The Titanic struggle with Trixie the Banshee Bugle

[the haunted tenor]

hello good people im an old irish fool who despite no knowledge of music or intruments bought himself a tenor sax on a daft whim 2 months ago and is quickly realizing that all the teach yourself books are written for the alto sax for what im assuming to be a reason that the altos much easier to learn to play on than the tenor ever will
Can ANYONE HELP ME PLEASE ive seen an ESPRIT ALTO SAX on the sax for hire web and im sorely tempted but is is any good does anyone out there think it would be a good learner instrument ?????

Pete Thomas if you`re reading this I owe you a massive thankyou (my wife and my nextdoor neighbours are even more gratefull than me ) for the brilliant start to play sax DVD of yours...i can even make the damn thing growl now cheers Pete i owe ya
thanks very much folks
Jimmy

 

[Jeanette]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi and welcome to the cafe.

If you really want to learn the tenor don't give up so quickly.

There are plenty of books out there that will help. I am at work now so haven't time to look but I am using a book by Peter Wastell for my soprano which is in the same key as the tenor. I believe you can also get it with a cd of backing tracks which will be useful if you haven't got a teacher. I would recommend trying to get a tutor if only for a couple of weeks to set you on the right track.

I am sure others will recommend plenty of good books.

I can't comment on the alto sorry.

Jx

 

[navarro]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi haunted, I`m a newbie myself not tenor but alto.

If you do eventually go for the alto I would recommend the Artemis a great student model. Jeanette is absolutely right don't give up so quickly there are loads of books out there and a good teacher is a must.

Don`t give up the ghost, excuse pun. Welcome to a great forum Regds.N.

 

[MandyH]

Re: Help me please in desperation

all the teach yourself books are written for the alto sax

but if it's just a book, it doesn't matter what sax it is, all fingerings are the same.

Now it if has a CD, then that's a different argument. Maybe you could master transposing along with playing the tenor?? (sorry, no help at all!)

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi Jeanette lovely to hear from you... nope i havent given up on my tenor at all..... determined to get to play along with Fats Domino.... and star (in me dreams)... on the fabulous old riff from Baker Street instead of scaring our cat to death when my wee missus is out and starting all the dogs howling in the neighbourhood
right this minute im sitting here awaiting a lovely lady from Umbrella music to phone me back to see if she can locate an Altone alto for me just seen it reviewed by Pete Thomas... its not like anyone s ever going to come see me play so a wee learner cheapie will do me fine
no i love my tenor and will press on regardless with it (unless or until they come to take me away.....)but the neighbours im sure hate it....just thought that getting a smaller alto might help as it might be easier to learn the fingering and be a bit quieter!!!!
but lovely to meet you and feel free to keep the advice coming
cheery bye
Jimmy

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hiya fellow traveller great to hear im not the only one out here
that sounds like a red indian handle youre using im very fond of that culture myself
thanks for the advice i may just hang on for a day or so and go for an Artemis i shall check a few reviews seems like every one out there thinks im gonna give up torturing all the local Tomcats with my strangulated hernia attempts to wrestle with the Tenor from hell....not so my friend much to the neighbours disappointment i shall be continuing in my gory quest to get something resembling music out of the banshee ridden contraption out the back
how do your neighbours cope ??? are they still on speaking terms or are they like mine ...walking about in ear muffs and nailing planks across your front doors and windows?????
keep on the learning road my friend real good to hear from you
regards mad Jimmy

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi Mandy Au Contraire my new wee friend that was a huge help....as has everybody so far you guys are amazing thanks one and all ... what i really need now is a silencer for the Tenor from Hell ... its great this week because the chip shop next door to our off licence is closed for holidays so im all alone here bar the occassional customer (in an off licence..by the way) so i can screetch away out the back to my hearts content..with no one around.. mind you when you look at the security camera on our front door you can see the look of horror and surprise on the odd customer that i havent seen approaching ...you can see them jump and look round as they must think a jugernaut is just about to knock them down on the pavement between the screetch of brakes and this huge bellowing horn effect from my vicinity and im talking about the tenor not anything else!!!!
any way thanks again for the help and advice lovely to hear from you
regards
mad Jimmy

 

[BigMartin]

Re: Help me please in desperation

If tenor is what you want to play, I think you may as well start with tenor. If you're struggling, it may be that the horn itself needs some adjusting (you didn't say where it came from). Or you may be using an inappropriate (or useless) mouthpiece or reeds. Or maybe you just need to be more patient with yourself. As said above, if you can find/afford a decent teacher, they can tell you straight away if it's equipment problems. Well worth having a few sessions to get you going. Especially as you say you have no musical experience. But try and find someone who really plays the sax, rather than a general woodwind teacher.

 

[kevgermany]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Big welcome from me. I'm laughing already, just glad I'm not your off licence owner. Must be killing his business.

Don't mess around between alto and tenor, stick to tenor for now. Most of the books come in alto or tenor version, but you may need to order the tenor version. Often it's just the CD that's different (as mentioned above). Try O'Neills jazz method. Tom M swears by it (or should it be at it?)


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Method-Saxo...5205/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337175323&sr=8-2

And it's not true - the alto isn't easier to play than the tenor.

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

HEY KEV GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU TOO
maybe you`re right should learn to crawl before i start walking Big Martin says get a teacher sounds about right...as to spoiling the bosses business i think it must be doing some good theres a crowd starting to build up outside everyday
IN FACT THEYRE GATHERING OUT THERE NOW some of them may be under the illusion that they`re hearing the great turbulent voice of the trumpets of the angels perhaps theyre under the illusion the End of the World is nigh and theyre having a great religious experience
NOPE theyre starting to gather up stones and rocks
oops better get the shutters down quick
oh well back to the Tenor from the depths of the lost realms

thanks again for the advice
regards to all but i better get some work done...
Mad Jimmy

 

[saxplorer]

Re: Help me please in desperation

....just thought that getting a smaller alto might help as it might be easier to learn the fingering and be a bit quieter!!!!

