Saxophone vs Polka: How I survived this gig (vlog)
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- Here is a gig vlog about the first time I played a Polka gig🙈
This was a crazy gig to get called for but I learned a ton on it. I got sent the song list with plenty of time before the gig so I started listening to and learning as many tunes as I could. Most of the original keys were easy - Bb or Eb but a week or two before the gig I noticed on the song list that this band does them in different keys like E or A. I scrambled to learn them in those keys and ended up writing a "cheat sheet" that just had the first few bars in the right key so I could reference it. Usually once I heard the first few notes of the tune I would remember how it sounded and then it was just a matter of getting through it in a harder key lol.
We only ran through a handful of the tunes at the pre-gig rehearsal so some of the songs in this video we're playing for the first time together. I had so much fun though. I'm really enjoying playing all types of gigs right now and I'm slowly refining my process for learning new music and playing it on a gig. I think that's a super important skill for me to learn (and hopefully speed up over the next few years). A lot of you have been asking for me to make more longer form gig vlogs so I'm going to try and keep doing that. Thanks for watching❤️
Musicians:
John Posey (I couldn't find your Instagram John if you see this plz send it to me)
Alex Heflin - / alexheflin
Celia Faux - / celeryfaux
Josh Garrett - / joshuagarrettmusic
Outtakes are on my Patreon: / foolishfrankie
#musician #musicianlife #saxophone
Song: Zither Polka - Alpenmusik (No Copyright Sounds) Music provided by NCM [No Copyright Music]. Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported | Attribution 4.0 International Video Link: [ • Zither Polka - Alpenmusik NO COPYRIG...
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Being a musician is so hilariously spontaneous because you have to be ready for anything, anytime, anywhere, in any key
That’s very true😂
It was a blast playing with you! Be forewarned, there WILL be a call for a contradance in the future.
LMAO dude it was a blast playing with you too!! I’ll bring my lederhosen😂
I can't unsee this, I have expectations now ;)
This seemed so fun! All of the drummer's different sound effects killed me. The convo with the lady and gentleman at the end was so sweet!
It was a blast honestly!! I know right me too😂 and yeah it made my day, I always love seeing how music can have such a deep impact on people!
This really is the hidden world of music we rarely get to see.
That’s what I’m trying to show!
It was a blast playing with you! Hope we get the chance to do it again soon.
Right back at you man!!!
This has got to be my favorite video of yours lol. I grew up with my dad being the leader of a polka band so that's all I know my whole life. I am currently studying music and trumpet performance. But what I loved the most is that I already knew these songs from playing then for years
Omggg that’s so awesome!!
@@FoolishFrankie it would greatly to share the stage with you somewhere, sometime, some how. I'm from Michigan so idk where we would ever cross paths but you never know what life could bring to you, especially being a musician
Thanks for sharing your journey with us, I really enjoy to see other artists "behind the scenes" ❤
Thank you for watching!!!
Went to a polish wedding that had a few polka tunes. You guys did great. Im a guitarist but for sum reason the algorithm has been feeding me your content and im loving it. Keep it up
That’s awesome!! And well I appreciate you watching regardless!!🙏🏻
Oh, what I would give for someone to have called for a Polka version of Giant Steps. Maybe a future video idea. 😂
Lmaooo😂
just go with "polka version of everything" and play Weird Al
These are some of the most fun gigs! As long as I am given the melody I'll transpose to whichever key... but it does definitely get the brain working.
I just watched this entire video with the dumbest, biggest smile on my face. Great stuff!
Ayyy that’s what I like to hear, thank you!!😊🙏🏻
It's like a 180 degree turn from the usual music you play. It's kool! Looks like you had a lot of fun. I'm surprised no one got up to dance. Great video!
Oh, I didn't see that one tiny part where there were some people dancing.
I know right it was so fun!!! Yeah there were a few people dancing at the end, but it was pretty cold out😅
Polka music can be fun. When I was in music school I would spend my summers playing at a theme park nearby that had an Oktoberfest section of the park. Polkas all summer long! We would play 5-6 45 minute shows per day. It was like marathon training for my chops (trumpet). I've played the Chicken Dance more times than I can count. It was fun times though. Our bands were pretty large (3 clarinets, 3 trumpets, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Drums) so I got to meet a lot of good people who I still keep in touch with to this day.
Omg that’s awesome!!
That looks like it was a lot of fun. ☺👍
It was a blast!
Polka party! 🎉🎉 Interaction among musicians is one of the best things about making music/playing an instrument.
So true!!
This was a fun episode. i really enjoyed it very much. thanks for bringing us along. May there be more :D
Thank you so much for watching I really appreciate it!🥺🙏🏻
Only discovered your channel about a week ago, but I'm loving your videos so much.
