Confessions of a Pipe Addict

[Ken Corbett]

I bought a wooden six-hole flute, and I play it nearly every day. I think it's more like a pipe or a multi-holed whistle. I like to call it my pipe.

It took me a few tries over a week or so to learn to play a clear note without squeaking. I love tooting my flute because each toot is unique. I stop tooting to take a breath, then start tooting again with a different sequence of notes each time.

Fascinating, I know. I haven't driven my loving wife crazy yet. Must be cuz I'm getting better all the time at blowing my pipe lol.

I also have a plastic recorder and a tin whistle, but they are shrill and the notes are dull in their industrial uniformity. The notes of my pipe are sweetened by its South American jungle wood.

I know you play the sax, Dan. Tell us about it.

Ken

[AquarianM]

Well, the sax is a lovely beast, Ken. I like that you're playing an instrument. It gives you a personal knowledge of the way it takes time and repetition to gain mastery.

With the saxophone, it's difficult to play if the ambient air temperature gets too cold, because it's metal and the instrument gets cold, stiffening your fingers up. This is vastly important, because there is no volume control on a saxophone. That means you can't do repetitive practice indoors if other people are around - such as condo and apartment buildings - without bugging your neighbors. I tend to practice outside a lot, at parks and such.

All these facts make it very difficult to get in practice time during the winter. I go weeks sometimes in the cold months without being able to play, so that first day it goes above 60 degrees F, it is a treasure.

Playing the sax also requires fine control of the reed. How much pressure you put on it. When to let your tongue touch it. You can bend or stop notes and shift octaves higher or lower by the way you control the reed. You can also get a raspy vibrato effect by rattling your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind the reed, like when rolling your R's in speaking Spanish.

Of course, fingering the keys is just as critical. How abrupt you are moving from key to key, how fast you raise and lower the keys, all of it matters.

Once you learn to blend the mastery of the reed with the mastery of the keys, you can finally make the instrument your second voice - and then seriously consider being able to play music in proper time. Then comes expanding your range by practicing endless varieties of transitions and timing from note to note to note.

It's a growth-by-inches process and both daunting and wonderful.

I've also started learning guitar for times when I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with the sax. It also gives me another option in winter. I have a really nice Fender Stratocaster that's got a red body, white pick guard, and rosewood neck. It plays beautifully. Coincidentally, it requires blending two skills to play as well. The left and right hands must be doing two very, very different tasks that must be perfectly blended together to create the finished work. Being electric, you can also modify the sound in many, many ways.

Finally, I've learned that no matter the instrument, finesse is every bit as important as strength - and you can only gain the finesse through practice after you first build up the strength.

The key is to put in time daily. Even 15-20 minutes a day will help.

Thanks for starting this discussion, Ken. It's a wonderful one to have.

Dan

[Ken Corbett]

Dan,

I try to play an hour a day, but I don't keep track. sometimes more. Then there are days when I get doing something else, so that's cool. Some days, I'm inspired by my playing, other times that meld of mind and music is hard to achieve.

I find I need to rest my ears after a session. Although I don't blow hard, they get tired after a longer session. They're fine after a couple of minutes. I expect they'll get used to longer playing times.

My wife and I are talking about learning guitar. We do karate together, so we have experience doing the same thing. It should work out, eh?

Ken

[AquarianM]

Ken, I think it's always better if your spouse is in on an activity with you. That way they're not jealous of the time you're spending on it. That can be a real barrier to success.

Dan