This is the End ...

[pete]

... of your performance career.

I played saxophones and clarinets professionally for about 10 years, as an assistant to the director and as a director. I then volunteered at various churches for about 5 years after that. After that, I moved to Phoenix, where I volunteered for about 8 years as a vocalist -- rarely did I play sax or clarinet.

About three years ago, I had multiple illnesses that resulted in seven broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. After my recovery, I had some degree of scar tissue on the lung and it made my endurance a problem, especially if I had to stand up for a long time and/or play "my" horn, bari sax.

Fast forwarding to about a year ago, I was diagnosed with "cluster headaches" (think shorter but stronger migraines) and another neurological condition. This has made singing, especially at the extremes of my range, painful for me, even for short pieces.

So, I no longer can sing or play, at least not on a level that one would call "professional". Interestingly, I'm more disappointed about the "singing" part of this equation: I have vocal talent (and I've worked at it to get better). Any proficiency I have playing sax or clarinet is from hard work, alone.

Has anyone been where I am? What did you do?

 

[tictactux]

Has anyone been where I am?

No, I haven't (touches wood). But I often think twice before mounting my motorbike and think of wearing good gloves, just because, what happens if I break or worse lose a hand in an accident?
I knot it's silly, but I can relate (in a distant way) to what you must be going through.

<HUG>

 

[pete]

Thanks, Ben. I'm not exactly sad, but I am a little frustrated that I can't sing along to the music in my car.

One of the interesting things is that if you lost a hand or arm and you wanted to keep playing sax, you really could: I've seen more than one one-handed sax.

I've thought about taking up keyboard again. However, I have difficulty comprehending how to play more than one note at once .

 

[Gandalfe]

Can you listen to music without getting headaches? Can you arrangement music? I know it's not the same, but maybe it's something.

 

[pete]

> Can you listen to music without getting headaches?
Yes, provided it doesn't have heavy bass: I've had to walk out of a couple auditoriums.

> Can you arrangement music?
I love the typo.

I used to arrange music. I'm not good enough to sell it; I'm good enough to make it semi-workable for small ensembles (my apologies to the trombones when I forgot how high their range was).

==========

How 'bout you? If you couldn't play anymore, would you be satisfied with just listening or just arranging?

 

[tictactux]

How 'bout you? If you couldn't play anymore, would you be satisfied with just listening or just arranging?

Tough call. But I'd say better arrange than doin' nothin' at all. ("arrange oneself with" here means "coming to terms with something", dunno if that works in English as well)

Anyhow - good arrangers with an open ear but severe lack of arrogance are worth a lot. If I had the time or the background, I'd love to bring some tunes (that I only know by ear) to paper, in 12+ parts. And I know a lot of bands who'd love to play original arrangements instead of the ever same 30+ year old played-to-death pieces.

If I weren't content with listening or arranging, maybe I'd go into mallets (marimba, for example) or, yeah, piano. It'd be a challenge, sure. But that's what keeps us alive, ain't it?

 

[sideC]

Sorry to hear about this development, Pete. It's got to be a tough shot.

I once spoke with trombonist David Baker about his inability to play after a car accident, and Dave used the phrase "nightmare city" to discribe his reaction to having to give up the bone. But Dave has gone on to become one of the top jazz educators in the US, and a composer of extended jazz works for college orchestra. Dave has run the jazz department at Indiana University for many years, and he wrote a series of jazz instrumental study books which were very popular back in the '70s and '80s.

Dave also began playing the cello, which I would imagine gave him a substitute musical voice of sorts.

So maybe you might not want to rule out some sort of hand held/played instrument. Piano can be a drag, but I get a little better at it everytime I sit down at mine, and maybe a string instrument might be the answer. I keep my Dad's old plywood upright in the corner for when the inspiration hits me. Fortunately for the world of the bass, it doesn't very often.

Good luck, and you know how to find me if I can be of help.

Julian

 

[Ed]

I read an article about a local guy in Chicago who is a vocalist who had voice issues that caused him to take an extended break. He is now back at it. I think that is the approach you have to take - it's a break. It could be months or it could be years.

Even without your voice or instrument playing you still do a lot of good by the work you do with WF.

 

[Groovekiller]

Relax.

Get a relatively cheap recording device, and play along with CDs from Hal Leonard or Jamie Aebersold. Playing in the "studio" (mine is in a spare bedroom) is light years away from playing live. You can play and record at a comfortable volume level.

