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ascertaining level

1447 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  jbtsax, 
M
so i had a teacher for about 6 months before leaving home. during this time i worked my way through the peter wastall book 'learn as you play' as well as his 'practice sessions' book. that was 4 years ago now and for a variety of reasons i haven't played since and i'm just getting back into playing. i can play most of the stuff in these books and have downloaded a few sclaes and things off the net. the problem i'm having is knowing what my level is so that i can get hold of some more material. the complete beginners books in the shops seem too basic but then some of the other stuff would be too hard and disheartening. i'll be starting lessons in september but how can i know what level i'm at now so i can know what things i should be working on and so i can play some new tunes!
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A
Don't worry about the level. If you can play it easily, you're above that level. (Exercises, that is, not scales. You have to practice them even if they are easy.) If it seems way too difficult, pass it up. If it looks doable but with some work, that's where you want to be. Your teacher will assess your skills and get you at the right level.

P.S. Your computer has a Shift key. Think of it like the octave key on your sax. It puts things in the upper register/case where they belong. Only a suggestion. Welcome to the forum.
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jbtsax
You might want to look at the Rubank series of books for saxophone in a good music store. There is the Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced Bk I, and Advanced Bk II. I would guess that you are somewhere in the Elementary to Intermediate level. Thumbing through these two books will tell you pretty quickly which key signatures, note values, and rhythms you are comfortable with and which ones you still need to work on. At your level I suggest you play tunes for fun and relaxation, and work on scales and exercises to build your playing "chops"

John
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