Questions about learning

[Moguel]

Hi, im 22 years old and have recently started playing alto sax, Ive been playing for like 3 months now, my learnings up to now are: all sax range from low Bb to high F#, major and minor scales, some arpegios and chromatic scales and some tunes like nocturne (from chopin), cantina band (from starwars), make me a memory (grover washington) among others... my tone does need lots of improving as well as my embrochure and dexerity logically. I started learning vibrato.

So I have some questions :?: :?: :?
1- Im taking lessons, 1.5 hour a week for 50 bucks a month (I think its expensive) but I learn more things alone that taking lessons, he just gives me 1 or 2 tips (that I could have read somewhere else).... The first lessons I took helped me a lot, but that was in the past... should I continue alone??

2- for 3 months, am I learning fast? or slow? what should be the next thing I have to learn? (always practice my scales and long tunes, I practice from 2 to 4 hours a day except for 1 or 2 days a week)

THNX FOR ANY ADVISE

[Dog Pants]

G'day Moguel,
No one else has bitten at this one, so I'll have a crack at it.

1. Don't worry about how fast or how slowly you are progressing. Some things you'll pick up quickly, other things you might struggle with for years. If you're like the majority of players, your first few months (the honeymoon) will see you improve pretty rapidly. Then after about a year or so, you'll realise that if you wan't to jam with the big dogs, serious work is required. That's just the way of it.
2. You're practicing more and more often than most. That's great as long as you're using that time effectively. Which leads me to....
3. A good teacher is a godsend. Even more so in the beginning. A large part of learning to play your horn (perhaps THE most important part) is learning how to practice effectively. This is where your teacher can save you a lot of heartache.
Yes, you could have gotten a lot of the same info of the net. There are no real secrets really, just practice. But knowing what to practice at your stage of development is where the teacher earns his $.
My own teacher might sometimes spend the whole lesson talking about improvising and how to approach a tune or problem from a different angle. Not often, we do a lot of playing most times, but my point is this: That one tip that your teacher gives you might not make sense or seem like good value for money right there and then but many times I've left my own lesson feeling utterly confused, only to have an AH-HA! moment a few days later.
Another thing to bear in mind is that as a beginner, you just aren't up to having a lot of information thrown at you just yet. You gotta keep chipping away one little bit at a time and be happy to practice your horn.
By that, I mean you gotta learn to love the everyday ritual of Long Tones, Scales, Tune Learning etc. Because you never really arrive. Sure you get to the point where you can play a tune and take a solo, but it's not as if you ever reach a point where you can say "OK,...I know how to play Jazz know." Thre's not a finite amount of stuff to learn, that once learned makes you a good player. There's always more technique, tunes, tone, licks, feel, solos and so on to work on. Learn to love the process and you've cracked the hard part. The rest is just doing.
Finally, $50 for what amounts to 6 hours of lessons each month is pretty reasonable. I don't know what currency you're paying your teacher in, (I had to pay my first teacher in pot! :shock: ) But many of us happilly pay $50 for one lesson with a top pro player.
I hope I've answered some of your questions, if you think I can help further, drop me an email. Gotta go, the Cricket is on and the beer is cold.

[Gandalfe]

Also, if you are not happy with your current instructor, although you really haven't had much time to judge his performance, by all means try another. If you don't have simpatico with this guy, you might with the next. Finding an instructor that meets your needs is important to your success. The price seems reasonable to me. We pay $40 an hour in the Seattle area for an average instructor.

[hamilton]

Here in Buffalo, NY $40/hr is about the norm. Besides everything that has been said allready if you stick with the same teacher for a long time as they see you develop they might open up some doors that you might not know about on your own.(closed jam sessions,bands looking for replacement or more players,etc..)

[fballatore]

Wow -

I'm paying $24 per half hour, and I thought that wasn't bad.

Frank

[Moguel]

Thnks for the replys I think Ill stick with my current teacher for a little more time and see what happens, because I dont know another teacher.

[pached]

$50 for 6 hours...thats a pretty good price, especially if you have a good teacher. I pay $25 for half an hour :lol:. You've learned a lot in 3 months too.

[Moguel]

Its for 4 hours, but seem s like a good price anyway :oops: hahaha

[Old Charlie]

Sheesh!!!!

I'm paying $80 an hour in the SF Bay Area and could go higher (I've been quoted $100 an hour). I wish I could find lessons for the prices y'all are paying!

[cleger]

$25 (Canadian $) an hour from an excellent jazz player who has been playing for over 50 years. He is also a registered band instrument technician and throws in general horn maintenance with the cost of instruction :king: . I knew this was a sweet deal, but seeing what you all are paying I feel like a thief.

[natt12321]

Hi, i learnt about that much when i started to play the sax but i did already have 3 years of clarinet behind me when i started, lots of people(including my woodwind teacher who teaches me for free because hes payed for by the school and hes the best teacher ever) said i learnt it really fast but i'm better than all the other saxes in my school and most of them have learnt for over a year so if you progress fast(you seem to have the advantage of lots of practice time) then you should see your self as lucky just remember not to skip any important techniques as you go along