Beginner recording What should I work on next?

[AlonW]

I'm a bit bored with myself. What should I work on next?

 

[wakyct]

Composing?

 

[lydian]

Playing in tune and in the same key as your backing tracks.

 

[Grumps]

Find a real rhythm section and play with others.

 

[thomsax]

Find a real rhythm section and play with others.

I also think this is the next step.

I don't play songs (melody lines) on my sax so often. To be able play a solo (8 bars, 12 bars) and to play fillings/riffs is more important to me.

 

[mizmar]

What should I work on next?

What do you want to achieve?

 

[PiccoloPirate]

I'm a bit bored with myself. What should I work on next?

Become someone else.

Perhaps play Oboe or learn to fly fish.

 

[MikeMorrell]

I'm a bit bored with myself. What should I work on next?

Hi @AlonW,

I'm just an amateur tenor sax player. As always, I admire your tone, improvisation skills and 'laid back' playing style. From what I've heard of your recordings, I have two or three (perhap related) suggestions as to what you might to consider working on next. From what I've heard of your recordings:

1. You seem to prefer a soft, 'breathy' (sometimes called 'subtone') attack and decay on most of your notes in the melodies. Relying more on 'breath control' than on 'tonguing' to start and end each note. But much less on your improvs! I've never personally use your "soft, 'breathy" note attacks and delays. TBH I wouldn't know how to! But from what I've read, starting and ending each note using more 'breath control' than 'tonguing' can make it more difficult to synch your notes with backing tracks. So you might want to consider (temporarily) using less 'breath control' and more 'tonguing' to better synch your notes with the backing track. Practicing different degrees of 'start/stop' techniques will IMHO stand you in good stead (whatever your personal preference).
2. Your 'timing' w.r.t any backing track is something you might want to work more on. My impression is that that sometimes you're slightly 'ahead' of the 'beat' and sometimes slightly behind the beat. In itself, this is no problem: vocalists use these variations all the time! But from your recordings, I sometimes get the impression that your choice of whether to be slightly 'ahead' of the beat or slightly 'behind' is not always deliberate but sometimes accidental. Especially on your improvs, So another thing to consider working on is to always to remain 'grounded' in the beat of the backing track (whatever you're playing).
3. I'm not sure whether you already do, but you're well capable of playing in a band. I'm sure that playing together with others will help you (enormously) extend your range of playing styles (attack/delay on notes) and improve your sense of timing with any 'rhythm section'

Hope this helps and just take away what you think might help you. And ignore the rest.

Mike

 

[MikeMorrell]

Hi @AlonW,

@AlonW, just one more (personal) thing:

I started learning to play sax in my early 40's (and I'm now 71). Purely on a whim, triggered by an ad in my local newspaper: "Rent a saxophone for 3 months!".

Prior to renting my 1st sax, I'd been an amateur guitarist for 30 years. Occasionally playing with other people but mostly at home. Eventually, I just got a bit fed up with practicing and playing (Folk, Renaissance, Baroque and more modern classical guitar music) at home. So although I had had no idea how to play a sax, I intuitively felt that if I could learn to play sax, this could be an instrument that I could play with other people in some kind of band.

My intuition proved right, Since then (30 years ago) I've played tenor sax in various amateur 'Wind orchestras' Big Bands and for the past 2 years in a 'Rock/Band' too.

I still very occasionally play bass guitar but learning to play sax 30 years ago has (for me) opened up a whole new world of social and musical interactions. I've learned an enormous amount from fellow band members. And especially from the MD's of the bands that I've played in.

For another viewpoint on the merits of joining a band, I would encourage you to browse through @cappers' blog at Come on now, join the band

 

[Colin the Bear]

Play what you like to play including a few standards.
Find an open mic with a resident rhythm section and give it a go live.

The band will talk concert key. You'll need to transpose. 1 up for you, 1 down for them.

Apart from the mix up with backing tracks you're ready.

 

[cappers]

For another viewpoint on the merits of joining a band, I would encourage you to browse through @cappers' blog at Come on now, join the band

Thanks @MikeMorrell Alon's playing is way ahead of mine so my attempts on that blog are probably not that helpful!

