Music Note

I think it's pretty safe to assume that most people have a 'must-do list' for all the things they want to accomplish, places they want to see, and experiences they want to experience in their lifetime. 
I definitely have one, and each year of my adulthood I try to cross off at least one thing, whether big or small.
One of the things on my list has always been to learn how to play the saxophone. Saaaaaaxamaphooooone! (Sorry, a lil' Homer Simpson humor there! Love that show!). And my reason for the sax? Well it started back in Junior High. I took band in grade seven (please resist all expected band camp jokes, ha ha). The people who joined band had to write a music test. The people with the highest percentage results got first pick of their instrument of choice. I was second pick and got stuck with the choice of tuba, baritone, trombone or clarinet. I went with the trombone only because I thought the slide was pretty cool, but really, I was so bummed out that I didn't get my sax. I've always loved the sounds of jazz and Kenny G when I was a kid and thought the sax was by far the best piece of brass ever constructed, with an amazing sexy, smooth sound, and with such style! So you can imagine the heart break when I found out I would not be playing it.
Although I played trombone, I always told myself that one day damn it, I will get to play the sax, and I will love it!
I never forgot about it, but amongst life's business and other priorities I never gave myself the chance yet to just go and do it, just go and learn! That is until this past Christmas where my youngest brother, whom I'm closest with out of all 3 brothers, bought me saxophone lessons, and a rental sax for a month from a music store here in Calgary! I could not believe my eyes when I opened that gift! He was just as pumped about it as I was. He kept saying "Open mine next! Open mine next! You're gonna love it!!!"
And I surely did. Not only was the gift absolutely amazing and cool, but the fact that my little bro actually paid attention to me all the years when I had mentioned back then how I want to learn to play the sax one day was pretty impressive, and really thoughtful of him! He's such a grinch around Christmas but the fact that he put this much thought into it was really quite heart warming.
So.....I have been learning how to play the sax for about a month now and I am just loving it! I started out with the tenor sax because I love the deeper sounds, however I had to switch to the alto due to the heaviness of the tenor around my neck ( I have a bad neck injury from a previous car accident). So I switched it up to the alto and was a bit skeptical at first because I knew it would be a higher sounding sax, but...turns out I love it more than the tenor because you can still get some really great low tones out of that thing from one octave to the next one. I also am finding it easier with the fingering on the key pads, whereas with the tenor your fingers are spread out a bit more due to the fact that its a bigger sax.
I laugh when I think of the first day I put that sax together, slid the strap over my neck and made my first sound - don't know why I thought it would sound all Kenny G-like being my first time but I did , I was on a saxophone high and went into my own little world when I picked it up, ha ha! So, it pretty much sounded like a sick whale. It was horrible yet hilarious! And for anyone who's thinking of maybe learning to play a sax, when you first blow a note, don't think it's going to be as easy as putting your mouth on the mouth piece and blowing to make a sound. No, no, no......without sounding dirty (get your mind out of the gutter people) it's all about lip placement, and teeth placement, and tongue placement on that reed. If you don't get those things down to a 't' ? Sick whale sounds coming your way! Or possibly just really awful squeaks!
I'm still very new and learning but I am having a lot of fun, and I can now play a couple tunes, and I'm in the midst of learning "Fever". Love that song, so sexy!! When I've told people that I'm learning sax, the first reaction has been "Really? Wow!! So cool!!" then sometimes followed by a "Are you planning on joining a band?". The answer is 'no', no I'm not doing it to join a band or anything like that. I'm doing it because I love music, I've always had appreciation for musicians, and if I can learn to make music again, even if it's just for myself, then that just makes my life that much sweeter. Even if I only end up playing it for a few months, that is still an amazing accomplishment for myself that I can now cross off my list. I'm a 'right-brainer', and so naturally doing things like this, tapping into my creative, imaginative side, almost unleash and inspire other aspects of my life, and they all feed off each other in the best way. I'm grateful that I can find inspiration in many different things, or just pure bliss, even in the simplest of things. Will I ever be a jazz soloist selling out seats in Manhattan? No. Will I ever record an album? No. Will I ever join a band? Probably not. And do I want to? Not really. But my point is this - do the things you've always wanted to do no matter how silly they may sound, do something that makes you happy and don't feel the need to have any rhyme or reasoning behind it. I'm doing this simply because I want to. No big reason, no big plan, and it's perfect that way. It's just like that girl on the dance floor who can't dance ; she doesn't care, she's doing it because she enjoys it! And me? Oh I am totally enjoying the sax! That's one more thing I get to cross off my list, and boy does it feel good! If my brother hadn't bought me this gift, who knows when I would have actually got motivated enough to go out and do it for myself? That thought alone got me thinking of just how quick time flies, and how easy it is to make excuses for not doing the things we like to do. It inspired me to make more time for these things. It inspired me to stay true to my list. It inspired me to share this with you.