Comments on: Remembering Jackie McLean http://socci.com/blog/2006/04/07/remembering-jackie-mclean/ Fri, 09 May 2008 13:15:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Joseph http://socci.com/blog/2006/04/07/remembering-jackie-mclean/#comment-81 Joseph Sat, 09 Dec 2006 11:39:53 +0000 http://socci.com/blog/2006/04/07/remembering-jackie-mclean/#comment-81 I am 14 years old, as of now. My obsession with the tenor saxophone began when I was in 7th grade (12 years old). My instructor, Mr. Keith Kyle, initiated my urge to play saxophone because, before I had started his class, I did not even know what the little signs in the church books were! I asked my teacher for help, and he taught me everything I needed to know for a solid sax-playing foundation. Finally, when I started my random playing for up to 2 hours a day, I knew I that I wanted to have a career in music. I started getting advanced lessons, from Keith, on playing classical pieces like Minuets, Gavotte, and Airs. This however did not appetize me as much as the honkety and emotional jazz-blues sounds of professional saxophone players. I am no stranger to conceit either, because we had an event in our school known as the Principal's Breakfast in which some teachers picked their favorite student to receive a framed acknowledgement of the student. I got upset because Mr. Kyle picked a clarinetist of whose identity I will keep secret by calling her simply Hannah. Hannah who knew only what she learned in class about the clarinet. However, I had mixed emotions about this because I had liked Hannah since 7th grade. I got over this trauma a week later when my mother told me that this award was only for kids that did not receive much public recognition and I was very popular for my talent. I then started my urge for composing music, of which I failed at miserably until I got on the internet and learned composition structure as well as chord/triad structure. I wanted to learn to compose because recently graduated senior named Michael, a trombonist, set a huge precedent for me to meet because he was pro at everything he did: playing trombone, playing piano, and composing/ arranging music. Because of Michael, nobody thought of me as truly talented, so I knew that I had to learn to compose and play piano but while I was at it, I was going to play jazz-style piano music and compose blues-jazz music to suffice my professional thirst. I have only a student YTS-23 tenor and a hard rubber Vito mouthpiece so I must raise myself economically so that I can reach my goal of getting a YTS-875 and a Jody Jazz sterling silver mouthpiece. I use strength 3 reeds and I hope to raise my strength to 3.5 so I can get better tone quality. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail me! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Joseph, Thanks for your note. It sounds like you are off to a very good start. My best advice is probably something you've heard before - but that is to stick with it. Jackie McLean used to say, "This is a cross country race..." - and I took that to mean that the most important thing is that you stay in it. It can get very discouraging sometimes but you have to stay in the game. Many of the people I knew years ago coming up, some very talented and some only modestly talented, have achieved success in music because they stayed with it. So don't ever give up. Its a very special thing to be a musician. Keep your eyes set on upgrading your horn and mouthpiece - but don't let your progress be delayed for want of a better horn. Wayne Shorter made a recording using a Bundy (a lot worse than a Yamaha) with Miles Davis once when his own horn got messed up on the airplane. Bird used all kinds of horns because he often had his in hock. That stiffer reed might be just what you need right now on that mouthpiece. I suggest you go ahead and start using them. Play long tones. Lots of long tones until they soften up a bit. Practice with the harder reed and then go back to the soft one for playing if you aren't quite ready. You seem to write (language write) very well - an important skill. Keep writing (music and language). Music and language are both about communication - and the ability to communicate well brings great power. Best of luck, Charley I am 14 years old, as of now. My obsession with the tenor saxophone began when I was in 7th grade (12 years old). My instructor, Mr. Keith Kyle, initiated my urge to play saxophone because, before I had started his class, I did not even know what the little signs in the church books were!
I asked my teacher for help, and he taught me everything I needed to know for a solid sax-playing foundation. Finally, when I started my random playing for up to 2 hours a day, I knew I that I wanted to have a career in music. I started getting advanced lessons, from Keith, on playing classical pieces like Minuets, Gavotte, and Airs. This however did not appetize me as much as the honkety and emotional jazz-blues sounds of professional saxophone players.
I am no stranger to conceit either, because we had an event in our school known as the Principal’s Breakfast in which some teachers picked their favorite student to receive a framed acknowledgement of the student. I got upset because Mr. Kyle picked a clarinetist of whose identity I will keep secret by calling her simply Hannah. Hannah who knew only what she learned in class about the clarinet. However, I had mixed emotions about this because I had liked Hannah since 7th grade. I got over this trauma a week later when my mother told me that this award was only for kids that did not receive much public recognition and I was very popular for my talent.
I then started my urge for composing music, of which I failed at miserably until I got on the internet and learned composition structure as well as chord/triad structure. I wanted to learn to compose because recently graduated senior named Michael, a trombonist, set a huge precedent for me to meet because he was pro at everything he did: playing trombone, playing piano, and composing/ arranging music. Because of Michael, nobody thought of me as truly talented, so I knew that I had to learn to compose and play piano but while I was at it, I was going to play jazz-style piano music and compose blues-jazz music to suffice my professional thirst.
I have only a student YTS-23 tenor and a hard rubber Vito mouthpiece so I must raise myself economically so that I can reach my goal of getting a YTS-875 and a Jody Jazz sterling silver mouthpiece. I use strength 3 reeds and I hope to raise my strength to 3.5 so I can get better tone quality.
If you have any suggestions, please e-mail me!

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Hi Joseph,

Thanks for your note.

It sounds like you are off to a very good start. My best advice is probably something you’ve heard before - but that is to stick with it. Jackie McLean used to say, “This is a cross country race…” - and I took that to mean that the most important thing is that you stay in it. It can get very discouraging sometimes but you have to stay in the game. Many of the people I knew years ago coming up, some very talented and some only modestly talented, have achieved success in music because they stayed with it. So don’t ever give up. Its a very special thing to be a musician.

Keep your eyes set on upgrading your horn and mouthpiece - but don’t let your progress be delayed for want of a better horn. Wayne Shorter made a recording using a Bundy (a lot worse than a Yamaha) with Miles Davis once when his own horn got messed up on the airplane. Bird used all kinds of horns because he often had his in hock.

That stiffer reed might be just what you need right now on that mouthpiece. I suggest you go ahead and start using them. Play long tones. Lots of long tones until they soften up a bit. Practice with the harder reed and then go back to the soft one for playing if you aren’t quite ready.

You seem to write (language write) very well - an important skill. Keep writing (music and language). Music and language are both about communication - and the ability to communicate well brings great power.

Best of luck,

Charley

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