Playing the saxophone Why do you play saxophone? Some thoughts.

[Targa]

Well thank you, Sir, for reiterating the wide-spread use of a system that no engineer of any intelligence would ever design.
Much appreciated 😉

On the contrary, I think it argues for an intelligent engineer who liked having a bit of a laugh.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Neil hired my band to play at the Hayden Planetarium, long ago.
After finishing he said, "my Saxophone improv, was out of this world."
When I said, "thanks", he added, "as soon as you go back to whatever planet you came from, in time, the Earth, and all living creatures, might recover". 😱

 

[Grumps]

... I think it argues for an intelligent engineer who liked having a bit of a laugh.

When you meet one, do let us know.

 

[Targa]

When you meet one, do let us know.

 

[skeller047]

The most intelligent engineer I ever met was a systems admin in my group. He was so good that the security team soon came and poached him (we did the systems monitoring for about 3000 servers). He left the company about 6 months later, and went free lance.

He had a wry sense of humor, and a realistic understanding of his place in the world. He referred to himself (and had the company put on his business card), as a "Systems Janitor". He kept our monitoring computers clean and free of dirt.

 

[LostCircuits]

He was so good that the security team soon came and poached him (we did the systems monitoring for about 3000 servers). He left the company about 6 months later, and went free lance

Isn't that what always happens, you build a team and allow co-workers to be good at what they are doing and next thing you know you are the envy of the forces that be and they poach your staff. Happened to me in every job where I was manager. And, just like in your exaple, they all quit within a 6 months time.

 

[Grumps]

View attachment 35667

Now you've done it... put up a reminder of my ex-wife's favorite show. I've only caught a couple episodes, but the laugh track was most helpful in letting me know what was supposed to be funny.

 

[cappers]

I too was interested to read why people chose to play the sax
So far 127 replies, of which only about ten address @AlonW 's original question!

To get back on topic, was it the sound, the comparative ease of learning, its versatilty, the emotion it can express, its similarity to the human voice, or like...

My dad told me I couldn’t so that confirmed it for me, and I took up the saxophone.

 

[mizmar]

The most intelligent engineer

Also, for example

Nobel laureate Simon van der Meer is down as a physicist but graduated as an engineer and one could argue that he did Nobel level engineering

 

[Gvdnberg]

When I started I was very fond of the clarinet. But as soon as I joined the woodwind band and got the chance to change to alto saxophone, I took that chance and switched. Then after about 6 years I had to stop because I failed my examination at secundary school. My father allowed me 2 the 3 things I did beside school: Gliding (soaring), ballroom dancing and playing the saxophone.
And by entering military service I also gave up dancing and gliding.
Now 50 years later I had the opportunity to buy a beautiful Yamaha Alto saxophone YAS-62 (first series, just after Pruple Logo; 1992)
And I am playing again, I have a classical teacher, I play in a small woodwind band and I am trying to regain my currency on the instrument.

 

[Digger2054]

When I was at school I heard you could get out of lessons for 15 minutes a week for music lessons. I didn't even know what a saxophone was. My grandad was a Royal Marines Bandsman and I kind of stuck with it.

When I moved house I started again, started lessons, and now I play as an escape. It's my time, and when I'm playing everything else leaves my mind, I just concentrate on playing.

Playing with the orchestra, when there's a solo, or 'big part', I get that nervous excitement, that I used to get racing sidecars, sat there waiting for the lights to go out, it's coming whether you're ready or not.

One day I'd like to be able to spontaneously join in and play with other musicians, just making music in the moment... still a LONG way to go!

 

[John Laughter]

In 1956 Rock & Roll and R&B was sweeping the nation. Top 40 hits were on the radio, jukeboxes, TV, movies and we were spinning the 45rpms. So many of the Top 40 hits featured a sax solo or sax section. In the summer of 56 I heard "Honky Tonk" Parts 1 & 2 by Bill Doggett on the radio. That did it for me. I got on my bicycle and rode to the local high school and signed up for 7th grade band. The band director loaned an old 40s alto sax to me to join.

 

[LostCircuits]

I don't remember whether I ever actually answered the question - a bit of a dicey topic but here it is.
After 30 years of marriage, I came back from my mom's funeral in Munich to catch my (ex) .... use your fantasy or watch some OnlyFans
Next thing I knew was getting handed some papers.. accusing me of hallucinating and making up things that never happened
After that things got worse (believe it or not)
A year later, 5 days away from the finalizing of the divorce, I happened to see an ad on Craigslist for an Indiana alto.