Remember the boxful of mouthpieces that sounded good but you couldn't use them on a gig? Here's where you can use them. I record sax ensembles, sax solos, and overdubs at home. As much as I hate to switch mouthpieces, I can use mouthpieces that provide better intonation and blow easier when I record at home. It's fun, no pressure, and the results are sometimes very satisfying. I can't make a living doing it but it sure is fun during the off season.

If things continue the way they are going, you will be able to buy a recording device for a couple of hundred bucks and blow away recordings made by the Beatles that earned millions. With your computer savvy, you can probably pull it off right now.

 

[Heckelphone]

The dark side...

There's always strings! I'd recommend classical guitar

 

[Carl H.]

There's always strings! I'd recommend classical guitar

Definitely the budget friendly string family. Once you start bowing things get expensive. Though starting out with frets makes it more difficult to attempt a fretless instrument later.

If you want to put your ears and Jazz talents to work, and find musical employment as a player, go Bass.

 

[pete]

Well, I was mainly a classical player, but I have had two or three upright bass lessons. About 20 years ago ....

I thank everyone for their responses. I do want to again stress that I'm really not overly depressed about my own situation: I haven't been a professional musician in years. I wanted to share, here, because I'm sure other musicians may face the end of their primary career/avocation because of health reasons and have to try to decide what else to do.

The only thing that bothers me is that I really can't sing anymore. I really enjoyed that, even more than playing sax or clarinet. It is possible and even probable that in the next couple weeks I'll have the nerve that's causing most of my current problems removed and that'll take away a lot of my pain. Hopefully.

I'm very happy to help out here, Ed, and I'm fairly happy doing my own little web projects, calendars (if I get enough submissions for 2011. Hint, hint) and book projects (which I'll get to after I stop taking so many drugs and can think somewhat coherently).

I would consider picking up bass, guitar or cello -- the last of these because I played so many cello transcriptions on bari sax and I like listening to cello, too. That might satisfy my desire to play something.

 

[RoBass]

Oh Pete, I'm so sad to hear about this ;-( I could understand, which inner war you fight now.
But take musicians like Beethoven as an example: He was deaf completely and did his major works after that problem occured! It's a chance inside every kind of harm..

I wish you good luck with the occured illness and hope to read you many often as a well experienced specialist.

Do music anyway! There's a lot of possibilities out there - except the sax and clarinet.

kindly
Roman

 

[Notes_Norton]

I too am sorry to hear about your problems Pete.

I've been a professional musician all my life (sax, wind synthesizer, flute, guitar, bass, drums, vocals and some keyboards). I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't play music anymore. If it ever comes to that, I'm sure I'd adjust, but there would be something huge missing from my life.

You might want to try a wind controller. The WX5 takes a lot less air than either vocals or sax. And with the VL70-m sound module, you can get quite expressive. Plus the amount of wind needed to operate the WX is adjustable.

I also find the guitar much easier than the keyboard. Even though it requires playing more than one part at a time (like keyboard) at least both hands are doing the same thing. The different parts are more vertical than horizontal, and that just works for me better. I have known others that get along better with the horizontal.

And I can relate to your singing. For many years I didn't sing much, then in the mid 80s I started a duo with another person (who became my wife) and although she is a great singer, she can't sing every song, all night long so I started singing a lot. The more I did it, the better I got at it. Now I find it quite rewarding and almost as much fun as playing the sax.

Good luck,
♫ Notes

 

[pete]

Lateness. I'll try to be coherent .

I did used to play a WX11 and have posted a bit about that in other threads. The problem for me is that I don't play "gigs": I've played in ensembles and in orchestras/bands. Not exactly the setting for a wind controller, unless you run the group. And I've yet to hear a sound module that has a really decent sax patch. Clarinet? There are several decent ones (bass clarinet is more difficult, IMO). I even think some of the flute patches are pretty nice. There's just something about the sax sound that's difficult to capture.

However, I'm happy that you brought it up before I did, because this could be an excellent solution for a lot of folks. Hey, I seem to remember that you could even turn "off" the mouthpiece and press the buttons. I'd think that you could even program the controller to be one handed -- although you lose a LOT of control and expression.

Seriously, I don't mind that much about not being able to play sax or clarinet to any great extent, it's the "not being able to sing" that's a big issue for me. I know that it's odd for a guy that's spent more than half his life playing those things and spending all that money on college (I even passed up a biology scholarship to pursue music), lessons, instruments, etc. to say that, but that's how I feel.

11:33pm. Past my bedtime! G'night, all.