Squeak squeak squeak

Welcome to my second blog. Unlike Down With Pants: The Next Generation, this one is serious.


I know what you're thinking, those of you who are readers of Down With Pants....Nix? Be serious?! What a cack!!


But this is my new music blog, dedicated to all things clarinet-y and saxophone-y. And more than anything, it is a tribute to Benny and Stan, my babies.

So how about we meet my babies then....

This is Benny....well, sort of.

And this is Stan....sort of....

Who needs children when you can have Stan??? So shiny.....

They are pretty much my life. I am a single girl, no kids, no ties, with metal and wooden wind instruments as children.

And I am a self confessed band nerd. Gasp!

I didn't have much hope, really. My mum's side of the family are all band geeks. And brass band geeks at that, so I really copped it with the genes. But I have made some of the best friends in the world through banding. So I don't care about being a nerd.

So, a bit about me....

THE EARLY YEARS

I began playing the clarinet at the age of twelve, very late considering that I was bugging my parents about clarinet lessons when I was seven. This older bloke (who I have a sneaking suspicion ended up being my first teacher in high school - they looked very similar) used to come into my dad's music store when I was really little. He played in a jazz band that used to play in the arcade where the store was. He used to carry his clarinet under his arm, not in its case, and peruse all the records. I was fascinated by him. Dad played me the Mozart Clarinet Concerto not long after that and I was hooked. Dad actually asked this bloke how much he charged to teach clarinet to me but sadly, it was too much and my parents couldn't afford lessons until I hit high school and the lessons were free.

I picked up clarinet really quickly. It wasn't long before I was in the training band at school and 1st clarinet, no less. I had a fabulous classroom music teacher (who, as coincidences would have it, became one of my closest friends, married the conductor of one of the bands I played in AND became my boss). She inspired me in so many ways. She was so enthused about music and I loved going to my music lessons. I remember every band rehearsal as she made every one of them so memorable. I remember sitting on first clarinet after only a few weeks and freaking out about the fact that it was 'so high' (when really, looking back at it, it was only F (fifth line) and G (just above the stave). LOL. I have so many fond memories of playing band music such as Tequila (played at just about every band rehearsal because we loved it so much) and When The Going Gets Tough and Fantasia Espanol. My teacher was so encouraging and made everything so much fun that I persevered with the hard things - in fact, it inspired me to practice. I have since then told her about how much she helped me but that'll be a new blog entry later.

However, my clarinet teacher was a different story. He didn't seem to like children very much, ironically, and I didn't feel like I was getting much out of my lessons. I played out of some horrible repetitive method book for 2 years until I finally cracked it and asked for something different. I was lucky however, to have a good work ethic and a natural ability for the instrument. I had a pretty good ear and practiced quite hard. As a result, I ended up being quite competent at the instrument.

Part two, the UNI YEARS is coming up.

Nix

Over and out.