Alto Sax Progress

So I took home an alto sax from work because it's the only band instrument I don't yet play. I agreed to chart my progress live on Blogger to show just how quickly I learn band instruments. I already play clarinet so it's been VERY easy so far. Here's where I'm at right now:

10-29-08
9:26pm
Learned Moon River! Ha! I can play sax now! I knew I would be able to learn in one night. :-) Thanks for watching the blog, y'all!

10-29-08
9:13pm
I'm playing normal music now without much trouble...and beginning to get assaulted with spit out the front of the horn. Nice. :-P It's just wetting my hands unexpectedly. Yech.

10-29-08
9:06pm
Yeah. I'm beginning to rock just a little bit. A little. But I still rock.

10-29-08
8:59pm
Wrapping up my supper break writing an email, and I'll be back on the sax soon.

10-29-08
8:27pm
Breaking for supper.

10-29-08
8:18pm
Playing an easy piece of music we play in orchestra and getting stuck fingering wise on ONE note so far. Very frustrating because none of these fingering charts is any good. The waver is almost gone now, still there with certain specific notes. I might break for supper soon, I'm starving.

10-29-08
8:00pm
Playing some stuff by ear to eliminate some of the waver. That waver sometimes STILL gets me with flute but has really gone away since I've started. It's very difficult to get rid of on sax though. This cheap strap that comes with the sax really does hurt my neck like it hurts everyone else's. I'll see what else I can do until it's time to post again.

10-29-08
7:46pm
Playing more Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff, trying to get accustomed to the fingerings and the "waver" between octaves. The waver is a little better now, my fingers just need to get used to what they're doing.

10-29-08 7:33pm
Looked at a few fingering charts, found a really bad one and then an okay one, I have yet to find a good one.
Started playing songs out of an Andrew Lloyd Webber book.
Trying to beat the "waver" between octaves that one can get with flute, oboe & sax.

10-29-08
7:13pm
Successfully assembled instrument, mouthpiece, ligature, strap, etc.
Blown out a few notes and even one scale without having seen a fingering chart yet.
I've got good tone already thanks to the clarinet.

Duluth Symphonic Winds November 2008 Concert

The Duluth Symphonic Winds will perform just for you under the direction of Tracey Gibbons. Only $10! Songs will include:
Batuque (Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez)
Folk Song Suite (R. Vaughan Williams)
Pachinko (Paul Yoder)
"Shepherd’s Hey" English Morris Dance (Grainger)
Hansel & Gretel (Englebert Humperdinck)
Don’t miss it!

Ordean Middle School
40th Avenue East & Superior Street
Duluth, MN