Chestnuts roasting in the summer heat

after meeting someone interested in learning how to play (not that i would make a good teacher, but simply to have motivation to play more often), i found time yesterday to hum a few bars.

quite literally, i was humming various songs and trying to figure them out on the sax. sarah ate her dinner outside and laughed with me as i worked through some disney songs as well as some christmas songs. i suppose it is good to prepare for the holidays even if it won't feel like them.

then again, i'm from texas.

still good tone. just a little out of breath. 45 minutes this time.

Afuera

i have to practice outside here, because all the floors are made of tile, and that would just be too loud to handle. it's fun though. to play and have birds chirping with me, or dogs from the other side of our cement fence barking at me. good times.

add 40 min and know that i sounded really good. praise the Lord, i hope to figure out more praise songs soon!

Playing in cordoba

hey hey! i'm a back!

i got to play in our backyard area for 30 minutes today, and i wasn't half bad. and now that the saxophone is fixed, i can play so many more notes! it's crazy. and i love it. but now i'm tired, and i know i should have written in here much earlier, but i failed and now you get a weak post about playing in a new country. oh well.

Jammin

yesterday i took part in a jam session. i brought my instrument, only to realize that my horn overpowers the sound of non-amplified guitars. what to do? well, i would play between songs some, but mainly i just listened. it was nice to at least touch the instrument again, as it has been so long. oy, how travels will affect the ability of anyone trying to improve! praise God though for getting me through a year of saxophon-ing.

add 15 minutes.

Buzzing

my lips buzzed after the 20ish minutes of practicing with just the mouthpiece of the trumpet. i was asked to practice making the siren sounds as a way to control not only airflow, but pitch as well. let me tell you that i'm not very good, so i gave up after 20 minutes. i am determined though, so you'll probably hear more about it this week, especially since i don't have my saxophone right now. awww..

Saying goodbye

thankfully, it's only for a short time. but i said goodbye to my precious saxophone so that it could be repaired. ever since i got it, the neck has been broken. that is, the octave key won't work. i was fearful it would be expensive, however when i took it into music and arts today, they said it probably won't be more than 65 dollars. what a relief!

i did make sure to practice for 30 minutes before turning it in, since i won't be seeing it for another week and a half. sad.

i guess it's a good thing i have the trumpet now :)

Something new

how do i explain this?

i've got a fever, and i'm gonna need more cowbell.

something like that. that is, once you learn how to play one instrument, you kind of want to learn how to play others. i'm not done with the saxophone, by any means, but i've added another. the trumpet!!!

a friend from colorado didn't use hers anymore, so i asked if i could have it. i was thinking of selling it originally, but i also was thinking i could send it off to argentina and see if someone there could play it, or would want to learn. then i met heather, and she is a trumpet major. as soon as she found out i had gotten one, she asked if i would like lessons. the offer was too good to be true, so we had our first one today.

she taught me the basics: from how to hold the instrument correctly, to how to create the right embouchure, to the math behind the sounds, to valve and slide oils. and of course, how to play the classic, Hot Cross Buns. i can now play this song on 5 different instruments, if you count the kazoo!


so i think i'm going to count the 1.5 hour lesson in my total. and maybe going between the two (maybe i should count the times i play the piano too?), i'll hit 1000 at a better pace, and be encouraged to practice even more!

With a vengeance

came back to play (finally) for an hour. if i do the math correctly, which i seldom do, i'm at a total of 109.25 hours.

while i'm a bit disappointed with my number, i've only myself to blame. nonetheless, today was a surprisingly great practice. my tone was still good, and i even added What a Wonderful World to my repertoire. i love this song, as it always reminds me of walking the streets of krasnodar late at night.

also, someone is donating to me their trumpet! i'm going to see if i can send it ahead of me to my team in argentina. maybe someone there can play it, or maybe i can also learn that one! yay for all these instruments! the only thing i'm currently contemplating is getting my sax fixed. i think i can afford it, but i'm going to wait a little bit longer.

