this time :erm:

However, this being Spain, it may be a rumour, and, even if is correct, very few people seem to know about it, so even fewer are observing it :laugh: