I like your stuff!

[Don Earnhardt]

Stumbled on your web site yesterday and I really like what I see there. I have played saxophone off and on for well over 50 years, but with a few very long periods of absences. The career thing just got in the way. Retired a couple years ago and have returned to the sax in a bigger way than ever before, and still looking for more. I play in 3 community bands and a small sax-only group. Really enjoying it and trying to rebuild/improve my skills. Have played alto and tenor since I was a kid and I picked up a soprano a few months ago. That thing is killing me. Harder to get a great tone on the soprano, for me at least. Now I’m considering a bari, but have not yet decided if I will make that jump or not. Can’t play them all at one time! I also got my wife started on playing sax and she is doing quite well. She already had piano lessons which made it a little easier to pick up the sax. Already knew the notes on the staff, key signatures, time signatures, etc.

I downloaded a few of your backing tracks and lead sheets. and wanted to point out a couple things to you. 1. There is no second backing track for Careless Whisper as you indicate. At least I don’t see it. 2. Yakety Sax appears to have some repeats left out of the lead sheet, also the copy is not as good (top seems to be cut off). Really, you are providing exactly what I have been looking for – backing tracks with lead sheets. That sort of thing seems hard to find, so thank you for that.

My next project is to find the best “tools” to be able to record myself playing with the backing tracks. I see you have some recording information on your site and I will be reading that information closely. I already have a PC that I can dedicate to music, and a Zoom H4n recorder that I can use for a mic (I use the Zoom to record our band performances and then make CDs from the tunes). I also have a Yamaha keyboard that plays MIDI files and that might be something I can incorporate as well. I just don’t know what I am doing at all in this area.

[john]

First of all thanks for the heads up regarding the backing track stuff. The Careless Whisper info page had an error (fixed now) and so there is no 2nd backing track with sax solo mixed in as it said so you are not missing a track. There was such a track on another song and I must have copied and pasted that part of the info and didn’t make the correction at the time.

I will have a look at Yakety Sax and make any corrections i can. It was one of my very first projects and I can’t believe I was doing things like omitting titles and repeat signs! Well, that was a couple of years ago and a few dozen songs later I am getting better at these things. Let me know if you want to download the copy with corrections and I’ll resend you the link.

I hear what you’re saying about soprano. I found it the toughest as well. Love the feel and sound but getting it perfectly in tune on the high register wasn’t easy and I never did find the perfect mp for it, now mine is gone. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from choosing it as a main instrument, just know it requires a little more time to sound good on it, at least from my experience.

The recording part of it is something I am quite involved in and have been at it for almost as long as playing sax. I’m not too techy as far as engineering goes but I am able to do what I want to do and that’s lay down ideas and record myself on any instrument that I can play. So, for recording I may be able to give you some advice that will help you at least get on your way.
Welcome here and your input and comments are always appreciated.
cheers
Johnny

[Author]

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