Yikes

it's been too long. two weeks in fact. and change.

i could tell because of how much the embouchure struggled to hold while i played notes. but that's okay. gotta start back up, and start somewhere. if i keep pushing it aside (which is tempting when you're on break), then it'll only get worse.

worked on songs i already knew from the book, as well as some disney stuff. oh, and hymns! :)

30 more minutes.

practice en la casa

add thirty minutes.

i goofed around to be honest. worked on the song from aladdin, and looked a bit at the book. i still need help with rhythms, but i believe it will come in time.

also, i'm starting to notice more and more what difference there is with a non-working octave key. i'm going to seriously need to look into getting it fixed before i head out of here.

Mucho mejor

i played yesterday, sunday, for ivn. it was my last week with the church, which made me very sad. it also helped me to play with all my heart, and with the exception of the final song, it all went very well. all the praises go to you, God!

in fact, i talked with carolina and she told me exactly what i had hoped for. she said that while i was playing she was able to focus more on Jesus within the moment. that's really cool to hear, because it has nothing to do with me being a good saxophonist, it simply means i'm doing what i can. i guess pastor victor was right. come with your heart.

add another hour.

At home

i finally practiced at home. just 30 min. part of me didn't know what to do as i don't have the spanish songs memorized.

so i worked on breath control, holding long notes, and a little bit of scales.

Two steps forward

one step back.

didn't do so hot at practice last night with IVN. it's my fault, and i told victor that i didn't have to come on sunday.

he just looked at me and said, "all you need to do is come with your heart." aww shucks.

1.5 hour practice.

Voila

like i said, we had a lot of fun. and the quality of the video doesn't help either. oh well. you might catch me sporting the buddy holly glasses. perhaps even playing when the others forgot their cue.

today i took a break. i hope the next time i practice, i'll be able to go back to the books.

Fun

i can't say we rocked it, but we did have a lot of fun. when i'm not so tired, i'll include the video of Come On Eileen..

2.5 hour practice plus 30 min performance. whew.

Tomorrow is the big day

it's encouraging to hear a music major (someone who will be joining us playing trumpet tomorrow) say that i'm very good for only 8 months of practice. "especially with no formal training."

i would like some formal training. i want to learn a lot more about music, especially when it comes to transposing music. but also writing my own stuff. oh dreamer...

any who, i got about 2 more hours of practice in today. now it's just Chicago that's being difficult, even though it's close. chris says i just need to not psych myself out. ha. i was crazy nervous when i played for ivn, so tomorrow ought to be very interesting.

God is good. God is good..

Almost got 'em

i just ran through every song, focusing on the ones i struggle with more. that is, Chicago and Oh Canada. hmm, just caught that they both are in reference to places. any way. i'm close. very close.

i don't know how much i'll get to practice tomorrow, but i'm feeling more confident for friday. speaking of, i was going over the very difficult rhythm in Chicago. when i got frustrated, justin would just say, "have confidence." my first reaction was thinking of the spanish phrase, tener confianza. my second was that i used to say that same command to an old friend. it's funny how our brains work sometimes.

2.5 hours can be added.

Pooped

three hour practice today. it's awesome. but my throat is really dry. i'm tired. and i want to keep going at the same time because i want to get the notes perfect. maybe i'll just sleep it off.

Redundant repetition

friday's playlist:

Come on Eileen by Save Ferris (i'm excited for abby to rock the singing part!)

Oh Canada by Five Iron Frenzy

Away From You by the O.C. Supertones

Chicago by Big D and the Kids Table

A Better Place, A Better Time by Streetlight Manifesto

so yeah. just working on these over and over and over and over and over.. they're fun songs, and that helps heaps. but my mouth is drying out. more agua!

45 min. 93.75 hours total. the 100th hour swiftly approaches!

Performance + practice

double p.

i played for ivn! which meant an hour of practice before church, and then playing for another half hour.

a small break, and then practice for battle of the bands this coming friday from 4:30-6pm.

so wow. 3 more hours.

i was encouraged because a lot of the people from church said nice (and perhaps too nice of) things about my playing. i was humbled. what a fun way to serve people by.. hopefully.. enhancing the music form of worship experience with my horn. or is it a woodwind? meh.

