Hello It's me after trying to reach you guys for a bit of time!!!

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hello everyone my name is Wayne and I have been following you folks for some time and just figured out how to reach out!! computers are wonderful
however not in my possession. Just got it 4 or 5 months ago. I have a yanigasawa alto with a 7 hard rubber mouthpiece I use a 3.5 Vandoren reed I don’t know if this is proper
however I like to try them all RED JAVA GREEN V16 ETC. What’s the consensus? I have purchased the Killer Sax Solo’s which I love as well as the Major Improv course. I don’t think I understand the relation of the 5chord to the progression. Can anyone help? Don’t get all heavy on me with theory because I’m actually a drummer who loves music and I picked up a horn a while back to soothe my demons, it’s been a trip but I love the way Johnnie explains things in simple understandable English hats off to him!! I would like to be able to interact and learn from my fellow musicians. I also would like to know how to get a video/audio like some of you have done? Also based on your comments I think the next course I’m getting is Altissimo notes I’ve heard a lot of nice things about that course! Any and all suggestions comments and tips will be devoured and greatly appreciated. I also love Funk as in the style of Maceo Parker Brothers and sisters I love it but I think it’s way hard to play on sax. I had mentioned to Johnnie I think that
would be a excellent course to write on I would buy it now!! Peace and love

[Michael Bishop]

Nice to have you here Wayne, that’s cool that you’re a drummer. We’re in the process of getting our special needs Son a drum set, he’s picking it up–great outlet for him too 🙂 I haven’t been in Johnny’s Major Scale course yet, but I have completed all of the Altissimo course and look to have Killer Blues Sax solo course completely under my belt in a few months to come, so Johnny’s Major Scale course is next on my agenda. That’s the thing that’s great about Johnny, he can take the things in music/music theory that can appear to be “complex, complicated” and break them down/teach them in a practical way that the average person can learn and start playing their Saxophone. If you’re looking for any tips (you mentioned it above) is to take the time to really make sure you “digest” everything really well….we wanna learn this stuff as good as we can so that we can use it in our own playing, right? That’s the whole point in getting Johnny’s ebooks. There’s a great support system here with lots of members ready to answer your questions. If you’re a drummer, it would be really cool (if you’re interested) to take one of Johnny’s backing tracks and “drum” with the track. I’ll pull out my Sax and do a duet with you and we can put it here on Member’s videos, let me know what you think. If you love Funk-style of music, how does something like “Use Me” or “Pick Up the Pieces” sound to you? Let me know what you think. I’m working on a duet with a guitar-playing friend of mine right now on a Blues tune he calls “The Light in My Room”.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Michael thanks for the response! I am so challenged on this thing that I just sent you a response and somehow erased it before you got it. Yes I believe in digesting I’m a individual who wanted it yesterday. I can and will play with Johnnies backing tracks but you will have to show me how! I will play with you and your guitar player but you will have to show me Those tunes sound great but again I’m a dinosaur technically! My nephew is a trumpet player who would be interested in between his IT classes and jams and putting up with my stupid questions! My buddy Jim is a bass player Dude lets get the band back together!! I’m DEAD serious! I was always the guy that tried to get my buds together to jam problem is their all a bunch of boring old farts!! NOT ME Don’t die with your music in you lets jam!!!!!!!! If I could be of help with your sons endeavors let
me know I think the discipline of drumming will be fantastic for him but do you think he will be able to grasp it? What’s funny is it’s the point you brought up he would have to just keep practicing at a little at a time until he feels it till it becomes natural. Drum playing is a excellent vent for frustration nerves tension etc. Sir I’m ready when you are help me with the technical if you can!

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hey Mike it’s me again What do you know about mouthpieces? I have a yanigasawa 7 opening rubber think I should get a metal?? if so what kind ? they are pretty pricey but with BLACK FRIDAY coming There’s a great music shop called wood wind and brass wind out this way by me. I’ll bet I could get a deal on a mouthpiece?!!I also know a singer and another guitar player actually I know some players because I like to go out to the “OPEN MIKES” but as I said trying to get them to do something is another story.
TA TA

[Michael Bishop]

