New Year's Musical Resolutions

Gandalfe

Gandalfe

Striving to play the changes in a melodic way.
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Happy New Years everyone. I'm not much into New Year resolutions but I was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish musically this year.
1. Learn to play 'O Sole Mio' on mandolin for Dad.
2. Continue work on learning to read changes.
3. Improve the sound on my tenor, my weakest instrument and the one I'm forced to play the most because everyone seems to have an alto.
4. Sub 4 times this year.
5. Keep hammering away on my weakest area, sight reading aka rhythms.
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I'd be interested in hearing your musical goals for this new year.
 
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I had one last year. To be able to play rides on Cherokee with my tenor at 250. I made it. Most of the time.

This year:

1. Make backup tracks for and memorize some bebop heads.
2. Choose a tenor from the five I have and get rid of all but one of the others. (That's going to be difficult.)
3. Sell a lot of mouthpieces. (That's going to be easy.)
4. Get back into the community band, but on alto sax instead of trumpet.
5. Hustle some gigs.
 
1) Focus this whole year practice time and lessons on clarinet. Get through all of the "Celebrated Method" as a part my lessons.

2) Sell all the stuff I'm not using or don't really need.

3) I just joined up with a funk/jazz trio playing alto sax and wind synth. I want to work on cultivating this new exploration to it's fullist.

4) (most important) Have fun.
 
1. Keep working on all of my doubles.

2. Learn to make bassoon reeds.

3. Start working on making student oboe reeds for school customers.

4. Transcribe some Fletcher Henderson charts for the Orange Devils big band.

5. Do a show on oboe/English horn.
 
Al Stevens said:
I had one last year. To be able to play rides on Cherokee with my tenor at 250. I made it. Most of the time..
Click to expand...

And, after you get done with that, work up Redskin Rhumba, the "tail" to Cherokee that nobody seems to play any longer. (It is on one of the recordings that I have of his group, and I've got the music for it (lots of "wah-wah" and chugging sax lines).) I've never had a tenor player that was up to handling it after Cherokee, though.

I miss Charlie - funky tenor technique, massive bankroll, polyamourous lifestyle and all...
 
My plans for this year are:
1. Finish through all the lessons in both beginner books.
2. Start on intermediate/advanced lessons.
3. Start building a repertoire
 
My biggest goal for this year is to continue to challenge myself to play at a higher level.

I'd like to start getting my clarinet chops in better shape as well.

And finally, I would like to ratchet up my technique and sight reading skills.
 
You probably ARE an exceptionally good player, Tammi. Just think of it in a comparison sense, if you ever get down:

"In comparison to Sigurd Rascher, I'm a bad sax player, but in comparison to Maynard Ferguson, I rock."

"In comparison to John Coltrane, my soprano sax tone is excellent."

:)

===========

Musical goal for 2009: I plan on starting my saxophone book project that I've been planning for about 5 years now. And have something available for people to look at to ooh and ahhh over by the end of the year.
 
On clarinet I'm ok. At least good enough for what I do.
Sax on the other hand, still needs a little more time.
I'll get there.
 
2008 wasn't a very good year for me because one of the two sax quartet I played in broke up. However the other quartet has improved and is doing well - We have for project to record a small demo and this time unlike the other quartet, it looks like it's not just talking about doing a demo; it looks like it's really going to happen. So I'm really looking forward to that in 2009. I miss playing the bari but I'm not unhappy playing tenor. Also the idea of not being the ensemble's leader/not having too much responsibilities, reharsals to plan and etc kind of appeals to me right now. I better like the idea of just showing-up to rehearsals, put my butt on the chair and focus only on playing for a change :)
 
To boldly play the flute where no flute had played before.

I also want to learn how to blow the picc with my nose, for poetic license.
 
I want to get an ensemble going for the stage. looks like i have interested parties - I just have to get going and get some stuff done for it.

And the sax quartet i'm now in should be getting some gigs ... that should help me push myself for the ensemble.

and try to get my clarinet technique as good as it was in college - back then i could play anything you put in front of me with great technique. Now .. well .. that Full Boehm is coming in handy !!

I would like to say .. maybe play my flute once or twice this year too before the silver rusts through.
 
Let's follow up on our resolutions and see how well we've done. The year is about 11% gone. I'm ahead of the game I think. Here's my original list.

Al Stevens said:
1. Make backup tracks for and memorize some bebop heads.
2. Choose a tenor from the five I have and get rid of all but one of the others. (That's going to be difficult.)
3. Sell a lot of mouthpieces. (That's going to be easy.)
4. Get back into the community band, but on alto sax instead of trumpet.
5. Hustle some gigs.
Click to expand...

  1. Haven't started
  2. I'm into it. I gave my beautiful gold-plated Barone tenor to my daughter, who played flute in high school many years ago and now wants to play tenor sax.
  3. I haven't gotten serious about this one yet.
  4. Done. Very happy there.
  5. Somewhat. I've gotten out and networked in the few places where bands play, sat in some, and renewed contact with some bookers. The phone has started ringing again.
 
Merlin said:
1. Keep working on all of my doubles.

2. Learn to make bassoon reeds.

3. Start working on making student oboe reeds for school customers.

4. Transcribe some Fletcher Henderson charts for the Orange Devils big band.

5. Do a show on oboe/English horn.
Click to expand...

1. I've been working on most of them. Picc and flute are taking time away from oboe/EH right now.

2. Not yet.

3. Still waiting on some machinery I ordered in October.

4. Yes! Plus I lifted several Jimmie Lunceford charts as well.

5. Not yet...but there's plenty of year left.
 
fox said:
My plans for this year are:
1. Finish through all the lessons in both beginner books.
2. Start on intermediate/advanced lessons.
3. Start building a repertoire
Click to expand...
1. Progressing on this one - at about the same rate as before.
2. Will follow after number 1 is done.
3. I've looked at one or two folksongs I'm interested in learning. But haven't really started anything serious yet.
 
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