I know this sounds really silly, but since I bought my voodoo master tenor back in April I have had a great time getting my chops back, at least until these past few days. (Pretty much quit playing for about 15 years except occassionally for my kids and after a few glasses of champagne on New Year's Eve....hey someone has to entertain the neighbors with Auld Lange Syne!!) I have not had a chance to play everyday, but have tried to play at least every other day unless I am traveling for work. I went a week without playing a few weeks ago because I was sick, but picked it right back up, without missing a beat. Last week I was in Louisville for work, so I did not play for like 4 days. When home and I got her (I named her Rosie hehe!) back out, I just flat out sucked! My fingers would not cooperate, neither would my reed-tried several different reeds including the Harry Hartman reed (thanks Steve for introducing me to that!) that has worked soo well for me, it just did not seem to work, nothing seemed to help. Three days in a row. It is not my horn's fault....it is me. Any advice? Anyone else have more than just one "off" day for no reason? Its kind of discouraging....I was actually playing Ferling etudes almost as well as I did 20 years ago when I was in college. I hope I have not hit a "plateau" in trying to re-learn the sax!

Shanda

Because we're human, we have good and bad days. I know you are frustrated, but be patient with yourself. Try some different and fresh material, you may simply be in a rut. It's easier to get out than you might think.

Welcome to the music world!!! We have all been frustrated by what we sound like. The difference between a great musician and one who quits is that the great musician never took no as an answer. Ups and downs are all part of the journey just enjoy it the best you can. On a different note, you may want to have the horn looked at even if it is brand new (especially) as horns settle in after time and often a lot of small leaks show up after a few months and just need to be tuned up. Good luck!

good advise from Keith, make sure the horn is operating properly. We all have our days when we don't play well. I know its a conflict between work, family and time on the horn (TOTH). Here's an idea. keep the horn out on a stand where you normally practice. It may provide some extra TOTH when it's out and ready to go. Also, put a fibracell reed on it so there's no reed prep time to worry about. Anyway you can sneak in 20 - 30 minutes here and there helps. You'll get over the hump. btw I stopped playing for 10 years before came back to the saxophone and vowed never to put down the horn again so I appreciate that part of your comments too.
good luck

Thanks guys for the encouragement...still pretty sure that it is not the horn. My fingers are like locking up, especially my left hand ring finger. I am even having problems typing.....but I have had to type many, many nastygrams at work lately. Maybe that is the culprit!

I would love to keep my sax on a stand, BUT I have two very active young cats in the house, and a 6 year old daughter, who would not hesitate to attempt to play it. I actually have a padlock on my english horn case! I need to find a way to lock my sax case since this one doe not have a built in lock.....thought about putting a chain through the handle and a padlock on the chain! I may try the stand thing a little later and keep it in my craft/junk room and lock the door.

Decided to clean the house tonight....that was getting kind of necessary. I will try again tomorrow and this weekend. I have to travel for work again next week, so no practice there...don't want to get thrown out of the hotel.

I am not one to give up easily....I will keep trying!

Shanda

I've "hit the wall" like that a few times, too.
Not sure if it helped, but I just found some new material & did some sight-reading; then threw on some "accompaniment" CDs to some old material & things fell into place.

By the way, Steve said I should get in touch with you, anyway. I only live halfway across the state from you!

Are the repairperson that Steve mentioned to me? I am not going to say what town, but is it close to an army base? If so, I lived there for 6 years when I was in college. Let me know if you were that person he mentioned....Right now I have to do minor repairs myself or take my instruments to a friend of mine that lives near Athens GA. I have to go that way for training occasionally, so not too bad of a deal, but he is also my ex-boyfriend (we ended on good terns have have stayed in touch for about 18 years), and his wife really does not like me! Nothing like having to sneak around for sax (repairs)!