Part two

ivn practice.

they are playing the southern gospel classic--"there is power, power, wonderworking power. in the blood.. of the lamb!"

don't know what it's called, but i enjoy the spanish version. and the five other songs on the set list. i actually have something to play now, as i'm slowly getting the hang of it. erica said, "que bonita el saxophone!" which made me blush. praise Jesus for helping me understand how to play.

and they gave me a mic this time. hehe. it's fun!

1.5 more hours.

Part one

ska practice.

i seriously can't get over how fun playing streetlight is. it's difficult, but i'll get it. almost got big d's and the fif one. just need to perfect the rhythms. this weekend i think i'll have a little bit of time to figure it out.

2 hours of chaotic transposition. justin: "the alto sax is the one i have the most trouble with!"

yeah, no joke. even randy was getting frustrated.

Two to tango

i went to work to practice. blasted the 5 songs that we're playing next friday in the auditorium speakers and went for it. streetlight, you are hard. but you are crazy fun!!

randy scared me in the middle of this time, because he came in without warning. he decided to join me in figuring out the songs and that was a lot of fun! he's way better than me (he played through college), and yet we have the same saxophone. also, i let him figure out the notes we don't have to fif, because his ear is more trained for that sort of thing. i was at least able to help with the rhythms, since i had practiced the songs a lot by this time.

tomorrow is a legit band practice, followed by ivn. i look forward to adding more time!

1.5 hours today!

3

practice was thirty minutes long. i worked on the ska songs for battle of the bands in two weeks. here's the catch. i have just about used up my reeds that are labeled 2s. i figured i could advance to 3s. easier said than done.

but i like the sound better from 3s, so i just need to get used to them. Away from You by supertones is sounding sick! also, who knew that i'd actually get to play a streetlight song? oh happy day..

Someday

someday i'll be good at this instrument. today is not the day. i got to practice for an hour and a half with ivn again, and loved it. i remembered what my mentor said, "just have fun." and i've always found it funny when teenage boys try to impress the only girl in the room. i looked at the pastor who rolled his eyes. i just laughed.

the good thing is i'm getting a bunch of copies of spanish music for future playing opportunities. the bad is that when i'm there during practice, it's usually the first time i've ever heard the song. so i have to figure out the melody/what to play, play it (tweaking things that aren't right), and then try to remember the song when i go home and practice.

then again, as you can perceive, i haven't had the opportunity to practice at home for the last week.

so.. having band practice tomorrow with the ska band (possibly, i still don't know if i can make it), might increase my practice time this week. seriously, i had it on my laundry list on monday, but didn't get around to it until it was too late (must respect my host family after all!).

the key is, i AM having fun, and it is an honor to play with a praise team. someday i will be a pleasant instrumental addition..

Band practice

hehe..

well first of all, just so you know about the last video where i am playing audrey hepburn's favorite, the acoustics in my room do not help to get a very good sound on those high notes. it's a little vibrato, and down right scary. i promise it sounds better live.

any way. i practiced yesterday with the IVN band (spanish church)!!! it was so great for two reasons. first of all, they were very gracious with me speaking spanish back to them. i got some valuable vocabulary lessons, especially from a wonderful woman named Marina. in general i was able to follow most of what was said too. thanks rosetta stone ;)

secondly, they didn't exactly have music for me to read and play with them. i just had to experiment after listening to them play and then adding either some extra notes, or playing the melody. that sort of on-the-fly experience was a lot of fun. embarrassing at first, don't get me wrong, but i was slowly getting the hang of it. i also made sure they didn't set up a mic for me this time. though apparently Raul says i must have one for next time. aye carumba!

here's the kicker. the final song on the set list, Un dia a la vez. can't quite get away from that song, eh? love it.

una hora mas. 83 total.

Slow and steady

had to go black and white with this one for nostalgia's sake. also, it's snowing outside, so it was sort of done out of boredom. wish that i could be playing outside right now (as in jugando, not tocando) is what i'm trying to say.

that's okay. time to make lemonade. i am for sure playing with the IVN worship band starting next week! and we've picked out the songs for the last ska band performance i will have in colorado. very exciting!

in the meantime, i'll keep working on these sixteenth notes and triplets. while Bill Bailey is sounding snazzy, i can't quite move forward in the book with all the rhythm changes going on. pray for me :P

add another hour to the total.

