Snake Davies Woodwind workshop

Busy old week, this. Still recovering from Michael Schenker's gig last night, I find myself at the Rosehill Barn clutching Steve's lovely Martin alto sax and learning some tricks of the trade from Snake Davies, virtuoso jazz saxophonist/flautist.

I find the place full of our customers: mostly sax players, but a couple of flutes and a clarinet as well. I did toy with the idea of bringing one of my recorders, but decided it might be just a bit too radical, expecting such a thing to be accepted as a potential jazz instrument.

After too many years playing classical music from the dots, and folk music from memory (but sticking to the same tune all the time) I find it really hard to let loose and play solos based only a chord pattern. It's OK on a guitar - your fingers fall into the chord shape and all you have to do is play those particular notes in some random sort of sequence for it to sound like an interesting improvised solo, but on a wind instrument it's much harder. I tend to start off OK, and then get lost in whatever I've started playing, and by the time I'm halfway through I've completely lost track of which chord I'm supposed to be playing with. I guess practising occasionally might help . . .

Working

Not much else to do on grey days like this, apart from work. Finished the bamboo chair with its Danish cord seat. Normally I'd have taken it outside to photograph it, but I don't think the owner would thank me for taking it outside into the rain/sleet/hail that was going on at the time, so it remains, for now, unphotographed.

Spent some time attempting to get the bookkeeping up to date. Every year I have a failed new year resolution which goes something like this: This year I shall keep my bookkeeping up to date. Never works. Depressing, isn't it?

Decided to start practising the alto sax in preparation for Roz' Sax Day in about 10 days' time. The funny thing is, when I'm playing my C-melody, all I play is folk music, but the minute I get an alto in my hands I want to play jazz. NB - I want to play jazz. I don't think I really can play jazz, but at least the desire to try it is there.

When Roz holds a Sax Day, she ropes in Steve to be the Sax Doctor, doing running repairs and tweaks for her students who come along, en masse, to play together for a day. And if Steve's there, so am I, as I am his loyal chauffeuse, and if I am there, I might as well join in the fun, even though I am not, as yet, one of Roz' students. Well, it was fun last time.

Playing my C-melody for Belfagan in Keswick a few years back.

A few resolutions for 2008:
1) Practise the sax.
2) Get bookkeeping up to date.
3) Get more exercise.
4) Don't leave sarcastic comments on poor fragile son's blog.