[Elecmuso]

I' m on the road again which is when I tend to visit this forum the most. So I thought I'd post a new thread.
My 'first' instrument is actually piano which I have been playing for nearly 40 years, but I've recently put it aside and am getting back iinto the saxophone (which I've also played since I was a kid but bever seriously) in a big way - and loving it. I've been thinking about why this is and there are many reasons (for one I can take my instrument with me - not easy with a piano).
So I was wondering how many others have 'made the switch' and was it permanent or a fad, or do you interchange? And why?

 

[Elecmuso]

Am I really on my own? ;-)

 

[Strayhorn]

Lots of posters here gig on sax and piano or sax and guitar. Sax and piano for me. Played both since childhood.


Would love to play just sax, but I'm primarily a jazz guy trying to earn a living at music and there's not quite enough work to give up piano without doing the road. On sax ONLY....I'd have to do tons of wedding and convention band gigs to pay the bills. And at age 64 I guess I'm not so keen on that any more. Nor do I want to do shows and have to own four kinds of saxes, flute, piccolo, bass clarinet.


I usually have 3/4 steady nights of jazz trio work on piano. Freelance sax on weekends. Generally less money per night, but small tight groups, low decibel stuff, enjoying the music more. It's tough doing both axes but for me it beats playing 5 hour tuxedo convention gigs (even at $300-500 a night) and going home with ears ringing and a headache. And of course all the 3-6 hour round trips to a distant Ritz-Carlton, home in bed at 4 a.m.


Being from the loopy perfectionist school of self-torment the time involved in staying on top of both axes is a lot. Can't stand going out to play and not having the goods. Nightmare.


I've had periods where I put one aside and just played the other. It was a whole lot more relaxing to be honest. Less pressure to maintain chops. Time free to go to the movies, read a book, chill with friends.


I've loved playing both. But I should throw this out there...as a classically as well as jazz schooled player on both instruments.....I can testify that the sax is not one whit easier than piano. Not if you demand equal standards from each. There's a different set of physical and mental challenges to becoming a decent player on any axe.


There is something addictive about the sax as a musical voice though. Once you're hooked it's impossible to put aside for long.




:glasses7:

 

[artstove]

Peter Apfelbaum plays both piano and sax (both really well). His first instrument was drums.

 

[Elecmuso]

Yay - so I'm not alone after all!

I came up with this thread while I was bored on a plane. I also found the time on the same 3 hour flight to write a list of reasons - there are many. But I'm curious to see what others think before I stir them up!

Strayhorn, thanks for getting back and saving this thread. I too studied classical music (piano) for many years in my childhood, gave up music for about 10 whilst I pursued a 'proper career' at university (and spent too much time in the bar), came back to music in my 20's and later in my early 30's returned to uni to study jazz piano full time. Now I have my 'proper career' (sometimes I wish I'd followed my instincts earlier - but then who knows where I'd be) but I also perform semi-regularly in a band playing popular music - that makes me enough to pay for my musical toys, petrol and beer.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

I started out as a child ... on clarinet. I had lessons for years but I always wanted to play sax. I got a sax when I was 15 and taught myself to play. Was first chair in high school band, played bass clarinet in orchestra. Started gigging in a rock band on sax when I was 17. I picked up the guitar (and uke and banjo) along the way so I also played rhythm guitar in rock bands. Fast forward XX years. I don't play guitar much any more. Instead I double on keyboards. I taught myself to play basic rock patterns and chording over the years. I'm not a pro level player on keys, but it makes a nice alternative to playing sax all night, especially on those tunes that have a keyboard part and no sax line.

 

[Elecmuso]

MartinMusicMan - similar to me actually. Piano was first, then clarinet which I did exams on. A saxophone was required for the school band ALSO when I was 15. I too became the first alto player.
The only good thing about playing clarinet in the school band was that I got to sit next to 2 rather attractive girls (but they dug the trumpeter).