chromatic scale

[UU Pfister]

I just found a cool piece of music to practice the chromatic scale. Straight no chaser by T. Monk. I just like to say that I really enjoy “how to play the Killer blues”. Very good exercises and I always loved Brown Sugar. Will blog it soon 😉

[Anonymous]

yeah – i love the chromatic scale!

I love Johnny’s daily exercise routine,
the long tone exercises using the
chromatic scales are the only thing
thats giving me a better better sound!

I’m dropping out of doing any uploads for
the next 2 months. Going back to square
one and will start again from scratch
with a completely different finger work!

This time i’m going to play with all
fingers resting gently on the keys at all
times! The keys will lift my fingers up.
I’ve tried this technique & it flows a lot
faster, just waiting to get my grade 2
exam out of the way this week!

[john]

Great guys, I remember Straight No Chaser from my college days, great tune to learn.

that reminds me I’ve got to get a new blog page up for that because the most recent one #7 is huge now. They get very long and so take a while to upload from all the videos. So the next person to upload go here to the brand new one:
https://howtoplaysaxophone.org/members-saxophone-music-videos-8

[UU Pfister]

I find it easier to go up the scale than down. Oh yes, about the tongue flutter: I always have a few problems rolling my R’s. Less of a problem when you speak spanish or italien,and then you have to blow and flutter at the same time! When I practice that without the sax I get funny looks from my dog, hahaha 😉
Sxpoet I wish you all the best on your Grade 2 exam. Tell us how it all went.
UU

[UU Pfister]

Thanks Johnny

[Anonymous]

Thanks UU – taking it tomorrow.
I need the grade 2, so i can spend a day
in January playing in a real orchestra.
One of those blow the dust off your
instrument events!

[Anonymous]

Hey UU,

Took the Grade 2 this morning, overall i feel like i got a Merit.
In each of the 3 songs, i might have just played one or two wrong notes.
In the scales, just the F major scale tripped me up on the Bb going up.
The arpeggios part were fine.
The Aural part was Ok as well.
Sight reading part went reasonably Ok.

First time i’ve done a grade in my life, it was for me nerve wracking,
i said to my Sax teacher – “This is worse than having a driving test!”
The hardest part of the 3 songs & sight reading for me is the dynamics,
when i start playing louder & softer, i often get drawn into adjusting the sound,
and lose a bit of overall concentration! It’s so much easier just to play at
the same volume throughout – but that’s monotonous.

It’s great feeling for me, just to have a bit of paper, to say i’ve worked for it!
At 56 i hope to do a few more grades, keep the grey cells ticking over,
something to get my backside off the couch! lol

cheers
sxpoet

[jake]

congrats to you mate! that does sound nerve racking for sure!!

[Anonymous]

Jake – i suffer from crippling stage fright!
I can physically start shaking!
So for me to go in a room and stand up
play, and be assessd etc.. is unbelievable!

And yet for the past few years, i could
play guitar in a church band, providing
people weren’t staring at me! lol
So no solo parts for me just yet!
and at 56 that is taking michael!

Still everyone has their phobias,
For years i couldn’t answer a phone,
didn’t like the sound of my voice!
I won’t be skyping anyone in a hurry!

fact is stranger than fiction..

[UU Pfister]

Well done Sxpoet, that’s absolutely brilliant. You must feel so chuffed. In the spring I will have some sax lessons, at the moment I have so much other stuff to do.

[Author]

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