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band musical instruments

I've been in small bands all my life. What we do is not just playing music, it's entertaining.

The last big band I was in was when I was still in school in the stage/jazz band. Then I joined a 4 piece as a sax player who learned to double on guitar, and bass (I already knew drums) and toured the country, eventually being the opening act for major stars and almost 'making it big' ourselves.

It's important to look the part. My philosophy is to look the way the audience wants to see you. A tuxedo crowd doesn't want to see you in a Hawaiian shirt, and when playing outdoors in a marina, a tux is inappropriate.

How you conduct yourself on stage is important. Look like you are enjoying yourself, even if you are having the worst day of your life. That's easy for me, no matter how tough life is, once the music starts playing, I'm in my bliss. Entertain them with whatever is appropriate for the gig. Actually, I rarely have a bad day, I'm doing what I love to do for a living with a wife who is also a fine entertainer and my very best friend.

Play at the right volume for the audience as well. I know of bands that won't get hired at the yacht clubs that book us because during the dinner set they play too loud. During dinner, we play at about 65dba and play gentle music with a fair share of instrumentals. Then when dinner is done, we crank it up to a gig-appropriate level.

It's also important to play the right songs, and do your best to play them at the right times to give the audience the best experience you can. Through the years I learned how to read the audience pretty well, song by song, and have a good idea what to call next (we don't do set lists).

We are not there only for ourselves. We want to please our audience, and in return they please us with their enthusiasm. And after the gig we have money for our needs. It doesn't get much better than that.

Most people on this forum probably already know all this, so 'scuse me for rambling

Notes
 
You truly are a seasoned professional. No doubt.
Most of my experiences weren’t as personal as yours. Our stage band had quite a few members and our gigs were always scheduled for us. We didn’t have to worry so much about keeping customers. We were just there to play.

I played saxophone in the stage band and sang and played keyboards in a smaller band. The smaller band ‘was’ more personal and we did more modern stuff than the stage band. The lights on our music stands were priceless.

My husband went to a few gigs I did but then we moved and I no longer was in the band since we lived too far away. He plays a bit of guitar but is somewhat tone deaf.

Unfortunately I stopped playing and my saxophone actually got musty. The pads dried out from lack of use and when I finally started playing again, it needed all pads replaced.

It is important to look the part. People did pay good money. Even our music stands & chairs needed to look clean and well maintained.

Playing at the right volume is important no matter what part you’re playing, especially as a group but we never did any background stuff.

You sound like you really enjoy playing professionally in front of lots of people.
For me, I could never do what you do. While I thoroughly enjoy playing, I’m not that fond of people.

Right now I occasionally play if I have a dinner party and someone asks me to.
Most of my enjoyment comes from playing for myself though which I’m very happy about.
 
What instrument does your wife play @Notes Norton?

Do you ever record your music?
If so what do you use?

What’s the most exciting event you’ve played at and why?
 
What instrument does your wife play @Notes Norton?

Do you ever record your music?
If so what do you use?

What’s the most exciting event you’ve played at and why?
My wife plays guitar, synth, and is a world-class singer.

I play sax, wind synth, flute, guitar, bass, drums, keys, and I am a decent singer.

We have some promos at http://www.s-cats.com and the recording I've mostly done is the 600+ backing tracks that I created for our band from scratch. I save all the most fun parts for Mrs. Notes and I to play live over the tracks.

Mrs. Notes plays guitar, synth, and sings over the tracks, and I play sax, wind synth, flute, guitar and vocals of the tracks I've laid down.

I was a first-call sax player at a local recording studio until the owner got a stroke, and it closed. Nothing has come to take its place in the area. I've done sax-for-hire work at a few others. The most famous recording studio I ever recorded in was Motown's newer downtown studios.

The most exciting event I ever played was before I met Mrs. Notes. I was in a rock band that almost got famous. We were the opening act for quite a few headliners in concert, and eventually were supposed to be the first all-white rock band to be signed to a Motown label. Unfortunately, our manager wanted us to get paid, and Motown didn't want to pay anything. During those days, one night we opened for "The Motown Revue" in Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. That was the most exciting.

