for your VINformation

I broke up with my sax teacher.

Not because he’s a bad teacher, far from it, but due to the fact, last month was so tight money-wise and with trying to play catch-up this month – living month to month with no cushion is awesome, thanks George Bush! – I just can’t crunch the numbers.

Giving up my teacher does not mean I’m giving up the instrument. I really enjoy playing and it with all the practice, my music theory skills are slowly coming back.

I tossed and turned the night before; going over  the numbers over and over to make it work, but no matter how I moved things around I just couldn’t make it happen. I felt the need to do it in person which was harder than expected. He took it quite well, and we sat and talked for a short time. I feel badly for taking money out of his pocket, but I need to put cat food on the table…

But fear not, gentle reader, I am not going to abandon Helen Reedy; I’m gonna keep on a blown’ that horn!

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I love Helen Reedy,  my saxophone…. …but, hate the fact I can’t get through my music theory mental block.

I love the sounds that emanate from her belly as I blow gently onto her mouth… …but hate that I’m not grasping the subtle tonguing necessary to make her coo.

I love the way she moans…. …but hate that I can’t make her wail.

My teacher has seen in me a great deal of improvement and I’m very happy with my progress, I’m certainly not going to quit lessons – I have so much fun – but I don’t think I’m going to be playing in a marching band anytime soon either…

I will be making my Sax Debut on December 7th during Tom and my Last Piece of Cake at the Duplex – details to follow…it’ll be a sight to behold and a feast for the ears, I’m sure!

Random Thought One:

    I named my SAX – Helen Reedy – I think it’s a perfect name!

                                                Here’s Helen!

Random Thought Two:

    Playing the Sax is starting to add up…

• Since I’ve started this new hobby, I’ve rung-up a bill.
• Helen was a great bargain at only $152.00 – eBay.
• A new mouthpiece – $107.00
• Reeds – $20.00
• Floor stand – $14.00 – eBay
• Soft case – $35.00 – eBay
• Repairs – $80.00

• Total – $408.00 – still less than a new saxophone would’ve cost and all but a few bucks of eBay money!

    Of course, that’s not counting the lessons.

Random Thought Three:

    I got advice from my friends in the Gay and Lesbian Marching Band on who to bring Helen to for a tune up. Bill Singer.

    A recommendation is given. he was awesome, changing pads and banging out dings and straightening out keys – there is still some work to be done, but for now, my little Helen Reedy is near perfect!

Charlie Parker* has nothing on me!

I may have come to it late in life, but the saxophone and I are already fast friends.

I had my first lesson, I learned how to set the darn thing up, I learned the proper aperture to make sound come out of the horn and I learned C, B, A & G – the four notes you need to play anything! I do have a habit of jumping up the octave, but the control will come with time.

My instructor, Benjamin Drazen, said I was a natural – of course, he probably says the same thing to all his students…but it made me feel as if this won’t be a waste of my time. I used to play the violin and the cello in elementary and Jr High School and was able to read music, my music theory, since then, has not been great – a mental block was erected in collage while I struggled with learning how to properly sing. I hope that comes back.

The next day, I went and bought a new mouthpiece as recommended and reeds. Over a hundred dollars later…it was a little more expensive than I thought it was going to be, but I must do what one must do for their art. And anyway I used eBay money.

Now I wish I still had my collapsible music stand…

*I will never be as good as Charlie Parker, this is a joke.

Today is my first Sax lesson.

I’m excited, well, excited and scared…

I’ve a secret I’ve been harboring for some time now. I’ve always wanted to be a jazz saxophonist!

I’ve never shared this with anyone, but, I would walk past the brass instrument stores in the Theatre district and stare longingly at the shiny horns and picture myself sitting on a moonlit fire escape wailing the blues.

When I would pass the pawn shop on 8th & 40th or the creepy "junk" store on West 4th St. I’d imagine standing on a street corner, New York, New York floating in the air and a hat full of coins at my feet…

Well, I went ahead and did it, I bought a Sax – now I need to learn how to play it!

As my faithful readers know, I’m running some eBay auctions for the theater company I’m a member of, The Emerging Artists Theatre and one of the donations was a used Selmer Bundy II Alto Saxophone.

The description, from the former owner:

Perfect for a beginner.  Saxophone, neck, neck-strap, ligature, 2 reeds, mouth piece, and carrying case all included. There are some scratches on the bell of the horn and on the carrying case, but the saxophone is in complete working order.

I guess it was a little wrong of me to bid on something I put up myself – it’s a little insider-trading-like, since I knew what the reserve price was – but, I didn’t bid on it until after it had reached the reserve price, so I don’t think I’ll be spending time in Federal prison…

Now, I need to find an inexpensive instructor who’s willing to take on a 40 year old 35 year old student with a dream and not much else.