Shanda

I won't claim to be in the same league as a number of musicians on this board, but I think that we all do encounter intervals when just nothing seems to be working right. Like the other guys, if the usual sort of thing isn't working well for me, I try changing it up - if my articulation and fast fingering stuff is falling apart and I can't seem to make progress with that, I switch over to work on long tones, practicing overtones, chord progressions at slow speed, etc. You get the idea Also, since I have a clarinet, as well as several saxes, I sometimes try switching over to that to work on embouchure, tone, and trying to remember how to do circular breathing. I guess you get the general idea - if it ain't working, switch to something else that maybe you'll manage better with at that time. As long as you keep on working on something musical, it's all good, IMHO!

I think that (really-)bad playing days have two main explanations:

-It's simply a bad day. Don't get obsessed and don't insist, because you could mess some good habit up: go out for a walk, play with your child or read a (good) book, and be grateful it didn't take you on a gig day. When you come back, things will have improved.

-You are doing it better, so you are getting more conscious of your faults. In this case, keep practicing more intelligently and harder!

Shonda, these guys are giving you really good advise. Here's another thought, since you travel a lot for work consider doing some embouchure exercises or taking along taking along one of those air resistance devices. WWBW and Warburton carry a few. Never used one, but it might help keep your breathing and embouchure muscles in shape while you are away. Check it out. But in the end don't get discouraged. Just keep at it.

Hummm...I have one of those things they give you in the hospital to blow in. Got it after my surgery in December. I wonder if that would work?

I thought about maybe bringing my english horn with me since it is not as loud. I really suck on it......have not had time to work on it at all....had it out less than 10 times since I bought it two years ago! On the bright side, I made the final payment on the loan I took out for it last month! May have to see if I have a decent reed for it.

Thanks Guys! I was going to get out my sax tonight, but am just not feeling it. I have a massive headache from dealing with idiots at work. I have never heard grown men complain so much about the simplest things!

Shanda

Don't know if this would interested you, but I've thought of getting one of these Xaphoon "pocket sax" things to take with me when motorcycle camping or backpacking. They are inexpensive - the fingering is like a recorder, but at least the mouthpiece uses a standard tenor sax reed, and you can get the things in ABS plastic, so small, light, cheap if it gets broken, and easy to pack. OF course, it is in no way a saxophone, but might be interesting diversion for your road trips without risking damage to a much more expensive double reed instrument.

don't think a french horn will help keep your sax chops up while on the road but I love Mike's idea of the xaphoon. I believe it uses a tenor mpc. It couldn't hurt.
If you have the $$ you could get a curved soprano. I should fit in your carry on.
Don't let a headache and/or idiots at the office keep you from practicing. You may find it therapeutic.

+1 for the curved soprano. I own a Saxgourmet Model Six, and it's the best option.

Frank, I have an English Horn, not a French Horn....big difference! I have thought about the xaphoon. I just sold my Soprano sax....did that to buy my voodoo master tenor. I really HATE the soprano. I thought that I wanted one since high school, then when I was able to afford one, I played it for a while and hated it....I guess I am just a tenor Girl! I don't fly, so that is not an issue. When I travel for work, I usually take one of the mini-vans so I have the space, I just don't want to get thrown out of a hotel. That is actually one reason I bought my English horn...I figure that I can bury the bell into a pillow, and not be heard, and therefore not be thrown out!

The idoits at the office did calm down....it was like everything blew up at once, then just deflated the next day. Gotta love folks who by luck got into a higher position and try to pull rank on you when you are the one who knows what is going on. I am in a precarious position at work....I work for a government entity. I work in one of the field offices (not going to say where or what, for privacy reasons!), but I also have state wide duties where I supervise certain activities. in this capacity I out rank my boss in the field office, and the other field office managers in their respective offices. In my local duties I am outranked by all but one person in my division in my field office, and others across the state. Its crazy sometimes!

As for my playing the last couple of days have went better. We did have a weather system that came through here about the time my playing started to go downhill. I am currently using the Jack of Spades mouthpiece, so I wonder if the change in pressure and humidity might have an effect on it? That may be the issue with my hands and fingers....I have spinal stenosis and a herniated disc, and the weather does cause me to have worse backpain. Who knows?!

Maybe I should start a new topic about traveling and practice! I think I will do that now.

Shanda