Why? It was the biggest, most enthusiastic audience we ever played for, and mixing backstage with so many of the stars who were simply our peers was a lot of fun.

Every gig I do with Mrs. Notes is exciting. We feed off each other and collective off the energy from the audience. The most exciting one is the next one.

Seriously, it's very difficult for me to say what was our most exciting gig. We did 3 years on a 3-week contract on cruise ships, where we played in a little side lounge and frequently beat the disco in revenue. The disco was open 5 hours per night longer than us and held 3 times as many people. The management in Miami figured wherever people were spending money was where they enjoyed themselves, and we got a passenger sized cabin with a porthole for a reward!

Or the wedding we played where the father of the bride put "overtime until we drop" on the contract. It went 6 hours, and he danced with every female from the tiniest tots to the oldest grannies. We're still in touch with them, they are still married, and their kids are grown.

Or the nursing home where we saw people who could no longer speak coherently or remember what they did 10 minutes ago sing along with the songs with giant smiles on their faces and knew every word.

Or the afternoons in the marina that we played for 12 seasons straight until COVID hit, because the regular audience members are like our extended family.

Or the 20 years we did once a week at a yacht club where the members became like our extended family.

Or in The People's Republic of China where the help spoke broken English (thankfully) and many audience members didn't speak English at all but enthusiastically showed their appreciation for our muisic.

Mrs. Notes and I were in different bands when we met 43 years ago. Then we got in a couple of bands together and finally as everything downsized we decided to start a duo. That was in 1985, and we haven't looked back since.

Big or small, they are almost all exciting and almost all rewarding in more ways than just the money they pay us. In the extremely rare occasion where we don't enjoy the gig, we simply raise our price so that they won't hire us again, or if they do, we get paid for the aggravation (I'm thinking of micromanagers).

I've been playing pro since I got out of school with the exception of two short 'day jobs' that I had while testing out what it is to be normal - (still playing on the weekends). IMO normal is sooooo overrated.

I've played practically every venue a musician can, from dive bars to star-studded concerts. I feel truly alive on stage, and gigging with Mrs. Notes is our second favorite thing to do.

We live below our means, but the mortgage is paid off, we have no debt, and until COVID took a vacation every year to every continent but Antarctica.

I believe I'm living a charmed life.

Notes
 
My wife plays guitar, synth, and is a world-class singer.

I play sax, wind synth, flute, guitar, bass, drums, keys, and I am a decent singer.

We have some promos at http://www.s-cats.com and the recording I've mostly done is the 600+ backing tracks that I created for our band from scratch. I save all the most fun parts for Mrs. Notes and I to play live over the tracks.

Mrs. Notes plays guitar, synth, and sings over the tracks, and I play sax, wind synth, flute, guitar and vocals of the tracks I've laid down.

I was a first-call sax player at a local recording studio until the owner got a stroke, and it closed. Nothing has come to take its place in the area. I've done sax-for-hire work at a few others. The most famous recording studio I ever recorded in was Motown's newer downtown studios.

The most exciting event I ever played was before I met Mrs. Notes. I was in a rock band that almost got famous. We were the opening act for quite a few headliners in concert, and eventually were supposed to be the first all-white rock band to be signed to a Motown label. Unfortunately, our manager wanted us to get paid, and Motown didn't want to pay anything. During those days, one night we opened for "The Motown Revue" in Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. That was the most exciting.

Why? It was the biggest, most enthusiastic audience we ever played for, and mixing backstage with so many of the stars who were simply our peers was a lot of fun.

Every gig I do with Mrs. Notes is exciting. We feed off each other and collective off the energy from the audience. The most exciting one is the next one.