But the principle is spot-on, joining a band and playing with others of a higher standard has been so helpful for me and great fun too. No matter how good a backing track is, nothing beats playing live with others.

I have a long way to go but since joining the band nearly a year ago, my timing, rhythm, control, phrasing, blending and music reading have definitely improved.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I would branch out. Most of what you post here are standards, which is great, but I’d look into do more like the free form track you posted a while back, or just some one or two chord grooves whether modal jazz or funk, pop, crossover. Check out @Wade Cornell’s Wikiloops section here on the Cafe.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

The answer is "yes".

 

[AlonW]

The answer is "yes".

View: https://youtu.be/WL1jHFvmrHA?si=YXM5GeZMyQZNn9E6

 

[JayeNM]

Become someone else.

Perhaps play Oboe or learn to fly fish.

Flying pigeons....or paper airplanes ...is much easier....

 

[JayeNM]

I am gonna agree with the repeated suggestion of branching out to play with others.

I have gotten into some heated, circuitous online convos over the years with what/whom I refer to ax 'karaoke' players. Those whose endgoal is just playing go or performing to backing tracks.

Maybe I could give that some reconsideration....after all, who is to say my goals or my ideas of what a 'proper musician's" goals should be is anything other than just another opinion with no more merit than many opinions ?

Would I disparage a player for learning their axe well enough to play go backing tracks and have it sound pretty darn alright ? Getting to that point isn't negligible....it takes effort, focus, some dedication, and acquisition of some skills....

Just to me, part of the richness of being a musician IS the experience and opportunity to play with others...especially given your instrument of choice really IS an ensemble instument

Can be a scary thing to do but usually bears fruit

 

[skeller047]

Since your thread on Lush Life had so many responses, I’m going to suggest that you spend some time working on your ear. You obviously had difficulty with hearing that you were in a different key, and to me, this is a critical skill.

I suggest tone matching as the place to start. You should be able to hear a tone, from a piano or any other instrument, and figure out quickly what note is being played and match it on your horn. It takes practice. If you have a keyboard of your own, turn your back and pick a note blindly then try to match it. A few minutes a day of this will improve your abilities to figure out where you are.

Regarding playing with other people - this is a great suggestion. If you have the opportunity, by all means do it. If not, maybe you could join an online studio of some kind.

A lot depends on your goals - do you want to perform in public? Or just play at home, perhaps with a friend or two? If you do want to play in public, maybe try to find a jam session somewhere (there are lots of the in clubs and bars). Having heard your videos, you are way better than some of the people I hear at the jams I go to! The trying is the hard part.

Regardless of what you do next, keep on playing, brother. The world needs your spirit!

 

[JayeNM]

Since your thread on Lush Life had so many responses, I’m going to suggest that you spend some time working on your ear. You obviously had difficulty with hearing that you were in a different key, and to me, this is a critical skill.

I suggest tone matching as the place to start. You should be able to hear a tone, from a piano or any other instrument, and figure out quickly what note is being played and match it on your horn. It takes practice. If you have a keyboard of your own, turn your back and pick a note blindly then try to match it. A few minutes a day of this will improve your abilities to figure out where you are...

Good call, yeah if we are talking 'Priorities' here, more important than playing different genres or exposing yourself to ensermble playing...

You gotta solve the ABOVE.

Many ways to do this but even if you are NEVER GONNA play with another human...learning to identify when you are in the wrong KEY...and simply identifying from a rhythm section track WHAT THE KEY IS...

Yeah...that is a high priority for any player...

It doesn't need to be so refined as to be automatic...I mean for me, and most...if no key given I gotta fish around playing the melody a bit to find the matching key, it's not like my ear just hears the track and I can hear 'that is Cminor'. But it shouldn't take more than maybe 20-30 seconds of fishing....

Likewise when I start playing a head in what I understood the key to be (but is not)...takes me maybe 10-20 seconds...8 bars maybe... to really CONCLUDE something is off here...