The Silver Saxophone

One of the main reasons I signed up for the TALONS program was the In-Depth study. For the next 5 months it will give me  the freedom to pursue any hobby or passion I may have that isn’t part of the school curriculum. Already being a musician, I wanted to expand my knowledge of music and arsenal of instruments. Because of my taste in music, the guitar was the best option.

I already know how to read and write in the musical language, so the extent of my project will be learning how to play the physical instrument.

Every two weeks I will post a cover (my take on a song that already exists). To fulfill the “alternative” part of the project, I will incorporate different instruments, such as the piano or saxophone along with the guitar.

I already have two secondary mentors, Clayton and Zachary Gray. Zachary Gray is the Guitarist/Singer for the Vancouver band The Zolas, and quite an inspiration to me. He formed his first band Lotus Child when he was in Grade 9, and formed his current band, the Zolas, about 5 years ago. Here’s a sample of his music-

Since I started playing last week, I’ve learned most of the basics- easy strumming patterns, basic picking patterns, and the A major, A minor, D major, D minor, E major, E minor, and G major chords. Improvising came very easily to me because of my experience in Jazz piano, and I soon began looping chord progressions and jamming along to them.

This week I did a “Jam Cover”, or improvised cover, of Coldplay’s Don’t Panic with my secondary mentor Clayton.