Seriously, it's very difficult for me to say what was our most exciting gig. We did 3 years on a 3-week contract on cruise ships, where we played in a little side lounge and frequently beat the disco in revenue. The disco was open 5 hours per night longer than us and held 3 times as many people. The management in Miami figured wherever people were spending money was where they enjoyed themselves, and we got a passenger sized cabin with a porthole for a reward!

Or the wedding we played where the father of the bride put "overtime until we drop" on the contract. It went 6 hours, and he danced with every female from the tiniest tots to the oldest grannies. We're still in touch with them, they are still married, and their kids are grown.

Or the nursing home where we saw people who could no longer speak coherently or remember what they did 10 minutes ago sing along with the songs with giant smiles on their faces and knew every word.

Or the afternoons in the marina that we played for 12 seasons straight until COVID hit, because the regular audience members are like our extended family.

Or the 20 years we did once a week at a yacht club where the members became like our extended family.

Or in The People's Republic of China where the help spoke broken English (thankfully) and many audience members didn't speak English at all but enthusiastically showed their appreciation for our muisic.

Mrs. Notes and I were in different bands when we met 43 years ago. Then we got in a couple of bands together and finally as everything downsized we decided to start a duo. That was in 1985, and we haven't looked back since.

Big or small, they are almost all exciting and almost all rewarding in more ways than just the money they pay us. In the extremely rare occasion where we don't enjoy the gig, we simply raise our price so that they won't hire us again, or if they do, we get paid for the aggravation (I'm thinking of micromanagers).

I've been playing pro since I got out of school with the exception of two short 'day jobs' that I had while testing out what it is to be normal - (still playing on the weekends). IMO normal is sooooo overrated.

I've played practically every venue a musician can, from dive bars to star-studded concerts. I feel truly alive on stage, and gigging with Mrs. Notes is our second favorite thing to do.

We live below our means, but the mortgage is paid off, we have no debt, and until COVID took a vacation every year to every continent but Antarctica.

I believe I'm living a charmed life.

Notes
You two, are by far, the most successful musicians I know of personally.

You are both very talented and even look the part.

I also have the same experience when playing in senior nursing homes. They may not remember much but they remember songs. A nurse practitioner there says that it is because musical memory is the last to go. Music is more imprinted in our memory than most memories. Some residents even move and dance about that don’t normally respond to anything. I find that most interesting.

Living mortgage and debt free is certainly wonderful. That’s the life we currently own and it’s sweet for sure.

Thanks for answering my questions.
Your life sounds wonderful.
Then again, so is mine.
 
By the way Norton, your musical selection is awesome. So extensive. And your voice is definitely better than average as is your wife’s. A good set of pipes on you both.
 
Thanks for the kind words, Keesha.

We did have a particular instance where we played a nursing home. It was a memory care facility, with locked doors, so the patients don't wander out by themselves and get lost.

We were playing, and this gentleman was dancing away with the caretakers, other patients, and by himself. While we were schlepping our gear out, Mrs. Notes complimented him on his dancing. It was meant with a blank stare, he didn't remember it at all.

While that seems so sad, on the other hand, we gave him a couple of hours of joy.

We don't do many nursing homes, because we are usually booked for better paying gigs. We need the money for life's expenses, so we take the better paying gigs, but we turn down gigs we don't want to do. Actually, if we have a gig we don't want, we just raise our rate, so that if they still want us, we get paid for the hassle.

As far as our musical selection is concerned, about 3/4 of it comes from the requests of our audiences, the rest is mostly what we predict the audience might also like, and we throw others in simply because we want to play those songs. If you give the audience what they like, they will enjoy an occasional song that they don't recognize.

The formula we follow is easy:

You can play for yourself, you can play for other musicians, or you can play for the general public. If you are good enough, you'll get the audience you asked for.

I've always chosen the public, and made a living doing music and nothing but music for most of my life (so far). I have no intention of retiring, because it's fun and emotionally rewarding.

Notes
 
Most old folks homes I play in have a security system so those with dementia don’t walk out. They really have to otherwise their insurance wouldn’t cover them.

