song for my father [ you tube vid

[tomjazz]

Hi i hope to take my jazz grade 2 in Dec/Jan this standard is one of 3 iv selected hope you will have a listen when you get a mo would be good if you could leave a comment or a rate. i still have a long long way to go but i am loving it cheers Tom. oh the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk-Te4Nj-Ew or just type in romeo011

 

[phil_edwards]

Hey Tom, it's coming together nicely. Good use of dynamics, and a good sound.

keep at it, Phil

 

[tomjazz]

Phil Edwards wrote:
Hey Tom, it's coming together nicely. Good use of dynamics, and a good sound.

keep at it, Phil

Thanks Phil regards Tom.

 

[thomsax]

Hello Tom,

I like your style. I listened to all your clips and it's getting better and better. You've made progress!

Keep playin'!

Thomas

 

[tomjazz]

Hi guys/girls now i have just let my wife have a listen and she says that it sound flat and dull compared to the sound track on the jazz grade book also the the backing sounds flat. She also says i am not doing myself any justice by putting them on youtube i sound bad basically can anyone tel me if they agree and if so let me know how and if i can improve on it and should i refrain from putting clips on youtube in future thank you Tom.

 

[phil_edwards]

Tom, don't hold back from posting your soundclips.

I don't know what recording equipment you use, but I imagine it's fairly basic - I know mine is, as that's all I have. Basic home recording will nearly always sound 'poor' compared to anything professional, simply because of the limited equipment.

But it doesn't mean the recordings don't provide great feedback about your timing, dynamics, rythym, and phrasing. Anyway, I like the sound you've got on the last recording.

If you're being compared to a professional recording (which is what you'll have on a playalong CD) then that's a bit unfair and you're not likely to match it for sound quality.

Please don't let it put you off. You're progressing really well, and good on you for caring enough about it to put up a recording and ask for feedback - many people don't like to do that, but you're game for it.

stick with it, Phil

 

[Taz]

Tom, I'm glad that you've posted another sound clip. As everyone else has said you are improving hand over fist. I have to say though that I think in this instance your wife may have a point. First of all don't panic! I think what she has done is to identify a problem. Again I'm not the person to be able to rectify this as I'm not sure what it is. To my ear you sound like you may be playing either out of tune, or even in the wrong key. Could either of these be a possibility? Maybe your mouth piece is not on correctly?
Just to cheer you up after my...hopefully...constructive criticism... if you take away the backing track (therefore removing a tuning comparison) your use of dynamics is really coming on and so is your phrasing
I hope you take this the way it is meant, constructively, and I still look forward to your next piece. Maybe in the mean time you could get in touch with a teacher? A few pointers from a professional may be just what you need?
All the best and keep em coming.

 

[tomjazz]

Taz wrote:
Tom, I'm glad that you've posted another sound clip. As everyone else has said you are improving hand over fist. I have to say though that I think in this instance your wife may have a point. First of all don't panic! I think what she has done is to identify a problem. Again I'm not the person to be able to rectify this as I'm not sure what it is. To my ear you sound like you may be playing either out of tune, or even in the wrong key. Could either of these be a possibility? Maybe your mouth piece is not on correctly?
Just to cheer you up after my...hopefully...constructive criticism... if you take away the backing track (therefore removing a tuning comparison) your use of dynamics is really coming on and so is your phrasing
I hope you take this the way it is meant, constructively, and I still look forward to your next piece. Maybe in the mean time you could get in touch with a teacher? A few pointers from a professional may be just what you need?
All the best and keep em coming.

Pete what can i say when i put a clip on here i know you and maybe Phil will be ready to attack[ in a nice way may i add] being really honest you suggest seeing a pro
Pete] being honest i don't think Peterborough has a pro teacher meaning a teacher that cares more about music than Money. Its not an excuse i may be not suited to music.
But as a an ex driving instructor iv had pupils who are not naturals but as a teacher i have a structured lesson and ensure they achieve there goal in many ways i feel chocked in the sense that i am doing my bit paying my fee buying my books and c.d s and listening and listening to Bird and many more for inspiration. But i don't feel i am getting what i am paying for. Pleas dont get me wrong i dont want sympathy
far from it we all have to work and work hard if we want results. saying all that i will never give up this is what i love and i wiill be known as a sax player good or bad till my next vid thanks Tom.
.

 

[Taz]

Tom, why are you going for grades? This is not a derogatory question, more to find what drives you. Are you hoping to use your grades somehow? I am only asking as I feel that some times people need to relax. Play to enjoy not to qualify. A chauffeur can gain as much pleasure from driving a mini as can I driving an FH12 with a rear steer on the back! Its not a case of the more grades you have then the better you will be at playing. I'm never likely to take and pass grade 1, yet I recon I get as much fun out of my sax as Pete does, and I'm sure he's got all the grades in all the colours!
I hope this helps all I've ever done is to play along to my favourite cd's and added my part as I think it should sound. Not what anyone else wants to hear, just me. Maybe the purists out there will tut and wag their fingers saying "That's just not Jazz" well stuff em all I say. If I likes it I does it!
Keep a good heart and blow your feelings, not the dots that someone else thinks sound good. Play for you and ENJOY
I still look forward to your next one!

