| "Ignorance is bliss." - Cypher in the Matrix | | | | come out of your mouth too- you're thinking about |
| Musically, some sax players seem unaware of how | | | | other things, the microphone has issues, the acoustics |
| they sound and how they interact with other musicians | | | | of the room aren't right, etc. |
| on stage..... They might stand out because their rhythm | | | | Being honest with yourself can be difficult, but |
| is off, they're out of tune, or they're just not listening to | | | | recognition is an early step. |
| what's going on. | | | | Recognition leads to awareness and correction. |
| You've probably laughed at the misfits on American | | | | It's what the best saxophone players do. You may |
| Idol who think they can sing and/or play an instrument. | | | | have heard what you think sounds great and then |
| In their own minds, they could be rock stars though! | | | | afterward, the player talks about how it wasn't up to |
| The reverse problem would be oversensitivity to your | | | | their standards. |
| own shortcomings which would lead to fear that stops | | | | Few great players are overconfident. |
| you from playing your saxophone. Don't do that either. | | | | You can always improve, and the best players know |
| Most players could probably raise their awareness in | | | | that. |
| order to improve their playing. | | | | So start recognizing areas you want to work on and |
| If you take one step towards awareness, you start to | | | | then begin putting in the time. If you spend 100 hours |
| recognize issues, but it IS easy to ignore problems and | | | | fixing something, it almost definitely will get better (if |
| or blame them on external factors. | | | | you practice effectively). |
| You've heard it from other musicians.... and it may have | | | | |