Old folks can do some real unpredictable things. My hair is normally tied back or in a bun since it’s long. One gentleman who appeared to really like me started pulling on my braids. Maybe he thought it was fake hair. My natural reaction was to slug him. That sounds harsh but I don’t have much tolerance for that sort of thing. Finally one of the nurses stopped him.

I’m definitely good enough to play elsewhere. I just don’t want to. I’m not really a people person. A person needs more than musical talent in order to do something like what you are doing. They need people skills and a desire to please people. They need to really enjoy being around people and I really don’t.

The main reason why I choose going to old folks to entertain is so I can give back to society. It’s volunteer work that I actually enjoy. I also sing some stuff too including carols at Christmas which they really enjoy. Most of them sing along with me.

Another reason I stick to playing for old folks is to keep my ego in check. I really don’t want to be that full of myself. Playing for old folks keeps me humble. Another volunteer thing I do is paint pictures. I enjoy painting and people really seem to like my work so I give it away. It makes me feel good about myself.

So I am good enough and have gotten the audience I’ve asked for. Unlike yourself, I’m not playing for money. I’m playing merely because I enjoy playing. If my playing can make others , less fortunate than myself, happy, then it’s all worth it. My work is done.
 
So I am good enough and have gotten the audience I’ve asked for. Unlike yourself, I’m not playing for money. I’m playing merely because I enjoy playing. If my playing can make others , less fortunate than myself, happy, then it’s all worth it. My work is done.
I'm glad you are enjoying myself, and making others happy. It's a noble thing to do, IMO.

We do play a lot of retirement developments, and there are a lot of them in South Florida. Some of those are like old folks homes, or "God's waiting room" and others are full of people old in numbers but young at heart.

If I were independently wealthy, I'd probably play for free. I just can't afford it. The bill collectors like the bills to be paid on time.

Actually, we do play for free, just not often.

Once a year (before COVID) in the middle of the summer dead season, we drive 50+ miles to the wheelchair division of the VA hospital's nursing home in West Palm Beach, FL, and play a few sets for the vets who are bound to their rolling chairs.

I don't always agree with what our government asks our service people to do, but I have the utmost respect for those who do our government's calling without questioning it.

I tried to join the Air Force Band when I was 18, and was classified 4F when I went for my physical due to chronic bronchitis. Playing a few free sets is just a way of saying, "Thank you for your service."

I've met some nice ladies and gentlemen there through the years. It makes me feel good to brighten up their day.

Also in the summer slow season, I write aftermarket products for the auto-accompaniment app, Band-in-a-Box. I'm not getting rich at that, but I love Florida in the summer, and before I found that niche I had to travel in the summer to gig steadily. Since I started that little cottage biz in 1992, I have been able to enjoy summers here, and gig only a few times per month, and still maintain our standard of living.

I'm living life on my own terms, I'm not a wage slave, I profit from my good decisions, hopefully learn from bad ones, and I'm living a very happy life. To me, that's success.

Notes
 
You clearly enjoy what you do and if I liked people more, I may have embraced that type of lifestyle. It’s certainly can be very fun and exciting especially at the level you are playing. I commend you for following your dream and succeeding.

Plus you sound like you can handle that type of lifestyle. You sound very comfortable in your own shoes. Maybe the fact that you need to make money is the motivation that has kept you on top of your game.

If I had to be worried about bills I wouldn’t have the luxury of playing for free. I didn’t mean for it to sound like a negative thing.
You are doing what you enjoy as am I.

That is kind of you to play for the wheelchair division every summer. The vets sure deserve the recognition. Having bronchitis must have it draw backs as a saxophonist and singer.

You write for Band in a Box. That is really quite cool. You are a legend already.

Florida is a very nice state. I’ve been there for a few weeks. The weather was wonderful and the ocean amazing. There are colourful birds everywhere.

Yes, you live a charmed life but why not?
Everyone should but few do so my hats off to you. Happiness IS the way.
 
Thanks.

Life is short, and not enjoy it is IMO a waste.

