Sun, Sea and Sax......

[bererunner]

Hi all, hope everyone here is well.....!!
I'm counting down now to my annual trip to a hot european destination, where i''ll chill for a fortnight. I'm not the worlds most avid reader, and i will get round to a little sight seeing, but most of the time i'll be by the pool or on the beach (ain't life a bitch).
I've come across a few bars, and clubs while being abroad that do have live music that goes way past the early hours of the morning, on until 5 or 6 am, and everyone has always been very friendly and chatty, with people joining in when and as they feel like it, so obviously some people DO take their instrument with them.
So my question to you all is "Do i take my horn with me", or am i just being a little sad...??
Has anyone here taken their horn with them on their hols...??

Take it easy, J

 

[Linky Lee]

Yes you take your horn with you!
It's part of your life, just like the wife/partner (If you have one), I assume you'd take her with you too 😛

Saying that I've never been on holiday with my horn before, I didn't have a suitable case.

 

[Saxlicker]

Mine accompanied me to Boston USA once and while I was there I got it fixed up by Emilio Lyons of Rayburn music...AKA the sax doctor.
Great guy!

If you can take it as hand luggage i'd go for it.

 

[sharon]

I'm off in a fortnight and as we are touring France in our motorhome I shan't be allowed to bring mine :cry: Far too noisy in a confined space. Saying that I'll look forward to coming back to it.

Sharon

 

[Tenor Sax]

Great excuse the big outdoors. Park the Van, find a nice remote spot. Especially sitting by the side of a river. Play till your lips give in.

 

[richard_mac]

bererunner wrote:
Hi all, hope everyone here is well.....!!
I'm counting down now to my annual trip to a hot european destination, where i''ll chill for a fortnight. I'm not the worlds most avid reader, and i will get round to a little sight seeing, but most of the time i'll be by the pool or on the beach (ain't life a bitch).
I've come across a few bars, and clubs while being abroad that do have live music that goes way past the early hours of the morning, on until 5 or 6 am, and everyone has always been very friendly and chatty, with people joining in when and as they feel like it, so obviously some people DO take their instrument with them.
So my question to you all is "Do i take my horn with me", or am i just being a little sad...??
Has anyone here taken their horn with them on their hols...??

Take it easy, J

Ok, Ok, Where are you going? Don't keep us in suspense !!! 8)

 

[tengu01]

Take it, take it, take it.

It's the best thing. You have time and leisure at your disposal. Take advantage of it

Where are you going incidentally?

 

[sharon]

😛 Chris - in my mind that's what I'd do (we are staying on rivers). Maybe next year when my playing is better. My husband says he's going to put me on the streets busking when I'm good enough

 

[Bobby G]

My alto goes where I go, and finding a quiet spot or deserted beach for a blow when I'm in Cornwall is a magical thing. So, take it with, I say - you'll only be presented with a golden opportunity to play if you leave it behind, y'know.

Cheers, Bob

 

[Tenor Sax]

sharon wrote:
😛 Chris - in my mind that's what I'd do (we are staying on rivers). Maybe next year when my playing is better. My husband says he's going to put me on the streets busking when I'm good enough

My wife has said I should be on the streets. Trouble is I don't think she was referring to busking.

This Summer I shall find a nice Gorge and lose myself playing dem jazz and blues.

 

[frankb]

I'd say go for it, if...

- You can take it as hand baggage.
- You have a very good case.
- The accommodation you have is fairly secure.
- It's insured.

It'd be fun to have around and, if it turns out not to be appropriate, you can always leave it in the room. But it's not worth exposing your sax to even a moderate level of risk (IMO YMMV!).

 

[bererunner]

Hi Guy's, thanks for your thoughts....!!
I'm definitely going to take my horn with me.
It's my wife's 50th Birthday in around a months time, and i've booked a villa on Majorca for seven days, which at the moment she knows nothing about. I'll be telling her the night before we're due to fly. Up until now she's done nothing but encourage me in anything i've turned to and the Saxophone has been no different, so hopefully she won't mind me taking my saxophone. If all goes well, i'll take it to Greece when we have our family holiday in July. Once again thanks for your thoughts.

Sharon if you read this, how are you getting on with your Tenor as opposed to your alto....??

John.

 

[ochaye_mckay]

John,
good idea, not telling the missus until the night before. Her head will be so abuzz - she won't notice an extra case appearing!!

Dave.

 

[JohnB]

defo take it! be careful that no shifty characters get too close for comfort though... also the airplane people seem to have universal disliking to anything delicate or fragile...

 

[sharon]

Ooo Bererunner you romantic ol' devil you. She'll be thrilled, but a word to the wise, make sure you leave enough time for her to pack a decent amount of stuff for the trip. Nothing worse than being rushed out the house and forgetting your best shoes. 😉

As for the alto/tenor thing. Well if you've seen one of my posts you may know that I have had to resort to a very "Heath Robinson" sort of adaptation in order to play the octave key. This does work and I can now get a decent sound out of it. You won't get problems unless you have the hands of ten year old like me!

I think on reflection I'll probably send it back though. I'm getting on so well with the alto and really enjoying it and when I pick it up to play it just seems to fit me and feel "right". I'm glad I tried both though as I would always have been wondering. Mind you never say never and I may give it another try when I'm more proficient. Now all I need is a decent mouthpiece ........... :whistle:

Enjoy your hols.

Sharon

 

[Bobby G]

Having done it many times as a guitarist, and once as a sax player, I can totally recommend playing al fresco, even unamplified as I was last Sunday - the pleasant vibe, the easy tunes, the sunny weather and lovely surroundings (the ancient part of St. Albans to be exact), marred only by some occasionally excruciating bum notes from yours truly >.<

I've also blown many times in isolated surroundings in the open, I think the best was a beautiful sunny and breezy September day on a deserted Porthcurno beach last year. I did refrain from 'doing a Pete' and actually getting in the sea with my horn though.

Have a great holiday in every way, Bererunner.

Cheers, Bob

 

[jambo]

I figured that this would be an appropriate thread in which to say that I am going away Tomorrow until Friday.

I bid ye all farewell and look forward to reading all your posts when im back 🙂

 

[Lisa]

Is it a pain to get the sax on the plane and stuff? Do they frisk it through security?! you take it as hand luggage? I'd be worried if it wasn't with me the whole time...

L

 

[Saxlicker]

You used to be able to take as hand luggage. Since that day (which I refuse to even type on the web) I don't know if you still can.

It was fun to watch it go through the scanner at the airport, the best description I can come up with is that it looked as if it was made from glass or drawn without colour. The edges of the body and all keys were all solid lines and nothing else showed. The crook was stored in the bell..I saw the bell outline and the neck outline, you picture it.

 

[bererunner]

Well thanks for all your replies, decided to bite the bullet and take it with me. Before i flew i checked with my travel agent to see if there would be any problem taking the horn into the cabin as opposed to putting it in my suit case. They recommended i check with the airline i was flying with. I duly rang First Choice Airlines, who said there would be no problem taking it as hand luggage.
Security at Gatwick gave the horn and its case it a good going over, case was put through the scanner........
Realy pleased i took my horn with me, found a couple of bars where a few muso's gathered during the evening, even with my limited ability i had a great time, but even better than this, my rep/concierge was a classicaly trained guitarist.........needless to say it was a joy to watch him play. We even had a go at "Lily was Here"..........brilliant. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
The Villa was fantastic.......

I'm taking the Alto with me later this week when i go Halkidiki later this week.

You've got to take your sax with you, it's a no brainer............don't forget your books.......!!

enjoy.

John.