Yes, life as a Saxophonist. It's harder than you think. You see, we can't just press down on a fret and pluck a string, no, we have to hold down anywhere from no keys, to 9 keys, adjust the ombishure, and tongue, or slur notes. All of this has to happen at once. It's actually a pain in the ass sometimes. And then when any part of your saxophone fucks up, it stops working. If you chip a reed during a concert, you squeak like hell, and have to replace your reed. With that said, new reeds taste like shit, and we have to put these things IN OUR MOUTHS!
Sometimes you chip a reed and get a sliver in your lip or tongue. Sometimes we drop our ligatures, and step on them by mistake. Sometimes we chew on the top of the mouthpiece, and the result is having to replace it. A new mouthpiece costs MORE THAN $100 FOR A FUCKING PIECE OF PLASTIC! Reeds? Well, you're gonna pay $30 per box for a decent brand..and then there's chromatic scales. Going up is harder than going down, and usually it's the opposite way around. People with small hands have trouble reaching some of the keys (Especially on my Saxophone, a Tenor).
However, it's not all bad. We get awesome harmonies, beautiful legato phrases, and all that Jazz. Speaking of Jazz, we get to play the best parts of Birdland and The Chicken. Saxophones get awesome solos too. They can be up-tempo (Born To Run), or emotional (Jungleland), they can also be very 80's...ish (Urgent). We're often the most respected members of a Jazz band, and usually the most fun people (They say the instrument you play signifies who you are). Saxophones, unlike guitars, are something really special when they come in less common colors (For example, my pewter colored saxophone).
Saxophone is a great instrument, and I strongly urge anybody on UG who has an interest in learning new instruments to learn the Saxophone.
i know a boy with a blue saxophone with gold keys, and with a black tenor. really really black with gold embossing <3 i wish i could play saxophone better than i can
:O Whaaat?! I'm so jealous...I've got a black Saxophone (I just realized I don't even have a picture of it on here...), but it's just got black keys too. I'd LOVE to have gold keys on it. Silver would also be really nice.
Saxophone doesn't have quite the range of guitar but IMO theres a whole lot more you can do with the tone of a note - first and fore most beign that it's harder to get a tone you like ;)
Also, its easier to bend down (instead of up like on a guitar)
Good read, thanks for taking the time to write it out.
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Life as a Saxophonist: Issue 1 blog