I see you are from Canada. I've been to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, and Yukon. The Canadians I've met have been some of the nicest people on the planet.

I especially like the Maritimes. I could move there if it wasn't so cold. Florida's climate suits me much better.

In the winter, we regularly play at a 900 site RV park, in which 600 sites are rented by French Canadians who come down here to escape the cold weather. The French Canadians really know how to party. We play until 9PM, by 9:30 we have to stop - park rules. When they come down, we regularly play until 9:30. The guests always offer to help us pack out, and we always thank them but refuse their help. We've gotten to know a few, and have even been invited to stay at their homes if we should come their way.

We probably won't though, We've been to Quebec a few times, and until COVID Mrs. Notes and I have taken a vacation every year. We've been to every continent but Antarctica. There are at least 50 more places we want to visit, and I doubt that we will have 50 more years left.

We were going to go to Madagascar in 2020, but COVID got in the way. Perhaps when COVID is over, depending on the situation in Madagascar.

I'm lucky that I met my wife. She is my very best friend, and we get along extremely well. 24/7/365 isn't too much time to spend together.

I sincerely wish everyone finds the happiness in life that I've found.

Notes
 
Life is about finding happiness and contentment.

Yes I live in Canada and have travelled in every part except the Yukon Territories. I’ve lived in western, eastern and central Canada.

You bet Canada’s fun. We ALL know how to party. It’s a good thing I wasn’t eating or drinking when I read the French Canadians sure like to party. They stay up with us until 9:30! That’s funny. Park rules. I know.
I remember staying in Montreal after skiing and the bars closed at 3:00 a.m.

Every province is unique. The British Columbia mountains are amazing. If you ever go back to Canada you must visit the Banff springs. There are some spectacular spots in BC.

Ontario has many cool things like the CNE, Ontario Place, Canada wonderland, Niagara Falls, Wasaga beach ( longest man made beach in the world ), The Science Centre.
Algonquin park is a gorgeous place to go if you are looking to get lost in the woods away from people for a while.

It seems the further east you go the less money people have and the nicer they are.
You can’t find nicer people than eastern Canadians. They’d do anything for anyone.
During 911 they took in thousands of stranded people travelling by plane throughout the world and fed & housed them for over a week. It’s in their very nature to be kind or generous with others.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/631329001

That’s really nice when you have such a great connection with others that they treat you like family and invite you into their home to stay. For sure. They are extremely hospitable souls.

The great thing about Canada and Covid is that we don’t have a lot of people, we are so spaced apart that Covid cases are down especially in the eastern provinces. We had 3 new cases in our province so travelling is much safer. Prices have already dropped down to where they were pre Covid.

Anyway Canada really is a nice place to visit. It’s too bad you had to give up your 2020 vacation. Hopefully soon you will.

I’m also very lucky to have had the opportunity to share my life with my best friend. It’s been 32 years now and we’ve travelled all over Canada twice and in the united states. We are now both happily retired. Our days consist of what type of boating you’ll be doing or other type of adventure. We are totally loving it.
My husband catches the nicest tasting speckled trout you’ve ever seen or tasted.
We get fresh mussels and clams.


We truly are living a dream retirement and couldn’t be happier. It is a bit cool in the winter but I can handle it. Lol
 
Definitely, it's been OT for a while now.

BTW, Banff is definitely on our list.

I've been to 49 US States, and Yukon was an extension of over a month in a rented Class C motor home in Alaska. We took the Top Of The World highway, and it was quite pleasant. Dawson was a bit too tourist oriented for me, but still pleasant. The country around there is quite scenic.

McGill in Montreal has a great student symphony orchestra. Notre Dame cathedral has a great choir. We found some great music in some smaller venues too.

Niagara Falls are better viewed from the Canadian side.

And how do we get this back on topic?

One of my saxophones was made in Taiwan. I've been to the People's Republic of China (even played there) but never to Taiwan.

