Part 2: Progress!

This is getting easier for me! When I started I wasn’t sure how I would progress, but I am happy to share that I am excited with my results!

Treble Clef 

One of my concerns in the beginning was that I would 

struggle with learning new notes and reading them in 

the new treble clef. Remember, before starting the         saxophone I had only read in bass clef, which is entirely different placement of notes. However, I am psyched at how easily I am picking up the brand new treble clef. The last time I updated you all I only knew 3 notes ,which conveniently were enough to play "Hot Cross Buns" (See right)

Notes

Now after just more than a week of practice I already know 8 notes! They are A, B, G, D, C, F#, F, E. The reading/identifying of them need a little bit of improvement. It is not natural for me yet to see a note and know exactly what it is, and which combination of keys to press. This was as I expected. Overall though, I am excited with my progress in this area. 

Here is a chart of most of the notes I know how to play. The 6 circles represent the 6 main keys on the saxophone. When the circle is filled in, that means the player must press down the keys. 

Stamina 

Last week I talked about the pain and lack of strength in my mouth. I experienced this pain because although I use mouth muscles for playing the trombone, the required muscles for saxophone are different. While playing the sax you have to use the bottom lip, as well as the corners to control your sound. Before, these areas would become sore and unusable after around only 10 minutes of playing! Now after practice and drilling, these muscles do not hurt very much at all.

Speaking of practice routine, let’s talk about that!

Routine

Whenever I sit down to play, I always go through the notes I previously learned in order to reinforce them in my mind. I then go back and repeat exercises/short songs that I learned before. Next,  I proceed through my lesson book. Sometimes I get to a difficult song like jingle bells, (yeah I know it doesn’t sound hard, but it’s hard for a beginner. So back off). My strategy is to first take it slow, and assess the notes that are in the song. Then, I take short parts of the song and practice them until they are perfect.

Playing

 Logically, I next add the small parts together to form a whole, and speed the tempo up. This strategy is the most efficient and effective way for learning songs on the saxophone for me. In the beginning of each practice, I work on my articulation of notes. First I start on the mouthpiece, then move to the whole instrument. 

One of my goals was to be able to play short songs. I have reached it earlier than expected. Although it is hard to define a “short song” I believed I have fulfilled the most basic sense of this goal. I have played a bunch of short songs, learning them with the method I described before. Here I am playing                                          "Old McDonald Had a Farm"                                            

I enjoy playing these songs, because it is nice to play familiar tunes. It keeps me interested in playing, and progressing through the book. I also get curious about what songs lie ahead in the book, which makes me want to keep flipping the pages. Along the way I learn new rhythms, notes, and finger positions. 

Here is me playing "Good King Wenceslas" (as much as I can)

Overall, I am very happy with my progress. Since last time, I have achieved my goals I  outlined at the end of my last post. I have improved in every area I hoped to get better in, and If my growth continues at this rate. I will be in great shape by the next time I update you all.

Part 1: Gotta Start Somewhere

Choosing to learn the saxophone was pretty much no brainier for me. When I sit behind the saxophones in jazz band practice on Wednesday nights, I have to admit that I am jealous sometimes of what they can do on the instrument. The sax section always gets the most soli sections (where a whole section is featured soloing together), and it seems to be easy to solo on the sax because the instrument is so versatile. I’m not saying that the trombone can’t do cool things too, because who could forget about the iconic “sad trombone” sound effect.

I come from a musical family where it is valued heavily, so it is natural that one of my passions is music. I think I have the musical capability to learn it, making significant progress in reading notes, learning finger positions, and playing short songs. The materials I need to work on the basics of saxophone playing are easily accessible. My mom is a music teacher and she played the sax growing up. She still has her instrument, and she has let me use it for this project.

 Also, many of her beginning and intermediate lesson books are still in the house for me to use. Yes, some are from the 70’s, jeez 40 years ago when my mom first learned, but they will still get the job done. I have looked through them, and they are at the beginner’s level. I should be able to progress through them methodically. If I need help with my embouchure (mouth position), or other nuances of sax playing I can use my mom as a resource, because she is a beginning band teacher. It is her job to teach kids how to play instruments, including the saxophone. Overall though I want to try to learn the instrument on my own as much as possible. I think it will be an interesting experience to teach myself something as complex as the saxophone.

                                      

 

Last night I took a look at some music written in treble clef. Prior to choosing to learn the sax I think I underestimated how difficult playing treble clef would be. It is a complete overhaul of what is natural to me now while reading music. In all my musical experience I have only read bass clef, and saxophone music is written in treble clef. So basically notes are in totally different places in these two clefs. For example, the note A is located on different lines depending on what clef you are playing in. Since I have never read treble, I will be stumbling over myself when I try to read music. combine that with not knowing what keys to press, and you get a frustrated musician named Joel.

Here is a chart showing the difference in notes from Treble Clef to Bass Clef.
 (Treble being the symbol on top, Bass being the symbol on the bottom)

After school today, on the 14^th, I sat down with my new sax, and learned how to put it together. With the book, and a little help from my mom, I learned the embouchure by playing just on the neck of the saxophone. I was surprised by how much air, and lip strength it takes. My mouth was pretty sore, and it got tired very quickly.

After I worked on getting a nice sound out of neck, I attached it to the full saxophone and learned the finger positions for three notes, B, A, and G. They simply involve 3 fingers on the left hand. I played each note, and tried to get a consistent solid tone. 

I am confident I can expand on my young saxophone skills by my next post. I hope to learn new notes, gain more stamina in my lips, and progress through my lesson books to play longer and more complex songs!