Texas practice number two

played for an hour for the family (including grandparents). i felt bad for not knowing enough variety of songs, but what can i do? keep practicing.

deal.

i'm past the 80 hour mark. woohoo!!

Back

twas a busy week at church last week. got a lot of painting and various renovating of the high impact room done, which meant i had to set aside the sax for the week. trust me, very sad.

but i'm back, and playing Moon River as well as Bill Bailey. songs meant for either a really great piano solo, or a jazzy little somethin somethin on the saxamaphone..

still working on the sixteenth note rhythm. i find that clapping out before i play really helps. someday it will come more naturally i hope though. i see on the next few pages something called triplets is next. oh boy.

at least i added another hour to my total. so glad to have mondays off!

one--ee--and--uh

thrice in one week!

thirty minutes or so before good friday service. i just wanted to make sure i got some time in, and unfortunately i was too wiped out from the day to get in more time. that's okay

i'm pleased to say i've figured out the beginning riff of Moon River, and i learned high D so that i can now play all of the Entertainer. now it's just a matter of playing well.

wink.

Figuring stuff out

i practiced for only 30 min. i have a video to edit (woot!) and some phone calls to make today, but i wanted to get some time in. it was a good practice. solid tone for the most part, and worked on sight reading with pieces later on in the book.

i also realized that i can play 3 hymns: Amazing Grace, Come Thou Fount, and Be Thou My Vision. i was wondering though, aren't there other worship melodies i'd like to learn? i couldn't think of anything specific, so if you have suggestions, that would be most helpful. i'll do my best to play it for you!

also, stay tuned for the future! justin and i started brainstorming some ska songs to play at a possible battle of the bands. streetlight manifesto is included in the possibilities!!! it's super fun to have more incentive to practice!!!

brings my grand total to 78.5 hours!

Happy birthday dear Nolan!!

how could i resist? i was so happy about my nephew coming into the world on this day that i practiced for 1.5 hours today!!!

For laughs

since photo booth makes it easy to record now, i present you with some improv. lol. yes, it is a long road learning this instrument..

Skippin around

this is bad form. i know it. but i just love seeing what all i can play. i figured out Take Me Out to the Ballgame. after all, it's almost that time of year, so i've gotta be ready, right?

haha.

i'm still struggling with 16th notes. think i'm finally gonna get some help from my boss who can play. he brought it up the other day, and i was like, "oh yeah! you can totally help me out with this!"

welp. my cheeks hurt again. i'm grateful it's after 1.25 hours of practice though. praise God for snow days where i can practice more! now for some juggling? reading? something..

Muy bien

one of those days where i wish i practiced longer. i was sounding really good, and i've got the basic 16th note down. now comes the weird varieties the note comes in when combined with 8th notes. confused? me too. :P

any way. the only thing that bothered me was running out of breath while playing the Entertainer. oh joplin, you are so cool. also started on a jazz favorite known as Bill Bailey. it's an oversimplified version of course, but it's pretty shnazzy.

one more hour! so thankful for this instrument!!!!!

Two days in a week

ole! i actually practiced twice within a more reasonable time frame! i'm wanting desperately to maintain this frequency, however it only occurred this time because my lunch date was cancelled. take advantage, i suppose.

worked on some 16th notes, and also figured out most of Sesame Street Theme Song. twas fun. worked on book one a little, on the more challenging songs at the end. also played Molly Malone, because after all, it's st. patty's day!!

45 minutes added!

Practice update, how generic

i can add an hour to my total! this is the first practice lasting this long in a couple weeks, which makes me both sad and glad. it is clear i need to make more time for this, but i also question how to balance work, support raising, learning spanish, and playing?

perhaps my hope is to at least include 2-3 hours a week until i leave, and then see how much more i might be able to practice while there. it would be a dream come true to get to perform in a band that plays music to bring glory to God. how much cooler if it includes songs in another language?

something to pray about.

73.5 hours. i can almost taste 100 hours!!!

Workin it

honestly, i shouldn't expect much when i don't practice as often as i should, or would even like. again, thankful that i keep a blog to make sure i actually practice at all. so, above, is You're A Grand Old Flag, with two rather blatant errors (and several small ones). it's okay though. at least i got in a 45 min practice!

better than nothing, and also grateful that my team in argentina welcome new instruments! perhaps i'll get more playing time out there!

