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..