The
Squeak
Toot
Blast
Sound Of Music
I play the alto saxophone, a common instrument in many bands. It wasn't the first choice I had when I decided to join the school band. The trumpet was the instrument I first gravitated towards, because of its simplicity. It wasn't too big, there didn't seem to be a specialized technique to playing it, and it was a main instrument in band. However, when I first tried to play it, I found out there was a technique to play it, and I kid you not, it was blowing a raspberry. I had little success doing it, so I turned to the saxophone.
In 5th grade, when all this was taking place, I was a pretty tiny person. The saxophone, in my opinion, was a modest instrument. In my mind I placed it below the importance of the trumpet but above the flutes and clarinets(Sorry guys!). It had a lot of bells and whistles, which was a little intimidating. I took the chance and chose the saxophone as my instrument. The saxophones in our school band were either available in alto or tenor. The tenor sax seemed a little to big for me at the time, so I chose the alto.
My experience playing the alto sax has been one of great enjoyment. I think this applies to everyone, but at first I felt a wave of intimidation and nervousness. The mechanics of the saxophone, combined with having to get the air through the body, seemed like a real challenge. However, I slowly adjusted to getting better at playing and making the music sound solid. Based on my experience, you should be focused on the music when playing a song, as it reduces distraction and mistakes. On the other hand, you shouldn't be thinking about a song too much when playing, as this can also fill your mind too much. I just look at the notes, and play them without thinking too much. This does result in mistakes sometimes, sadly.
When performing, you do what's described above, but you also have to think about another thing: doubt. When you've been practicing a song for weeks, and you're trying to put everything into not messing up, sometimes you hesitate to play a part or two where there's not many people in the background to support you. There's parts where, if you mess up, it's CLEARLY heard, and parts where if you mess up, no biggie. What we sometimes in Band is each person can take a little break from playing for 2-3 measures, as long with other people with the same part are still playing. This helps us relax for a little bit, but for the person who's still playing, it's all on them to continue the performance. So you shouldn't hesitate to perform during a concert or event, because you can learn from any mistakes you may make.
So that's my lengthy, but personal take on my experience playing music. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you also enjoy the memes below.
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