Klarinet Archive - Posting 000100.txt from 2000/02

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] How DID you learn saxophone
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 21:24:36 -0500

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000, Daniel A. Paprocki wrote:

> Here's a new topic. Most clarinetist play saxophone. How did you learn
> sax? Look at a fingering chart and go? sax lessons? read a book? Also how
> long did it take you to feel comfortable on the sax? What was the most
> difficult area? palm keys, low register? middle C? Ready, Set, GO!

Way back when I was an ittybitty boy growing up in the cardboard box
under the staircase of the basement of the house two and a half blocks
from Jerry's Bait Shop...you know the place...well anyways, life was swell
and everything was juuuuust PEACHY!

Oh wait, wrong story, hang on.

Ah yes. About five years ago, around this time, I still had this crazy
notion that I wanted to be a high school band director, and therefore
decided to make my life easier by beginning to learn the other woodwinds
before getting into higher education.

(Wow, that was all one sentence.)

I was a junior in high school, and had played virtually nothing but bass
since my entrance upon said high school (by mine own choice, not my
director's), and was currently sitting behind a very lovely redhead in
Algebra II who was no longer in band. Her name was Nancy.

Needless to say, I asked her on a date. (After being rejected by the
blonde directly behind me; her name was Marijo. Josh, shut up.)

Her response was, "Would you like to buy an alto sax?"
"What the..."
"I'm selling my alto. It's been appraised at $400."
"Oh. Um...I'll think about it."
"Good. I'll think about your request, as well."

And with that, she turned back around, and continued with problem 16.
(Naturally, it was an even number; we never got odd problems since the
answers were in the back of the book.)

Two days later, my father, who had just graduated with a physics ed
degree, was now a substitute teacher for the same class. (Not much hope
of getting a job when you graduate in Dec, I guess.) Nancy took the bull
by the horns, and asked my father what she asked me.

"Would you like ot buy an alto sax for $350? It's a good horn in good
condition, appraised at $400."
"Hmm...son, didn't you say you wanted to be an ed major?"

Within a week, a Bundy II in fine condition was now in my possession. She
was christened Nancy several months later.

My band director was kind enough to give me a band method called "I
Reccomend", with which I proceeded to familiarize myself with the
instrument. After becoming vaguely familiar with it, I tossed out the
method after a week and worked on my own, using my little knowledge of
theory and bass clarinet experience to guide me. Although I was already
playing improvisatory bass with my church worship team, I now began to
bring Nancy (the sax) with me. There, a recent addtion to our
congregation named Rich Pacheco began to give me a bit of guidance. He
was primarily a drummer, but a first rate rocknroll saxophonist. His
lessons mainly came with the application of flatted thirds, fifths, and
sevenths.

And here I am today, five years later, now in possession of Belldandy,
which is the infamous SA80II which many of you have heard me ramble about.
I'm now a saxophone minor (as of this very semester), and am a member of a
blues combo in my hometown, and a jazz combo here in Las Cruces. The
hardest range, for certain, was the low area, but it got easier as I
became more experienced and gained better instrumentation (NotNancy, a
YAS-21 owned by NMSU, filled in the gap between Nancy and Bell, as Nancy
needs some repair...NotNancy played much better than Nancy.) Technique
wise, I haven't really aimed at altissimo yet (but I'm certain I'll see
that shortly in my lessons), but vibrato has been a tough thing to do. I
never really attempted it, and over the past year, it has slowly worked
its way into my playing without any concious effort. I don't think about
it when I play, it just sort of happens, and its not particularly GOOD,
but I do like to think it's tasteful. I still have a long way to go.

Never did get that date, though. Dang!

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"If I wanted a 'job,' I'd have gone music ED, thank you very much!"

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