Saxophone beginners Working on songs

[AlonW]

Some recent thoughts about working on songs:

I like to play a song over and over again to study it. I get the sheet music, lyrics, and maybe backing track and learn to sing the song first.

I find it hard to flip through the real book while I'm holding my tenor. So I like to print out a few songs to work on for that day. Sometimes I like to work on just one song at a time.

I don't like using a metronome or backing track at first. When I feel I've mastered something, I might try recording myself with a backing, so I can hear my mistakes better.

I always try to play songs in the standard key for tenor, I use musescore or the real book to find the sheet music. I also like to play the verse of the song if it's available. Backing tracks don't always exist for these parts so I can either make it myself with iReal Pro or just add a beat and simply play it with that.

The final step might be trying to memorize the song and be able to play it without sheet music, something I'm not very good at yet.

 

[wakyct]

99% of the songs I play I learn from sheet music, and I've always had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I'm doing it wrong. I would like to learn more songs by ear, but it's just way faster and more convenient in the limited time after work I have for practice to prepare for class, lessons, jams, etc. with sheet music.

On a side note isn't it funny how the standard 'verse' and 'chorus' got totally different meanings? I guess starting in the 60s/70s?