Hello guys! This is the last official blog, as our 20-Time Project is winding down with the end of the year. Now is the time to reflect on the process that I went through...
My original goal was to be able to play marching band songs by the end of 20-Time. My project took a slight shift in direction. Towards the end of 20-Time, I focused more on concert pieces like Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls" from Pirates of the Caribbean. Although I did not learn all of the marching band songs this year, I am satisfied with how I progressed.
One of the biggest difficulties I have had is the change in embouchure from the trombone to the saxophone. With the trombone, I blow air into a mouthpiece outside of my mouth, but for the saxophone the mouthpiece is inside the mouth. This variance caused me to have difficulties playing some of the high notes for saxophone. This was also one of the reasons that I switched to concert music; it has less high notes.
What I enjoyed most about the project is how it allowed us to explore a topic that interested us, and explore it without limits. I was able to move at my own pace and control my project, rather than follow a set of guidelines. Learning to play saxophone has allowed me to improve my skills on the trombone, such as articulation and timekeeping. I am glad that I got the chance to explore on my own, and I hope I can apply what I have learned to my musical knowledge.
If I were to give advice to other students planning on doing 20-Time, it would be to choose something that interests you, something that is new, and something that you think you'll love. This will make it a lot easier to stay motivated when the project reaches an obstacle. It will also make the project mean more to you. I am glad that I chose to play saxophone, and it has opened my eyes to the challenges of different types of instruments. I believe that I am a better musician because I now understand how each instrument fits into the band to make one amazing sound.
I believe that I will continue to learn saxophone throughout the summer. As of now I am planning to work more on concert pieces instead of marching band pieces. The reason for this is that I can play the concert songs with a better tone because I do not have to strain to hit high notes.Although I will be busy during the summer, I hope I can find the time to improve myself as a saxophone player and a musician.
I would like to thank anyone that followed me on my journey, and I hope to post during the summer, but with less regularity due to summer activities.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
A Slight Shift in Direction
Hello again! Luckily I have found more time to practice saxophone over the past two weeks than I have had in previous weeks. I worked some more on the fight song and September. I have improved on both pieces, however I have experienced a little bit of difficulty articulating the fight song when I try to play it quickly.
When playing the saxophone, the tongue is supposed to touch the edge of the mouthpiece. Usually I have to remind myself to do this because I am used to articulating by my teeth (for trombone), not further back in my mouth. This occasionally slows me down, but not too much.
Because I forgot to post this last time, here is a photo of me at the project fair:
This past week we had a band concert, and one of our bands, Gold Band, played Phantom of the Opera. This reminded me of when I played the song in 8th grade. I still remembered the trombone part, but I wanted to try the saxophone part for the song. The part I am playing has a flat, but I am not too worried about missing any notes.
Here is a link to a version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMNC4jqwJUc
I also remembered a part from Pirates of the Caribbean called "Medallion Calls". We played this last year in symphonic band, and it was one of my favorite parts in the spring concert.
Here is a link to the sheet music I will be using: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0138030
On top of practicing the marching music, I would like to play these two songs because I enjoyed playing them on trombone, and want to give them a try on saxophone. I will continue to work on some of our marching band music, but I would really love to be able to play Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls".
Unfortunately I only have one in-class day of 20-Time left. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn the saxophone, and am currently deciding whether or not to continue playing it over the summer. My goal for next week is to continue to play the fight song as well as Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls". I hope I can finish learning them before the end of 20-Time.
When playing the saxophone, the tongue is supposed to touch the edge of the mouthpiece. Usually I have to remind myself to do this because I am used to articulating by my teeth (for trombone), not further back in my mouth. This occasionally slows me down, but not too much.
Because I forgot to post this last time, here is a photo of me at the project fair:
This past week we had a band concert, and one of our bands, Gold Band, played Phantom of the Opera. This reminded me of when I played the song in 8th grade. I still remembered the trombone part, but I wanted to try the saxophone part for the song. The part I am playing has a flat, but I am not too worried about missing any notes.
Here is a link to a version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMNC4jqwJUc
I also remembered a part from Pirates of the Caribbean called "Medallion Calls". We played this last year in symphonic band, and it was one of my favorite parts in the spring concert.
Here is a link to the sheet music I will be using: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0138030
On top of practicing the marching music, I would like to play these two songs because I enjoyed playing them on trombone, and want to give them a try on saxophone. I will continue to work on some of our marching band music, but I would really love to be able to play Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls".
Unfortunately I only have one in-class day of 20-Time left. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn the saxophone, and am currently deciding whether or not to continue playing it over the summer. My goal for next week is to continue to play the fight song as well as Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls". I hope I can finish learning them before the end of 20-Time.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Moving Closer...Somewhat
Hello! I'll have to admit, I haven't made much progress over the past week. The reason for this is that I have spent most of my time studying for the AP tests that I have both this week and the next. Although I have not practiced the saxophone very much, I did manage to get in about an hour of playing.
I was somewhat rusty after not having played for a few days, so I'll try to get some more playing in over the next couple of weeks. I worked primarily on September, one of the marching band songs that we played this year. I think I have gotten the chorus and the opening down, but I'm not sure I'll be able to play some of the high notes. Attempts to play these notes usually don't end up too well - they would be more appropriate in a guess-the-animal-sound game! In the future, I will try playing the second saxophone part, which has lower notes than the part I was playing. This should help me to play with a better tone because I will not have to struggle to play any high notes.
Here's a video of our band playing September this past year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gciPuKIcPp0
Over the next week I plan to spend some more time learning, practicing, and memorizing some more marching band songs as well as continue working on September. I'm not sure which song I will choose next, but I will do that soon. I will also review some of the sharp notes and flat notes so that I can play them without having to think of which note they are.
I was somewhat rusty after not having played for a few days, so I'll try to get some more playing in over the next couple of weeks. I worked primarily on September, one of the marching band songs that we played this year. I think I have gotten the chorus and the opening down, but I'm not sure I'll be able to play some of the high notes. Attempts to play these notes usually don't end up too well - they would be more appropriate in a guess-the-animal-sound game! In the future, I will try playing the second saxophone part, which has lower notes than the part I was playing. This should help me to play with a better tone because I will not have to struggle to play any high notes.
Here's a video of our band playing September this past year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gciPuKIcPp0
Over the next week I plan to spend some more time learning, practicing, and memorizing some more marching band songs as well as continue working on September. I'm not sure which song I will choose next, but I will do that soon. I will also review some of the sharp notes and flat notes so that I can play them without having to think of which note they are.
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