half diminished
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,293
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
I've been playing sax for almost 3 years and honking a bit of jazz since July 2008. My teacher reminded me that I only really started working the changes properly about a year ago. I can play lots of standards and maybe a dozen or so by ear without music.
My improvising is coming along albeit slowly - I'm told it's pretty musical though it mostly follows a linear direction around a key centre and the old II, V7 I progression is not my strong point but Karen tells me I play mostly the best notes though I seem to have an unnatural attraction to playing the 4th too often and on the upbeat! At least I can hear it now!
So my question is this.......... am I now a jazz musician or still some bloke who plays some jazz music on his sax?
In support of my claim, I can reveal that like most of the great jazz saxophonists (and that's the only comparison I am making ) I have developed an addiction though rather than to drugs or alcohol it's tunes. Almost every time I hear a great jazz tune I think either "I can play that" or if it's a rather difficult one "I'm going to try to play that". And my addiction is getting worse!
Just this morning I hear Boston Bernie (Dexter Gordon) for the first time and already I'm trying to play it. I have the dots in an Aebersold book I have and it's a bit fast for me but I'm getting there!
What's the considered opinion at the Cafe? Am I a jazz musician or some bloke who plays jazz on a sax?
My improvising is coming along albeit slowly - I'm told it's pretty musical though it mostly follows a linear direction around a key centre and the old II, V7 I progression is not my strong point but Karen tells me I play mostly the best notes though I seem to have an unnatural attraction to playing the 4th too often and on the upbeat! At least I can hear it now!
So my question is this.......... am I now a jazz musician or still some bloke who plays some jazz music on his sax?
In support of my claim, I can reveal that like most of the great jazz saxophonists (and that's the only comparison I am making ) I have developed an addiction though rather than to drugs or alcohol it's tunes. Almost every time I hear a great jazz tune I think either "I can play that" or if it's a rather difficult one "I'm going to try to play that". And my addiction is getting worse!
Just this morning I hear Boston Bernie (Dexter Gordon) for the first time and already I'm trying to play it. I have the dots in an Aebersold book I have and it's a bit fast for me but I'm getting there!
What's the considered opinion at the Cafe? Am I a jazz musician or some bloke who plays jazz on a sax?