[Dazza]

When I started two years ago I was intent on learning the theory and had more xcel spreadsheets than you could imagine listing all the patterns known to man!. Recently I have been doing a little course I bought on line on improvisation with specifically the pentatonic scale and I realise now why so many people advocated LEARNING YOUR SCALES!

The relationships between the major, relative minors and vice versa are now so much easier to undertand and recall. As in the detail Jeff lays out if you know Eb major you instantly know the C minor by starting on the 6th and drop in the flat 5 and you know another scale. I wished I had spent more time last year/s becoming familiar with ALL scales and their degrees but at least now I realise the benefit and it is paying off now when you simply want to noodle over a tune or learn a tune with the pent scale. The course I am working on implores you to learn to play by ear and drop the dots as they say. This is fun to practice but you gotta hear your scale intervals in your head. I am astounded at how many tunes out there just use the pentatonic scale. Anyway, my main point I guess for beginners in the early years is to get ALL your scales imbedded because relative majors and minors of all keys will have you playing in those somewhat awkard keys so you gotta know them sometime!

[Dazza]

Hey JC. I bought myself a Jazzlab Saxholder some time ago and found it fantastic. It feels like the sax is suspended in mid air. No stress on the neck and all the weight transferred to shoulders. You can virtually hold the tenor in your mouth with one thumb. $70 but allows me to practice for a long time effortlessly.

[Dazza]

I would love you to do your version of EAGLES- Please come home for xnas. Has a easy bluesy feel to it that you could do s nice job with for sure. Has a little solo section that could be fun to play also. Have not found a decent version of this one on Sax as yet. What ya think?

[Dazza]

I find that learning new and sometimes simple things makes me reinvigorated and reinforeces that although a lot of what we need to learn seems so impossible when starting out, it really is just a matter of breaking it down and simplifying it. For example, a few of us chatted recently about learning “harder” scales like B and F# major. So I went off and practiced the F# regularly for a few nights by just slowing playing up and down the scale then jumping from 1 to 5 to 1 to 3 to 6 etc so not just playing straight up and down. I worked out the Blues equivalent by ear and without reference to theory sheets and tried to play little musical phrases in G Blues then repeat in F# and hey presto, it is now easy. As a newbie a year ago I had a mental blockout of F# simply because of the number of #’s on the staff scared me off it. I’m only a 2 year veteran of the sax but if I was just starting again I would concentrate on FULLY learning all the scales equally as well as I progressed. I do believe Johnny stresses this often! Now I know why…..

[Dazza]

Good points Jeff and Michael. I have slept on it and pulled out of my sale of my Yani tenor. The more I heard from the forum and the sax guy in the local shop the more I was convinced I already had a quality horn and a quality MP too! I was convinced to spend some decent money giving my sax a complete overhaul as it may not have ever been done in its 30 plus years or if it has it is probably due again. I finally realised I was trading sideways and not really achieving anything. I will let you know the results of the work once my horn is returned.

[Dazza]

Really? Are we going to go here again! I thought this attitude was a thing of your past. I am of the opinion that any discussion and feedback that helps someone make decisions about the equipment they choose, or otherwise, potentially affects their playing. I regard this site as a Sax community not just an online textbook.

[Dazza]

Hey guys, I know we are getting away from the topic of the thread now so perhaps a new discussion might be in order but if what you (Michael & others) say is true, and we would sound the same no matter what sax we play then perhaps I pick up one of the several Yamaha YTS 23’s that are available around me for under a $1000 and develop my sound on that horn instead of paying $3600 for the RAW. Stephen Howard reviews that he played that horn for 20 years professionally until recently changing, ironically, to a TJ RAW. I have heard some of his Soundcloud clips on the 23 and I could only dream of sounding that great. I am now looking at a Yamaha 61 that is in great condition but it is still $2200. Maybe we get caught up in the brand hysteria and perhaps I save my cash and go with the well made student horn, the 23. I think Johnny has perhaps alluded to this very fact in some threads in the past. Any thoughts Johnny? Will someone who has settled into a quality MP, playing in their first few years, sound the same on a 23 as they will on a RAW or is that a stretch? And Mr Howard also gave your SR a good wrap Michael claiming it is a chip of the old block of the RAW so if only I could find someone with it in stock!

Seems the one I am leaning to is the 61 as a Pro quality horn for reasonable money and only a bit more than I got for my Yani. You might ask, why did I sell the Yani? Experimentation and curiosity I guess. Time will tell if that was a great decision!

[Dazza]

Yeh some claim he sound is brighter on the XS due to the finish. But you’d think it would be hard to tell. Unfortunately the resellers of TJ here don’t have a SR to test drive! Can you believe it. Nor are Yamaha providing any 62’s to Australia at present. Several shops claim they just can’t get them. Very limited choice makes it hard to make a decision. Or more the point, forces a decision upon you if you want new!

[Dazza]

Hey Jeff. It was an early 80’s 990u. I thought it was fine until I had the chance to play a newer Yani recently and thought if I could get my money back (1800) on mine I would upgrade. So I listed for sale and I did. I am looking at the Raw but wondering if anyone has one , has played one or knows if the XS is different to it. Michael any offerings. It’s a lot more dough but if it is as good as people are saying then it will be my Sax for life!! Tell you next week.

[Dazza]

Yeh guys. There are so many great artists of yesteryear like Ronnie that we don’t hear of down under in Oz. Garth Brooks of course. And that other great singer Keith Urban. Oops he’s and Aussie. In fact I had the pleasure of going through school with him. Great singer and musician.

I am officially SAXLESS. Sold my Yani today for what I paid a year and a half ago. Test driving a new TJ Raw Tenor this weekend. Wow. Can’t wait.

[Author]

Posts