All to myself

just had a half hour where i played in the house as loud as possible. twas pretty great to work on Entertainer and sixteenth notes. She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain is the song to work on said notes, and i think i'm starting to get it. i keep practicing by clapping out the notes before i play them.

Grrrrr

i haven't had a chance to play in awhile. this makes me sad and angry. perhaps this weekend when i have a house all to myself (house-sitting jobs rock!), things will change.

so busy...

good mornin

i almost forgot to include this morning's entry! i played during morning breakfast time, and i must say it was quite enjoyable. this instrument is just really fun, even if 16th notes are still crazy.

i'm also glad that the saxophone can be taken with me for my next big trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

one more hour, hundreds to go!! 71.25 total.

16th notes are scary

i literally came out of my 45 min of practicing today saying, "my cheekies huwt." i sounded very much like a little girl who was exhausted.

and truly, page 11 and all of its 16th notes--i have so much practicing ahead of me just to get these down. i mean, i know i have rhythm, but applying it to a reed instrument is difficult i tell you!

maybe i'm complaining. i'll get over it. i'll even look back at this post with a simba-like attitude, "sixteenth notes? i laugh in the face of sixteenth notes! HA HA HA!!!"

hopefully :P

Loch Lomond

here it be, thanks to a fixed (for free) camera!

add one more hour to the total ladies and gents!

Two songs

i mean, i worked on a couple other songs. i just focused on two songs for the majority of my short practice today.

La Roca, which is a puerto rican folk song. and You're A Grand Old Flag by george m. cohan.

30 minutes of crazy eighth notes and crescendos.

Soy saxofonista

i wish i was a lot better, but i remember it comes with time. speaking of, an hour today.

ended with playing for my parents over skype. played Eine Kleine Nachtmusik as well as Victory March. dad liked the second one because it's the notre dame fight song. lol.

now my cheeks hurt, and i was a little breath.

A scale

today was an introduction to a new note-- G#. i mean, when i figured out another song, i was playing this note, but now it has a name. so i worked on the A scale for a bit (after having played through page nine in book 2) as the finale of a short, but sweet practice today.

66.5 + .5 = 67 hours!

A broken up hour

got around to practicing today after a breakfast with christy and a long phone call with my parentals.

then, after playing the piano for about 45 minutes, and realizing i'd be talking with jenny in another hour, i thought that i had perfect timing. until she called me about half an hour into practicing. looks like i got the time difference wrong. so we chatted.

the thing is, i sounded so good today! The Entertainer was a hit, except for high C because, well, i just can't hit that yet. but the other stuff i played too, all was sounding good with only one or three squeaks in there. me = happy camper.

so i came back post conversation for about 30 min. only to get another phone call in which i chose just to give up and clean the sax during. still. one hour.

i'm very thankful for this instrument!!

Happiness

i'm back! took me long enough, but i was waiting. and today i felt like God said yes. it all seems so cheesy to an outsider i'm sure, but if you knew what happened this week, maybe you'd get it.

practiced page 7 s'more. also worked from an online website on The Entertainer.

hmm.. my cheeks hurt again. it's a good feeling. squeaked a lot too though, which wasn't great. but then again, it's been a week. or so. and i didn't bring a cup of water with me like i usually do.

my hope is my camera will be fixed soon and then i can share some of my new songs. looking forward to that actually, particularly as i almost have all of the little mermaid song down :)

1 more hour. one hour at a time..

Interesting

i prayed this morning, and asked whether i should practice today. i mean, i really wanted to, but for some reason, the Spirit seem to say that i shouldn't.

i still don't understand that answer, but i thought i'd be obedient.

Alle breve

this means cut time. so when you're reading a time signature and it is a "C" with a line going through it vertically, it is the same as 2/2 time. that is, two beats per measure.

page 8 brought this news to me, and i practiced the rhythms via clapping for the songs on the page. it was helpful to have a 4/4 version of Yankee Doodle Dandy followed by a cut time version. but i literally had to rehearse these pieces constantly to really get it. i have a feeling i'll do the same the next time i practice too.

matching the rhythm with the dynamics (pian, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, and forte) can be hard to concentrate on as well. Lord willing, and with time, i'll master it!