I had never played any wind instrument before but I needed a life changer.
The instrument was a complete dud, the guy who sold it was a self-proclaimed sax teacher and what he told me was: Remember, on a saxophone there is only one fingering for every note
Apologies to all real sax teachers out there but 5 minutes of YouTube with BetterSax taught me more than the "free" hour of what I got from that guy.

(Nicolas Cage face here: ) The rest is history and the jury is still out whether it was a curse or a blessing that I picked up a sax and started playing.

 

[nvilletele]

“the jury is still out whether it was a curse or a blessing that I picked up a sax and started playing.”

The story of my (sax) life in one sentence. Well said.

 

[cappers]

curse or a blessing

When I took it up I thought it would be a past-time, a hobby in retirement.

I enjoy it so much it has almost turned into an obsession and takes up most of my time now.

It has been difficult, incomprehensible and frustrating at times, but as a whole the past year and a half have flown by and I have not been as contented, fulfilled and as happy for years. I'm sure it has been beneficial for my mental, physical and respiratory health as well.

 

[mark_addy]

I'm sure it has been beneficial for my mental, physical and respiratory health as well.

A bloke called Ben Davis wrote a book in the 30s called The Saxophone, quoted here of all places. I think it's from the 30s - my copy is annotated 'from Pat to darling Ron, Sep 2 1939'. That date gives me a wry smile - 'f*ck it, the world is ending, might as well learn to play the saxophone' 🙂 More seriously, I guess there's a lot of hope in that gift.

Anyway, your comment gives me the opportunity to share that on p35 Mr Davis relates that 'At this point I would like to dispose of an oft-repeated fallacy - that saxophone playing is injurious to health. Nothing is further from the truth. Many hundreds of people suffering from lung trouble have played their way to health on a wind instrument. There is even an institution in the Catskill Mountains of America which encourages lung patients to play instruments. Dr Rogers, the famous American health specialist and statistician, has stated that the average life of professional woodwind players is 69.1 years'.

How times change. I wonder if Ron made it through the war to 69.1. It's possible he lived rather longer - I bought it in an Oxfam around the millenium.

(Davis also states - sounding perhaps a little 'touchy' - that '...I would like to deal with a question which is often put to me - whether false teeth are inimical to saxophone playing. I can answer this is a very few words. (my note: - just two, involving sex and travel? sorry...) They make not the slightest difference...Many of the world's star players have false teeth.' 🙂 )

 

[mark_addy]

Extra note on Ben Davis and 'The Saxophone'. Here is a link to some more info on Davis - played alto for Jack Hylton, set up the Selmer London franchise in 1929 (one year after Selmer took over Adolphe Sax), moved to Moor St in 1935 (same street as my Lewin alto oddly enough; his book references Selmer's HQ here as 'Davis House' so clearly he was head honcho) and they apparently moved again in 1937 - so looks like the typesetting for the book happened between those dates.

Somewhere I have a tiny (3"?) 78 rpm promo disk which I think is for the Jack Hylton band, worn out on acoustic sound boxes but still playable. If I remember right it contains some spoken word, maybe from the man himself, and a kind of cut-glass RP 'let's hit it boys' to introduce the playout which always made me smile.

 

[thomsax]

I too was interested to read why people chose to play the sax
So far 127 replies, of which only about ten address @AlonW 's original question!

To get back on topic, was it the sound, the comparative ease of learning, its versatilty, the emotion it can express, its similarity to the human voice, or like...

My dad played danceable jazz, standards, schlagers in different orchestras. He was autodidact/selftaught. I wanted to do the same journey as he had done 30 years.

My sister listened to blues, R&B and soul in the mid 60's. Lots of good music with horns came from my sisters room. Stax, Motown, Chees .....

John Fogerty (CCR) and Bobby Keys (Rolling Stones) played some sax on records I used to listen to. Some years later (1973) I heard Clarence Clemons for the first time.

I was stuck in the thing we call Rock & Roll Saxophone. It was not easy to be a naive countryboy and Rock & Roll Saxophone nerd. I often heard that I was too much.

Still honking Rock & Roll Saxophone. Searching for new muscians who can join me in a pubrock band. I love high energy, few chords, pentantonic scale, high volume .....