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C Melody Saxophone Forum / C-Tenor (C-Melody) Saxophones / Travels with the C

Richard C User ID: 0303694	Aug 17th 3:35 AM I’ve been meaning to post on my progress with the new/old saxophone but have been distracted. I still open the forum occasionally and see how everyone is doing. I apologize for not participating recently. I am still playing the Wurlitzer C tenor. It’s been about 18 months since I started playing and the enjoyment it has brought me has been immeasurable. Thanks to all members here for helping me get started. I have been transferred to another overseas project. I am currently building in Vietnam, about 30 km outside of Ho Chi Minh City. The saxophone came with me on the airplane. Most of my Asian clients enjoy karaoke. I have a problem with this because I sing like a wounded duck. I have been practicing karaoke songs with the sax, I hope they appreciate the effort. One of the VPs likes to do Elvis and plans on holding mandatory karaoke bar sessions. There is no doubt I will get my chance in the lineup soon. I’ll keep you posted on the performance. Meanwhile, I have been jamming with a fellow traveler who plays the bass guitar. He likes slow blues and playing with real people rather then an MP3 player has been a blast. I moved into a bungalow just across the Saigon river yesterday. I plan on practicing tonight. I wonder if the neighbors will get angry? Hope not.
ken uk User ID: 0512724	Aug 19th 3:25 PM Nearest I've been to you was north east Thailand in 1973. Glad you are thinking of your neighbours. They can be important. Have you performed yet?
jazzbug1 User ID: 0735934	Aug 22nd 10:05 AM I travel 10,000 miles to buy my neckwear in Tieland.
bruce bailey User ID: 9690803	Aug 22nd 11:37 PM Be carefull not to Bangkok.
jazzbug1 User ID: 0735934	Aug 23rd 6:38 AM Bruce-- You should be locked in the Old Bailey! Tch Tch!
ken uk User ID: 9913923	Aug 23rd 8:31 AM Here's a little anecdote from my recent holiday in Denmark. When I went to pick up a mike and stand for my performance from an acquaintance I discovered that he had married a lady from Thailand since we had last met. There we sat drinking coffee in a tiny Danish village with Thai TV in the background. She happened to be from a town I had visited in North East Thailand.
bruce bailey User ID: 9690803	Aug 24th 12:16 AM Ouch! You Bruced my ego!
ken Uk User ID: 9913923	Aug 26th 4:57 PM Richard C. Any news to tell us? You are in an unusual place in the world with your C Melody. What did the man, well into his mature years, say to himself, whilst thinking of old times, as he looked upon Ho Chi Minh City? "It's ok. Sigh gone now."
Richard C User ID: 2929904	Sep 7th 3:34 AM The new bungalow in Ho Chi Ming City has brick and concrete walls with tile floors. When I practice the C tenor, it is deafening. The cat runs upstairs and hides under the bed. Because of the local population density and high sound level of the sax, I am a little self-conscious about my playing abilities. I tend to practice only things I play well and that is not helping me improve. Last week I was in Bangkok to attend some meetings. I decided to spend a few evenings practicing. (I carried the C tenor on the airplane.) So I tried some Karaoke clubs. My criteria was a sound proof room, and some tunes I knew on the Karaoke machines. This was not as easy to find as I hoped. A little background information may be required here. Many Karaoke clubs in Bangkok cater to Asians, particularly Japanese. Also many clubs are fronts for prostitution, especially closer to the downtown area. My first attempt was in my hotel’s club. They had glass doors on the private rooms and I was asked to leave almost immediately because of the loud sound I was making. At this point I decided to look for better sound proofing. The next attempt started with the hotel doorman assuring me that the taxi driver spoke excellent English. I explained my criteria to the taxi driver in simple sentences using small words. He kept laughing and repeated “saxophone” over and over. After a 30 minute ride I was dropped in a dingy ally and he sped away. I searched around and found a small bar named “Saxophone.” Not even a live band, just an almost empty bar. The third attempt landed me in at a club called “Love Me Tender” with a giant neon of Elvis above the door. The hostess was pleased to see me and immediately tried to hook me up with one if the girls. When I asked for a private room for practice she lead me outside and pushed me next door to a small hotel with the bar girl in tow. This was not on my schedule for the evening so I moved on. On the fourth try I got a taxi driver who really did speak English and I arrived at a club that was really for Karaoke. The rooms had sound proof doors and everything seemed fine. I unpacked the sax and tried to find a song on the Karaoke machine that I knew. Alas, all songs were either in Thai or Japanese. I didn’t have sheet music for that so I got out my MP3 player and jammed to some blues backing tracks. The practice was OK. I’m back in Vietnam now. I have yet to try the Karaoke clubs in my area. I anticipate a similar experience but will keep searching until I find a nice place to practice that doesn’t mind me wailing.
alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Sep 7th 3:59 AM Riochard - makes turning up at a local pub, to jam with a visiting jazz band, seem slightly boring... No one has ever tried to hook me up with a bar girl, sigh ! Interesting saga, put the C-Mel in a backpack and take a brisk stroll to the nearest hill...
Ken uk User ID: 9913923	Sep 7th 12:21 PM Are there such things as recording studios in your area? You could book a room for an hour. Look in the telephone book or ask in a music shop...if there are any, I did that when on holiday in Denmark a few years ago and made a good contact. Seems that Bruce was right with his advice about the Thai capital city in a previous post.
ken uk User ID: 9913923	Sep 7th 12:41 PM Richard, I looked on the net and found a name Vafaco Studio in Ho Chi Minh City that you may want to follow up. Would sound a bit dodgy if it were in Bangkok. Good luck with finding a place to practice.
Ken Uk User ID: 1069864	Sep 8th 2:49 AM Richard, I found this: RECORDING STUDIOS IN VIETNAM. TUNG STUDIO 64 Ly Tu Trong, D1, Ho Chi Minh City TEL : (84) 8 8242926 / FAX : (84) 8 8295456 / E-mail : director@tungstudio. ... www.1212.com/rec/viet/home.html - 3k -
Richard C User ID: 2929904	Sep 8th 7:17 PM Thanks for the tips. I hadn't thought of a recording studio. I'll drive by next weekend and check them out. I'd rather go out in the country and play but the population density is rather thick near the bungalow. I am taking my sax to the construction site next week. It is further out of town. I'll try to find a quiet place during lunch.
Richard C User ID: 2734974	Dec 26th 7:41 PM Solstice greetings to all from Vietnam. The heavy rains have stopped and the weather is lovely, just a little hot. (I am in the tropics after all) I especially enjoy the early morning hours, just after sunrise, when I can sit in the little walled garden of the bungalow and sip Vietnamese coffee while watching our leopard cat stalk the various critters that share our abode. It is very busy at the construction site. No stopping for the holiday season. The Vietnamese people are extremely hard working. Some of the tasks that typically use heavy equipment are done completely by hand, for instance, hauling several metric tons of cement and aggregate on their backs for two kilometers through the swamps and forest. The C tenor sits next to my desk in its stand. I practice as much as possible, about half blues improvising and half tunes. The saxophone has been a marvelous tool for freeing my mind of the daily worries and letting me relax. I have said this before but: thanks guys for helping me get started with the saxophone.
alan (uk) User ID: 1731514	Dec 27th 6:57 AM Richard - what a lovely picture - "The C tenor sits next to my desk in its stand." Well done, the mental image will stay with me for many a moon...
jazzbug1 2007 User ID: 0735934	Dec 27th 8:53 AM Richard: I think most of us would like to visit an exotic land. You write well and descriptively. Did you have creative writing or journalism in your education? I always tell my students, some of whom lead stressful lives, to make their horn their friend. Playing it is always relaxing and allows one to be in a fantasy world at times. Best wishes to you.
soybean User ID: 0401124	Dec 29th 4:26 PM (2007) Your stories are great fun to read. By the way, have you thought of finding a music store or school that might have a practice room you could use? You may be able to trade a lesson for some time in a room. Or, rent one of the rooms when they are not booked?
Richard C User ID: 7287803	Apr 18th 3:20 AM Greetings from Nonthaburi Thailand. In March, I moved the family from Vietnam to Thailand. I am starting a two year assignment but am spending much of my time in Vietnam because the project is not finished with construction. The C tenor still sits beside my desk but in a different abode and country. The new bungalow is made of brick and concrete so my playing no longer reverberates for kilometers. In fact, my wife says she cannot hear it from the back porch. The cat continues to run away when I put on the neck strap. The C tenor stays in Thailand when I travel and practice time is scarce. I only see the horn during weekends so the term practice is a misnomer. My time is spent playing tunes and wailing out improvised blues. No skill improvement but having fun with the music is the real goal anyway.