Playing the saxophone Slow music is much harder to play than fast music

MandyH · Feb 23, 2015

aldevis said:
Ignore the clef, add three sharps and you are done.

exactly....relatively easy until someone puts in some accidentals that affect the original key signature!
I always promise the correct rhythm on a first play through - the accidentals may have to wait until i can get my head around them!

aldevis · Feb 23, 2015

accidentals waiting to happen...

jbtsax · Feb 23, 2015

aldevis said:
Mostly disagree with the OP.
Slow music gives more time to think both to the listener and the player.
It can be tiring for the embouchure, though.

The title of this thread could be restated "Slow music highlights areas in which developing players are in need of improvement more than fast music." Plus, in fast music the wrong notes don't last as long. 🙂

Jay · Feb 23, 2015

jbtsax said:
Plus, in fast music the wrong notes don't last as long. 🙂

...but there may be many more of them, including those pesky accidentals!

dooce · Feb 23, 2015

jbtsax said:
The title of this thread could be restated "Slow music highlights areas in which developing players are in need of improvement more than fast music." Plus, in fast music the wrong notes don't last as long. 🙂

Well, you could have couched that in slightly less direct language, but I think you've hit the nail on the head there..... 😎

Tenor Viol · Feb 23, 2015

Amongst the challenges of the slow music is precision (which becomes more important) so that you move notes at the right time. This being even more critical if you are playing in a group of some sort.

Colin the Bear · Feb 23, 2015

I have the greatest respect for ensemble players. A different sort of discipline. Follow my leader.

aldevis · Feb 23, 2015

Tenor Viol said:
Amongst the challenges of the slow music is precision (which becomes more important) so that you move notes at the right time. This being even more critical if you are playing in a group of some sort.

Precision? Slow numbers are heaven for sloppy timing.
Think Miles Davis: on his ballads there isn't a single note where you would expect.

Colin the Bear · Feb 23, 2015

Man! You have to be precise to get them all in the wrong place. Just one right and you've blown it.

Tenor Viol · Feb 24, 2015

aldevis said:
Precision? Slow numbers are heaven for sloppy timing.
Think Miles Davis: on his ballads there isn't a single note where you would expect.

To be honest, I was thinking classical probably when I wrote that, which is where 95% of my experience lies - you wouldn't get much sympathy from the conductor singing one of the fugues that Bach litters in things like the B minor Mass, or Handel for that matter, or Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle, with an independent view of the timing...