In the PRC I played a Chinese alto that was owned by a gal I met. The only English word on it was "Lark", everything else was in Chinese characters. It was a decent horn, somewhere between a student model and a pro horn. Easy to play, decent intonation, and it had a decent but slightly thin tone. But then on Alto, I'm spoiled, I have a Silver plate King.

Notes
 
Do you think Chinese band musical instruments is popular in your market?
welcome to write down some comment , thanks!

Back to the OT.

The answer is "no", they're not, at least as far as community bands are concerned. Why would they be? The US market is flooded with decades old instruments that have better reputations and build quality than most of what comes out of PRC. Community band players either dig up the horn they used in High School, find a domestically made equivalent on the used market, or end up treating themselves to something more-or-less "professional" quality. This latter group can consist of instruments made in ROC like Jupiter, P Muriat, and Eastman, but that's really not China, is it?
I own one Chinese manufactured instrument, a "Helmke" soprano saxophone I bought ten years back. It took a lot of swedging and tweaking to make what was essentially a brand new instrument playable. The quality and build is lacking and it appears they used paperclips as springs!

Chinese instruments face an uphill battle against their own reputation and a vast supply of cheap legacy instruments. the only opening I see is for instruments scarcely owned, like Tubas and Baritone Saxophones.
 
Regarding bari saxes, I think there's better prices and OK quantity in the used market. As an example, I see a bunch of sold Mark VI baris for under $4K. Rebuilt Martin "Committee III" and Conn right-side bell key horns under $2500, Kings under $2000, pro Yamahas around, $2500, Yanagisawas around $1800, etc. A new ProOne is $6K. A new Yamaha 480 (student model) is $5.7K. The cheapest new Jupiter is $5.3K. Those new horn prices immediately direct me to the used market.

Although this thread was started by a spam post, I do think it's a good idea to at least revisit the topic of whether cheap Chinese or Taiwanese horns are a good buy. And, while I'd (actually like to be able to play again, so I could) try Kessler's $2.4K Solist bari that looks like a nice Yanagisawa copy, because their horns have been reviewed highly, I think I'd probably be happier with a vintage horn.

=============

Regarding the statement that your horn has to look semi-nice to play in a band, I have never heard of that happening, and I don't see that in most music videos / tv appearances that feature a saxophone. Mind you, Notes has been in a bunch more bands than I ever will be. I'd like to hear if anyone else has had that happen.
 
I have a Taiwan built MacSax "Classic" tenor, which I think is very similar to a Barone. Sadly, MacSax is no longer making saxes, only mouthpieces. I think Michael Crouch used to work with Phil Barone. At least that was the rumor when I bought it.

I MacSax build one for me with 2 coats of silver colored (natural) nickel. The tone is nice and dark, and the intonation is better than most vintage horns that I've owned. I really like this horn.

Like a vintage horn, the parts are probably no longer available, but then I've never needed a new part in a sax in all the years I've been playing.

I've owned a Mark VI, Mark VII, Conn 'Fireworks', and others, and all in all my favorite was a H.Couf Superba tenor. Why? The tone. But it had a high copper content in the brass (perhaps that influenced the tone), and since the no longer lacquer horns when overhauling, it turned green with a patina that was quite like a cantaloupe skin in texture.

I play in places where the men wear tuxedos and the women wear gowns, and a ratty looking horn can cost you the gig, so I sold it. And these gigs pay well and are fun to play.

Owning a new or vintage horn is simply a matter of personal taste. There is no wrong answer.

Whether I'm playing my MacSax, my Yamaha or my Grassi, I still sound like me. I'm sure I sounded like me when I owned my Couf and Selmers too.

Insights and incites by Notes
 
Regarding the statement that your horn has to look semi-nice to play in a band, I have never heard of that happening, and I don't see that in most music videos / tv appearances that feature a saxophone. Mind you, Notes has been in a bunch more bands than I ever will be. I'd like to hear if anyone else has had that happen.
They bestest players who sub in my various project bands always seem to have the worst looking instruments! And then they play sooo damn good! LOL.
 
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