 

[tomjazz]

Taz wrote:
Tom, why are you going for grades? This is not a derogatory question, more to find what drives you. Are you hoping to use your grades somehow? I am only asking as I feel that some times people need to relax. Play to enjoy not to qualify. A chauffeur can gain as much pleasure from driving a mini as can I driving an FH12 with a rear steer on the back! Its not a case of the more grades you have then the better you will be at playing. I'm never likely to take and pass grade 1, yet I recon I get as much fun out of my sax as Pete does, and I'm sure he's got all the grades in all the colours!
I hope this helps all I've ever done is to play along to my favourite cd's and added my part as I think it should sound. Not what anyone else wants to hear, just me. Maybe the purists out there will tut and wag their fingers saying "That's just not Jazz" well stuff em all I say. If I likes it I does it!
Keep a good heart and blow your feelings, not the dots that someone else thinks sound good. Play for you and ENJOY
I still look forward to your next one!

Hi Pete, its 06.59 havin a tea and reading your post to my wife explaining you had agreed with her and she says read into what the man is saying [eg grades ect] and your spot on again mateall taken on board and you know i will follow good advice thanks . Well its my anniversary today and iv been told i am renewing my vows on sat [WoW so no more sax til Monday as my house i am told will be full. Tom.

 

[Taz]

Congrats on the anniversary.
Don't let me put you off doing grades if that's what you want, I just feel you seem to be too focused on gaining a piece of paper and you seem to be getting stressed about it. Just play what you want, how you want, listen and copy your favourite artists, play to cd's that don't even have any sax on them. The whole point of this is that when we hear you play, your good. You have a good tone and intonation, your phrasing is improving and you technique is getting more fluent. You probably bought your sax because you thought it would be fun.....so there it is... the reason behind everything....fun
Try it ..you may like it 😉

 

[Pete Thomas]

Big step forward IMO, keep it up.

 

[Smiffy]

Tom, you are doing very well

the good and bad thing about grades is you have to do the scales and arpeggios, if nothing else you need to learn these, pain as they are

 

[tomjazz]

Pete Thomas wrote:
Big step forward IMO, keep it up.

Thank you Pete regards Tom.

 

[chadders]

tomjazz wrote:
Hi guys/girls now i have just let my wife have a listen and she says that it sound flat and dull compared to the sound track on the jazz grade book also the the backing sounds flat.

Hi Tom, I think your playing is very good, and I like your tone.

I also think I know why your wife thinks the sax part is flat compared to the backing soundtrack. I think your playback device ( cd, tape, computer?) is playing the music too fast and therefore raising the pitch of the music a semitone from Fminor to F#minor. Song for my father is written in F minor (concert pitch), The starting bass notes shoud be alternating between F and C, but on the your video are alternating between F# and C#. The sax starting notes are concert C F Ab Coctave. (I think that would be A D F Aoctave played on the sax - ARRGH transposition is doing my head in!!) and that is what you are playing. Therefore the sax is not flat but the backing track is sharp to the sax. If its a cd you are using for the backing track try it on a different cd player, and chances are it will then sound spot on

I hope this is the answer, and that I am not talking a load of old rubbish !!

Cheers
Chad

 

[visionari1]

Gidday Tom from Tropical Queensland.

Just catching up on this post and the replies etc.

I agree with all the advice above, enjoy yourself, why did you start playing the Sax, What do you enjoy about playing, ignore what uneducated other's say about your playing, especailly if it's negative.

I don't know you from a bar of soap, but I care about you and your appreciation of the struggle that is playing the Sax, like everything knowing how you sound is the first step to getting better, recording yourself is incredibly helpfull, to pick up on where your both improving and falling short...look on these as gifts given so you can improve...I'd go as a far as playing for your relatives at the party.... if you can post on you tube, your a star in my opinion (courage mate!) When you listen to this last recording in, say another 6 months, or even 6 years you will be amazed, so enjoy the process, by doing this you will improve quicker and have more fun along the way.

Hope this rant from me has convinced you to absorb all critisizm, use it to your benifit and to blow sound from the heart and soul of your Sax.....

I find to just briefly re-connect with the joy of playing the sax as I put my sax strap on, really works for me!

Gratitude is the attitude!

cheers

Jimu

 

[AndyW]

Chad is correct.

Your playback track is a semitone sharp.
[ i.e. in totally the wrong key ].

-A-

 

[tomjazz]

Hi just like to say thank you for all your comments it all helps ,What a great site . Tom



visionari1 wrote:
Gidday Tom from Tropical Queensland.

Just catching up on this post and the replies etc.

I agree with all the advice above, enjoy yourself, why did you start playing the Sax, What do you enjoy about playing, ignore what uneducated other's say about your playing, especailly if it's negative.

I don't know you from a bar of soap, but I care about you and your appreciation of the struggle that is playing the Sax, like everything knowing how you sound is the first step to getting better, recording yourself is incredibly helpfull, to pick up on where your both improving and falling short...look on these as gifts given so you can improve...I'd go as a far as playing for your relatives at the party.... if you can post on you tube, your a star in my opinion (courage mate!) When you listen to this last recording in, say another 6 months, or even 6 years you will be amazed, so enjoy the process, by doing this you will improve quicker and have more fun along the way.

Hope this rant from me has convinced you to absorb all critisizm, use it to your benifit and to blow sound from the heart and soul of your Sax.....

I find to just briefly re-connect with the joy of playing the sax as I put my sax strap on, really works for me!

Gratitude is the attitude!

cheers

Jimu