March Mania Day 16: Music and I Future Plans

Now that I'm out of college and have limited opportunity and time to perform music, it'll be a challenge to figure out where to go with my music journey. I do have a few ideas on where to go though.

Mastering the Bugle

Although I already have a bugle from one Christmas long ago, it always produces flat notes (I wasn't the only one who produced a sound from it), so my idea for mastering the bugle involves buying a second bugle, but making sure that it can play a note sharper by default. The main goal is to memorize a few bugle calls and develop brass technique. This is probably the second or third easiest goal listed here.

Dueling Banjos?

I've had a banjo for nearly six years now, but I haven't been disciplined enough to give it time for serious practice. I figure a worthy goal would be to learn how to play Dueling Banjos. Also getting through a method book will help me nail the basics of playing the banjo.

Clarinet Scales of all sorts

The clarinet has been my main instrument since 2005 and I've been through so much with it. Instead of trying to learn some technically impressive piece, I think my next goal will to figure out as many scales as I can and play them by memory. Good luck to me as there are twelve major scales and 36 minor scales alone (three kinds of minor scales in all twelve keys). My friends would probably prefer if I learn stuff like Rhapsody in Blue or Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, but scales (and long tones) are fundamentals that must not be neglected.

Piano anytime?

Thanks to some technology from the past that my dad let me have, I can plug in earbuds to an electronic keyboard or piano via a 3.5 mm adapter jack and not disturb anybody with a cacophony of sound. I've yet to take advantage of it as I need the night to sleep for at least five nights per week.

Challenge Violin

I figured that since I liked how the violin sounds and that I had some enjoyment borrowing a friend's violin a few times that I got one for myself and wanted to challenge myself. I don't have any immediate goals for violin, but I think making it through Essential Elements will be at least somewhat helpful.

Saxophone Assessments

Although I picked up the alto saxophone purely out of accepting Mr. Kilby's request for another saxophonist in jazz band and only can think of my sax skills in terms of jazz, three years of jazz band seem to say that I did pick up the saxophone quite well. To figure out if that is true, I'll play through Accent on Achievement Books 1 and 2 and if the selections in those books are easy for me I'll be impressed, I was basically thrown into the metaphorical pool without preparation and went from 0-100 really quickly. Though I will say it helped that I played clarinet and it shares a few similarities to saxophone.

I'll keep everybody updated on what happens with what I do on my music journey!