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Discussion Starter · #1 · (Edited)
I have a few backing tracks on Youtube. I'm thinking about making a few examples for them. Would this be a good example?

http://www.mediafire.com/?gg7d6sjz16slgaf

Here's my last take -
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I want your opinion on how it would work as an example and how it sounds in general. I made a post a while ago here, but I believe I've improved a bit.

Also, tell me if you think it's delayed at all.
 

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Not sure what you mean by backing track as this is totally dominated by the sax.

Forgive my being blunt. Time to go back to basics. Your timing is very poor and you play out of tune (sharp) most of the time. It's all technique (that's not very solid) and no substance. It's long and mostly a collection of technical motifs without a story, melody or feeling.

Although you are playing in the right key and following the simple changes it's all at one level of "push". There's a brief respite at 4:20. For about 15 seconds you relax a little and that's the best part.

Playing a musical instrument certainly requires technique, which you are pushing (too hard), but that's just a tool that should be in the service of communicating something (other than technique itself).

Maybe I'm being too harsh? There are small lines that you execute well, but any one of these would be a climax. The problem is that you are hitting your listeners continually without the continuity of a melody or line that builds and goes anywhere.

I think you need to work with a teacher or someone who can rein you in so that you work on making simple direct musical statements.
 

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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
Thanks. I see what you mean. I think I'll give it another attempt later. This time, I'll play more like 4:20 the whole time. Also, I'll fix the intonation (I don't know why, but I forgot about that, which I usually keep in mind). I can't help but feel like there's a latency issue, but I'm not sure. I'll just make sure I'm in time next time.

You're not being too harsh. I see what you're saying. I'll try again in a few hours and see if just thinking about these things helps at all.
 

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
I uploaded a different thing after taking your suggestions. I also fixed the latency problem, which means that it sounds better, but any further tempo problems are my fault. I know you can't fix things in one day, but sometimes just thinking about things greatly helps you fix it.
 

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I don't hear a lot of difference musically. Still very sharp, still frenetic, was I supposed to listen for some minor technical difference?

I don't know how to say this more plainly: go back to basics. You are missing some very basic and fundamental concepts about music. Here's an exercise for you: Play your "backing track" and sing an improvised melodic line. Record this and see how it compares to what you are playing on the sax. I doubt that they will be at all similar. This should tell you something.

You are certainly not alone in thinking and playing sax as a collection of finger exercises and riffs that are cut and paste. Standard conventional music (what your backing track is about), should be a musical story, conversation with yourself, expose of some feeling or emotion, etc. You are playing a disjointed series of exercises that have little or no cohesion and frankly don't say much musically.

It's obvious that you have worked very hard to play what you can and your altissimo is actually very good and shows lots of work. However it's like having all the parts that go into a Ferrari. The parts can be exhibited and won't excite most people (just a pile of metal bits). It's only when they are assembled correctly with the purpose of BEING a Ferrari that it really becomes a Ferrari.
 

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I haven't listened yet, I will but first please let me say something:

I think it's a bad idea to post a track, then when somebody has commented on that take, to replace it in the same link with another take. Think about it:

If someone listens to your take 2 then just reads wade's comments, it throws him in a bad light because they won't know he's talking about the track before you improved it.
 

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OK, can hear that you are trying, but shouldn't expect miracles in a day or so. Start with the easiest but potentially your worst problem: Pull the mouthpiece out between 1/8 and 1/4 inch from where you have it now. You are way # 95% of the time. The altissimo is somewhat in tune, but you shouldn't be tuning for that. If you can't hear that you are way out of tune, then this is a serious ear problem that would prevent most from ever playing an instrument that requires you to physically make the instrument play in tune.

I don't want to go on too much about the tuning problem, but it's a MAJOR PROBLEM that should be easy to fix unless your ear just can't hear it. The other problems have more to do with melodic conception and attitude. If you can't play in tune where is your future? You seem very serious about pushing ahead, but there is no ahead until you solve/resolve the basics.
 

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Discussion Starter · #18 ·
Sorry about that, I wasn't really paying attention to the intonation; I was worried about the other stuff. I know I should pay attention to the intonation, and I usually do, but this time I just didn't worry about it. In retrospect, I can definitely hear the sharpness.

Thanks for the help.
 

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Stop. Listen. Every post was out of tune, way sharp. This is not intonation. Intonation is the instrument's build/configuration which can give "good or bad intonation". Mouthpieces can also effect intonation. This is YOU not listening or hearing. You should always be able to hear where your tone is when you play, otherwise it's nearly impossible to play in tune. The sax is an imprecise instrument and even instruments with "good intonation" require us to hear where we are, adjust the mouthpiece to bring your tuning as close as possible (I usually need to retune after just a few minutes playing) and place the pitch where it should be with each note played. To get this really right you need to be your own feedback system of knowing the note you are playing, hearing what comes out of the horn, and adjusting. When you know your horn and yourself it happens without thinking, like driving a car. You are not doing this, and obviously not hearing what you play. The outcome can be something that nobody wants to hear. This is a major killer fault, not an "oh well slipped my mind cause I was thinking of other stuff". If you aren't hearing what you're playing what the heck are you doing?

Seems like I'm not getting through so this is the last post from me on this topic and repeating for the last time: You need to go back to basics and build on solid good habits. You have some very bad habits that need to be broken/retrained. If your teacher can't help you get another, maybe one with a whip (just depends on how badly you want to play well).
 

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Discussion Starter · #20 ·
I know. That's what I said - I wasn't listening to how in tune I was. I'll make a final post in a few days and fix that. I won't post it here, because I've already heard what you guys have had to say. I want to make a post to at least give an example to horn players of how they can use the tracks (on youtube, mostly guitarists use the tracks). I know I should've been paying attention to it, but I didn't for some reason. You're getting through. Thanks again for the tips.

Just wondering, would improvising as if I were making a melody help me work on my improv? I read something online that said something like that. It said that it can help to sort of "improvise a melody" instead of "improvise a solo." What do you guys think of that?
 
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