Saxophones, Saxophones, SAXOPHONES.

Well, goodness! So much has been transpiring causing me to be in a euphoric mood. The grass is greener, the snow from yesterday is gone and melted, it's above freezing, school is coming to a close, solo/ensemble is over, and music concerts are coming up! Glimpses of a long awaited summertime are starting to make themselves apparent and I could not be happier. Winter is a season that I find insanely lackluster. I'm just glad that it is over at last! Spring and summertime have promise of many enjoyable things and I am simply adrenalized at the thought of all that I can accomplish outside of school.
So, a little music update! I have been trying new things a little bit since Christmas time. For example, I played bari sax for the winter concert. For having such a small physique, it has been slightly difficult to provide all the air needed the play efficiently with that particular instrument. Despite said, I can't bring myself to quit playing it! What can I say? I adore the deep, rich sound that it makes. I should play tenor but I just can't seem to part with the resonance. Now, don't get me wrong. Tenor saxophone is my favorite to play. For a couple of our songs for concert band I switch from bari to tenor. While the transition from one type of saxophone to another is always awkward at first, I love the change up. I really should confess that I probably enjoy the tenor most because it's easier to play. Yup. I said it. I'm that kid. While is may not be as deep in sound, it is easier. For me, it's the perfect size, great in sound, and well.. it's not an alto.
Okay. So, here we go on altos. It is not that I don't like them, it's just that I find them to be squeally, whiny, and difficult. Though, after playing on bari and tenor(easier instruments to be controlled), I may be moderately biased. For solo/ensemble I did a piece called Sonatina by Mozart(arr. by Karl Webb) on alto and it was astoundingly fun! But here's the problem with alto(and in all honesty, all saxophones). They are nearly impossible to perfectly tune. I could play a G and then a C in that song and find that one note was flat and the other incredibly sharp! I'd have to adjust my facial muscles constantly to get the sound to where it should be. Working on embouchure for the entire song is difficult, folks. It seems as though most of my struggles with this occur on alto. So, ultimately, I'd get lazy and just play it never mind the pitch or sound(tsk tsk, I know). Surprisingly enough, the judge seemed to really enjoy my solo! HASHTAG SUCCESS... kinda. Even though I've been playing alto for six years, I always have things to learn and can definitely improve in skill level. I'm grateful to play such an extraordinary instrument and I'm grateful to have such a benevolent teacher whose fervor of music is contagious. She is awesome. Just sayin'.

Oh, and by the way guys, saxophone is the best instrument. Don't ever question the veracity of that statement. Ever. ;)