In terms of showing you how to play Johnny’s stuff from the standpoint of a drummer (I’m not a drummer), listen to his track and get a feel for that rhythm. The drummer is always boss over the Sax player. If either Use me or Pick Up the Pieces is beyond what you can drum, pick something much simpler like “Falling in Love” by Elvis, “Fly Me to the Moon” “What a Wonderful World”, etc.. It’s all good, just pick one and let me know what you’re going to do. I can also send you a Blues backing track too if you want, will need your e-mail. Our special needs’ son is extremely smart and catches on fast, he picked the drums. He’ll be fine 🙂
In terms of picking an MP for just starting off on the Saxophone, it’s highly recommended to start off with a hard-rubber MP for at least a year-2 years (that’s what most instructors recommend, I think Johnny will tell us the same thing). If you have his ebook on Learning How to Play the Saxophone, there’s some great info. in there on selecting and MP. As Johnny brings out in his ebook, you can never go wrong with a Yamaha or Meyer Hard-Rubber MP for starters. I started on a Yamaha 5C Hard Rubber MP, very inexpensive and is great to start off with.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hey mike It’s Wayne, I probably worded my message incorrectly, I have no problems with any of the songs that you mentioned, what I can’t understand is how will we be able to play as a band on this or in this Forum. I can shuffle till the cows come home or rock or funk, blues you know what I mean?? In regards to the MP I’ve been using the yanigasawa 7 for quite a few years and was just thinking I bet a metal would give me a edgier sound if there is such a word . Any comment on that? I have used a Meyer 5 Vandoren Jumbo Java etc. I will probably learn more by giving you my email it is wojodrum3@gmail.com That’s great about your son picking the drums! I meant no ill will in regards to my comment I was coming from a volume noise perspective if you know what I mean! If I could be of any help please don’t hesitate to ask I would be honored. Hope to hear from you soon please send me anything you would like as I said my dilemma is in trying to figure out how to use this computer cause I got it about 4 months ago.

[Michael Bishop]

That “magic” of video/video editing makes it fairly easy to play as a band on a video collab. In fact, I have a video that is uploading to youtube right now and is 40% uploaded where I did this very thing with a friend of mine, Nathan Michaud from Vermont, whose a Blues player, he sings and plays guitar. He got in touch with me from connections/friends here with the Blues Society and asked me to add some “sugar and spice” to his guitar playing, so I took his video and Improvised with my Saxophone behind him. We took the cpu. and meshed the 2 videos together…presto you’re playing together. It’s great fun too…2 players are better than 1 for sure. The only thing is that I just uploaded my part to the video with a simple USB mic–no reverb or nothing, just because we just moved into our new house and I haven’t had to time to set up my recording stuff yet. I do have really good software though, took care of that back in the spring. Today’s upload is a “raw” sounding video but that’s not important right now, it’s good enough to post here on “Member’s Videos” here on Johnny’s Forum for Johnny to critique in terms of playing the Blues and that’s what’s important right now. I’ll should have the house all arranged/finished after the holidays…at least we’re in the house LOL
There’s also a website called “bandhub” where Video Collaborations is all they do, folks who live in different parts of the world who connect with each other, upload a video of their playing to bandhub, and others will “join in” and contribute something to your video to make it just as if you’re playing with a real band–maybe someone who lives in Spain, for example, decided to drum over your track, so he records himself and uploads it to your video. Another guy could be from Australia and he decides to come and play bass guitar and adds that to your video. Another musician from Europe comes and uploads/adds keyboards to your video, and so on. That’s the magic of video/internet for you LOL. It’s a pretty cool place to meet other musicians, check it out when you get a chance. I haven’t had the time to be on there, but it’s the closest thing you can get to playing with a real, live band.
No worries about the Volume noise Will 🙂 In fact, I had a dilemma with this video I got from my friend Nathan on guitar because his video is so, so faint! I put it up at Max volume and it’s good enough to “get by”. Nothing wrong with his playing at all….he’s a really good guitar player. So it was a little challenging for me to get my volume/mic placement at the right place so as to not sound too overbearing or too faint, especially because it’s a very Raw Recording. It’ll be in Member’s Videos here in just a little while.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hey Mike still waiting for backing tracks, in regards to playing with the cats from the blues society that sounds very cool how can I get in contact with them? Check out my 2 second debut on alto.

[Michael Bishop]

Hi Wayne,
Sorry I overlooked this post with your e-mail, been extremely busy. I sent you an e-mail, check your inbox. Will send you a blues backing track or 2 that you can drum along with later today. After you drum along with it, I’ll take your recording and Improvise with it/upload it for you as a video here to Johnny’s site. Remember, if you choose, you can also video record yourself too with a simple webcam on your cpu and make a video of you drumming with the backing track. I can take that and make it into a video collab, would look really fun too. Just be patient right now, been VERY busy setting everything up into our new house–we bought a new house a and moved into it a few weeks ago. We’re making good progress but still have a lot of work to do. I heard your upload with the Alto, not too shabby! Keep rockin’. How long have you been learning to play from Johnny?
In terms of doing something with the Blues Society, we don’t get back together until after the holidays, everyone is taking personal time off to be with family. I just did a super-rough collab with a friend of mine, Nathan MIchaud, through ties with the Blues Society. It was very poorly recorded because I haven’t had the chance to set things up yet with the move into the house and all, but it was good enough for Johnny to hear. Like I mentioned before, he gave me a video that was really faint/low in volume to begin with. I just stuck a USB mic in front of me with no editing or anything and played, volume was low and there’s lots of notes I played that even with headphones I can barely hear. But will have things arranged set up soon, no worries there.

[Michael Bishop]

Hi Wayne,
I sent you a blues backing track, check your e-mail. Drum away with it and I’ll do a video collab. to put here on Johnny’s site. Good playing to you 🙂

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