[dubrosa22]

Since my baby girl was born I've been known to go out to the garage, jump in the car and practise in there.

I've also been known to haunt local multiplex carparks and under highway overpass bridges (with my sax that is!) Boy, the highway overpass was a creepy place to learn 'Mack The Knife'! :white:

But the other day I had to take the family car to the carwash and by pure chance I had my horn with me, so I whipped it out and got a good 15 minute practise under my belt! It was fantastic fun! :mrgreen:

So, I'd like to hear what's the weirdest place members of SOTW have practised?

 

[sonnymobleytrane]

My town used to have an all night Laundromat I would sometimes practice there.

 

[Dr G]

I still like to practice in parking garages or in the woods - except this time of year when it's 18F on a warm day. The temperature hit -18F here last winter.

 

[dvdberg]

I still like to practice in parking garages or in the woods - except this time of year when it's 18F on a warm day. The temperature hit -18F here last winter.

Oooh, I guess you'll understand why I don't practice in our unheated garage when it's -35 outside!

I've practiced in a quarry next to a river, it was pretty and peaceful...except when the wind picked up and things got pretty gritty. I've also practiced on the dam of a large lake on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. That was a beautiful setting.

 

[swperry1]

When I lived in an apartment in the city I used to use one of those mutes that looks like a pilot whale, or an ear...Depends how you look at it. Once or twice a week I would go a few blocks from home and play on the loading/ staff entry area at the US Customs building in Portland, ME. The sound was excellent, and though I wasn't busking, people would often hand down a few bucks from the street above. I almost always had enough to stop for a couple of nice microbrews at one of the many bars on the way home...

 

[andre251]

I used to live in an apartment complex in high school that had a gym. The gym closed at 12 midnight, but they would not lock it. So I used to practice in there from like 12-1 most nights.

Also, my dad was on a military base, I am an army brat. So when he moved and was on the base, I walked to this large air conditioner system sounding thing. It was in its own building. I practiced there as you could not hear me practicing with the loud sound. It was outside. At one point the police drove by and watched me for a while. I imagine someone saw me and was worried and called the police. They realized pretty quick I was just practicing.

I also practiced downstairs of my dads house in the garage for a long time before my grad school audition.

 

[Honeyboy]

When I first started out I would practice on my recess break in the janitor's closet at the school I taught at. It had some nice reverb in there. I would drive the teachers nuts because the smoking lounge was on the other side of the wall.

 

[jlima]

Out in the mountains, in front of a lagoon, with the cows watching and looking confused.

Also, many times, in the sauna room.

 

[Flâneur]

I would practice unabashed at my storage locker. In my car at a scenic overlook. Parking garage.

 

[jetmech]

I often practice at break time in one of the hangar bays at work. Quite the reverb going in there!!

 

[Stephen Howard]

Funnily enough, one of the weirdest places I've practised in was a bandstand.
This was in Morden Park, adjacent to Merton College, where I was studying instrument repair.
The bandstand was one of those hemi-spherical affairs, and judging by the architecture it looked to have been built in the '60s.
I had half an hour to spare, and as I didn't get that much time to practise I figured a bandstand would be the ideal place of for it - so I climbed up onto the stage and started blowing.

I had a nice vista - the stage looked over the entire park...but as I started playing I noticed a man on the other side of the park stop dead in his tracks before turning and walking towards the bandstand.
Oh great, I just knew he was going to be one of those people who wanted a chat...and all I wanted to do was grab 30 minutes of playing time.

Sure enough, he ambled over and entered the bandstand arena and walked right up to the stage - where he began gesticulating in the manner that says "I am going to talk to you whether you want to listen to me or not".
I gave it couple of minutes before I gave in and stopped playing.

Turns out he had an interesting snippet of info. It seems that the bandstand had a design fault - whenever anyone played on it the listeners in the arena (a semicircle of turn surrounded by a hedge) could barely hear a thing...but right across the park, and into the housing estate opposite, they could hear every word and every note.

That felt rather odd to me. Practice is very much a personal thing, I feel, and whilst I wouldn't mind a few people close by hearing it, I wouldn't want it to be something I'd broadcast over 1/4 of a mile away - so I put the horn away and never played on the bandstand again.

Regards,

 

[Jazzaferri]

Strangest place for me was up in Banff There was a small river running by the Banff Springs Hotel. Great ambience with the sound of the water just loud enough and far enough from the walkway so not bothered by onlookers

Only odd bit really is was below and about 200 yards down range from an elevated golf tee and while I was out of the direct line of fire any hooked shots would come over my way so had to keep a watchful eye Came back each day with about a dozen balls. Now if only I was a golfer

 

[jaker]

Since my son was born I always try to practice during lunch. Sometimes I sit in the back of my service van, I work as a plumber on and island in sweden with alot of summerhouses. When I'm lucky I'm working in a house that's empty and then I practice there. Sometimes I play outside, It's alot of farmers there to so I have made a fair amount of gigs for cows and sheep.

My brakes is perfect for practising long tones and scales, and other stuff that's not always appreciated by my better half. If I spend and hour at work "practicing" I can focus on songs when I play at home.

 

[Sasquatch]

Handball court. Great reverb.

 

[Marcus Melody]

In a Lockheed Hercules somewhere between Baffin I. and Iceland.

 

[saxnbax]

Denton Texas. (Just kidding. I loved my brief time there, even though it was a dry county. Is it still?).

 

[betelsax]

In an underground, concrete bomb shelter in a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley, northern Israel.
Good sound... no need to play loud.

 

[bandmommy]

Upstairs in a very old hip roof barn.
The lambs prefer flute and clarinet, older ewes go for alto and tenor, and the old Jacob ram really digs the bari.
The barn cats don't have a preferance and the kittens just want to practice jumping in and out of the open case.

 

[edwin]

Until now my practise has been confined to fairly conventional locations. However, on Saturday and Sunday we're going to be on a houseboat on the Murray River in northern Victoria. I'm taking my soprano along for the trip (Sydney to Perth by road, provided the kids don't do us in before we make it across). At some point, I'm planning to stand on the top deck and practise while my wife drives us upriver.

 

[Koen88]

I once practised in a squatted old school next to a brothel.

this was when I recorded a cd-track for an indie band, and the studio was located in the old teachers lounge. They were nice people, though a little strange (modern day hippies of some sorts). And the frontman lived in the gymnasium (he didnt work out thouhg..)

this was also the time I had my weirdest provision; 1 Liter of beer and a Kebab with some fries :mrgreen:..

*edit: really loving this thread!!*