63.5 + 1 hour = 64.5

if i practice 3 hours a week for the next 9 weeks, i'll be at a hundred hours!! i'm hoping for more, but it is getting pretty busy around here.

New reed, new sound

so i learned the value of getting rid of an old reed today. i sounded so much better when i switched it was unreal.

as today has been a glorious day off (post faceplant. very much needed), i decided to practice a solid hour and then go be lazy again. i practiced songs i've been figuring out, as well as the book, and i threw in something i found online too--The Entertainer by scott joplin. pretty schnazzy sounding! i was encouraged by my solid tone, that i didn't want to quit. until of course, i needed to be able to breath. lol.

in other news, the new youth pastor (my new boss), played the sax all through college. who knew right? he said he'd be willing to teach me, so i'm stoked. what an answer to prayer in terms of hoping to get lessons started this year! God is good.

1 hour added

Quick hourish

i wish i wish i had more time in the day!! but as i prepare for the junior high retreat this weekend, i can only squeeze in an hour, or a little bit less. because i need to rest before the start, and more importantly, i REALLY want to visit the burgesses this evening in keystone.

so i practiced. nothing too special. Loch Lomond is almost perfect, and sounding all the more pretty! now it's just time for my camera to work so that i may play it for you! someday..

p.s. never eat a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese before practice.

Pretty

so much has happened today, but i was able to squeeze in 30 minutes. mainly, i stuck to page seven, where Loch Lomond lay. it's quite beautiful really. hence the title. but i gotta jet for a meeting so have a good one!

Yikesabee

i didn't practice either friday or saturday? it has to do with being pretty busy, but i still wish i could have gotten a good half an hour in there or so. oh well. next time. except.. ha. i have faceplant this coming weekend so maybe not. life in the real world i suppose, but i still want to be able to play this well! (living in the tension, i am.)

started off with scales again. i think this is necessary. most bands start with scales, right? any way, my F scale is struggling because of the B flat. just hard to remember how to finger that note sometimes.

after twenty minutes i moved on to the book. for common knowledge, i enjoy playing Wearing of the Green on page 3, which is an irish folk song. and there's Billy Boy, an american folk song on page 4. that's fun. a lot of eighth notes for both of them.

mmm.. i just poured a lot of spit out of the bell of the instrument. doesn't that make you feel all good inside?

working on staccato--light and separated notes--and tenuto--smooth and connected notes--in order to master some of the next pages. sometimes i'd find myself so caught up in playing the staccato versus playing the right note. maybe this is hard because i have to breathe the music versus playing the piano or something. multitasking. lol.

still up to page seven. the new note of high B is a part of the difficulty of moving on, but at least it means i'm learning another irish and scottish folk song :)

one more hour to the mix. puts me at 61 hours!!

Add an hour

i was supposed to meet with a student, but that fell through. so.. saxophone it is!! hooray!

i worked for an hour on the book, starting with about 15 min on scales. i'm only to page seven in the book, but small progress is showing with the pieces leading up to this page. in addition, i'm learning more music vocabulary. the things i probably would have learned in high school, had i stuck with the flute.

oh. and how could i forget? i also played for about 15 min for sharon while she was here. strange moment in there, as i forgot a note in Somewhere Over the Rainbow. for some reason, i just couldn't find it. got frustrated, but moved on.

Book study

today i was very disciplined, and did only the book. it was slow, and steady. it was even a little bit boring. but there are thankfully a few fun pieces in there, such as Grandfather's Clock and Billy Boy.

for a fun side story, i bought some sparkling cider for the new year's. i decided just to keep it in my room, and have been chugging it every now and again. since it comes in a wine bottle shape, i look like an alcoholic. the bottle is also fun to set by my large roll of mentos.

any way, i finished the cider and am now using the bottle for water. so now i'm a drunk saxophonist. or at least it appears that way. :P

45 minutes more.

First day of oh 10

and i've successfully added another 45 minutes of practice time!

i've found a website that has some fun songs on it tabbed out for the sax. i get distracted. but i'm also advancing, little by little, in book two. so there.