I can play my tenor more quietly than I can my alto .... (and the cat takes offense less quickly) ...

 

[QWales]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi haunted, I`m a newbie myself not tenor but alto.

If you do eventually go for the alto I would recommend the Artemis a great student model. Jeanette is absolutely right don't give up so quickly there are loads of books out there and a good teacher is a must.

Don`t give up the ghost, excuse pun. Welcome to a great forum Regds.N.

I'm a newbie myself, only been playing 2.5 years but if you do decide to get an Alto I agree with the comment above. The Artemis is an excellent beginners Sax and a good condition useable one can be picked up very cheaply. I had this and a book called Abracadaba for my first 3 months and found I was playing all sorts of music almost straight away.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

hi Martin great to hear from you i did send a reply all about appreciating the advice and finding it a bit hard to find a sax teacher over here in the land of fluters and drumers but maybe someone siezed it as a bit close to the knuckle or maybe just like on the Demon from hell sitting out the back there i didnt hit the right button .(..Story of my life) whatever happened it didnt appear so just once again Thanks for the great help
best regards
Mad jimmy

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

hey there Saxplorer
this is great.... lately people have been avoiding me for some strange reason ...... perhaps they suspect the dreadfully wheezing bellowing coming from the rear is something is something other than the music of the Gods ....all of sudden ive loads of new pals.....very much appreciated too
thats good to know about the tenor being quieter.... i better just keep on trying to strangle the contraption ive got ...theyre out there about to stone the windows as it is..
glad your cat doesnt take offence neither does ours he just keeps nervously looking over his shoulder in case its the Tom from next door about to make rather unwelcome amourous advances on him ....but im ever the romantic .. all things need love...... KEEPS THAT CAT EXCERCISED AT ANY RATE
thanks again for the good advice
regards
Mad Jimmy

 

[Chris]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hey Jimmy welcome to the Cafe, Stick with the tenor and check out a tutor here http://www.musicteachers.co.uk/search?mode=submit&type=1&keywords=&instrument=saxophone&region=71 I found about 9/10 around Antrim..

Chris..

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hey there Q hows it going ?? lovely to here from you with 2.5 years youre an expert already ... if i keep this up im going to get 2.5 years in a nice secure establishment for being a menace to society .... im starting to get cold feet about the alto theres a lot of people saying stick to the Tenor ....theyre probably just being nice and worrying about that mob thats gathering outside the shop ..... good job we`re nowhere near pitchfork country tho i suspect it being belfast there might be a few guns about......
but when the dust settles i may still be tempted with an Artemis so thanks again and good luck to you as well

pray for me ...that crowds looking ugly ( but it is Belfast so quite a few of them should be wearing bags over their heads...)
did you ever notice that balaclavas used to be very popular over here ....they should have made them compulsory

thanks again but i gotta go get some work done now
regards
mad jimmy

 

[navarro]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi Haunted. If you can avoid it dont buy a damper. I bought one for my alto state of the art £38.00. I have used it once and quite frankly it was a waste of time and money.

Okay it maybe diminished the sound to a degree but no way as much as the advertising blurb stated.

Now here is some advice I know I may be shouted at by many but a friend of mine in Spain gently puts a very clean teacloth into the horn and that dampens the sound considerably, and she claims it helped her develop a better breathing technique and tone.

She now plays regularly in a jazz ensemble called N.O.L. (no jokes please about no one listens.) (Without the teacloth.) Interesting Eh. Regards N.

 

[the haunted tenor]

Re: Help me please in desperation

heya Navarro youre talking about one of those rubber contraptions.... looks suspiciously like some some kind of pervy sex toy...arent you ???? .too late ..... ive already had a lot of explaining to do when the missus opened that little package...... wasnt quite what she had imagined she was getting for her birthday !!!! yeah they dont really deaden the dreadfull din much but they are great for bouncing off the wall to amuse the Dog .... gonna set it on the counter some day to see if one of the local (lets call them people with a great fondness for alcohol...) comes in and thinks its a donut .....actually that could be a great new exercise for one`s embrouchure here chew on this for an hour .... then try out your new reed

brill idea gonna get a teatowel out tomorrow and its gonna rain so the baying mob might disperse as well

thanks a lot N
cheers
Mad Jimmy

 

[Taz]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi mad Jimmy, welcome to the cafe, i'm sure I can hear your angry mob from here! Follow the advice from above (No i don't mean from God, I mean further up this page! ))) Now. stick with that tenor, I'm sure you won't regret it. With regards to getting to grips with your sax, long tones are probably one of the best exercises that you can do, in my opinion. Just play a note, hold it for about ten to fifteen seconds (or as long as you can comfortably) and listen to the note as you play it. Concentrate on making the note as stable and as clean as possible. You'll soon get the hang of it.
Now, as for keeping the noise down, I think the only mute devices that work for saxes are the very expensive ones that look like sax cases. A good way to keep the noise down is to play into a wardrobe full of clothes.
Enjoy your sax and keep up the posts, you've got a great sense of humor!

 

[Pyrografix]

Re: Help me please in desperation

Hi Jimmy,

With your sense of fun and humour, you'll fit in very well here! Stick with the tenor for now, then the alto will be a doddle!

Cheers,

Amanda