I play piano but have always had terrible performance anxiety. Before I play in my own house, I go and close all the windows in case a neighbour or passerby might hear me haha.
I can't describe how helpful it has been for me watching you do your thing, seeing you get thrown in the deep end and be ok, seeing you make mistakes and that they're ultimately inconsequential, and watching you just generally have so much fun overcoming challenges and playing with your friends. Watching your videos is motivating me to work on swapping anxiety for enjoyment.
The last few days I've left the windows open.
Thank you 🙂
Ahh this is the best comment to get!! Don’t be too fooled though, I’m still often terrified. But mistakes are necessary so I’m always happy to share them. Much love🙏🏻
When I was in high school in the 90's we had this awesome band teacher in the school district who knew all the old time polka stuff and he ran an after school polka band. He put together all the scores and wrote them for our instrumentation which was mostly clarinet, sax, trumpet, trombone, tuba and drums. We didn't have an accordion player, but I think our band sounded great and we played all the senior centers around the area. One thing it really taught me is the value of performing live music people can dance to. So much fun!
That’s so sick!!
Lots of respect from over here. Laughing though as I play out front center even on tenor/bari.
I love how spontaneous it can be! Pulling out the whistle and just messing around with different things! Lately me and some others have been jamming in the band room at lunch playing tunes that we did last year for jazz studies. A few weeks ago we played some of the tunes in the lobby at lunch. Our school has a hour lunch break so we had 45 minutes to play. We had all our songs from last year, all jazz combo style tunes. Out of the 13 or so we had, we played ones we're comfortable on (we played them maybe once or twice together since last years class). The songs we played were: Cold Duck Time, Little Sunflower, Groove Merchant, Equinox, Blue Monk, and Chameleon. While figuring out the solo orders for Blue Monk, the bass player pulled a Kazoo out of his pocket and asked 'Kazoo solo?'. Me and the person playing alto were trying to hold in a laugh during the solo. Thankfully the drummer did a solo after the kazoo solo so we had time to compose ourselfs before playing our sax. We loved how spontaneous it was!
now the song ''if heaven there is no beer" is stuck in my head all day, thanks, hahaha
Bro it’s been stuck in my head since I started learning the music for this gig😭😂
Man, aside from the occasional F, these keys are brutal for alto
True but it’s good practice!!
Awesome! Hope you get booked for an Irish gig soon.
Oh man I would love to, I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet😰
@@FoolishFrankie Spend a night with Cherish the Ladies - you will!
Btw the song that the bassist was mentioning was the Pokemon Center theme from Pokemon Red and Blue czcams.com/video/iZ4PZH7noOw/video.html Edit: oh he mentioned it
You may not ever get rich or famous in polka but it is by far the most joyful music…..I don’t know what it is…but I’ve never seen an unhappy polka musician or sad polka song…..
Facts!
@@FoolishFrankie the ones I like to watch on CZcams are the goats Frankie yankovic and Walter ostanic from Canada…..local to me is a family band Pan Franic and their daughters channel simply polish…..once you go down the polka rabbit hole you’re never be the same….
That was awesome! I really like your gig videos and I love polka. One of the best wedding receptions I went to featured a polka band.
Thank you so much! And wow that’s crazy😱
So cool you could give that fella a memory from his past!
I know right!!
The more I watch you, the more I realize how much gig musicians seem to pull pranks on each other mid-song to see if it throws anyone off 😂
Bro please do more polka! This is awesome!
Thank you!!
i honestly suprised how a sax could fit perfectly in polka traditional music
Great video as always love watching your channel! I’m trying to go into music full time it would be my dream, you give me a lot of inspiration!
That’s awesome to hear, thanks for watching!!🙏🏻
fun!😃
Recently found you I love your content man
I appreciate that!!
I guarantee you this, get a few beers in you and you'll be dancing to polka with your friends. It's good time music.
Great vid
Thanks so much!
I love your videos keep it up
Thank you!🙏🏻
Love the vlogs!
Glad you like them!🙏🏻
On lederhosen, you win. Thanks again.
When you live in or near da Burgh, there is no escaping a Polka!
True!
Alternative title: I became German for some beer and polka music
Lmaooo😂
Great video bro keep it up
Appreciate it🙏🏻
You guys look great
Lmao😂
this sounds so similar to mexican bands music!!
Is that a penny whistle/tin whistle?
Yes!
Bro is that guy playing a banjo-lele?
Very nice video ^_^
Thank you very much!:)
I, too, love dumping the spit out of my saxophone there's just something satisfying and fun about it lol
Omg😂🙈
I’m only 13, I’m hoping to get an alto because I only have one that my school provided for me and I am getting pretty good at it but I can’t afford any expensive horns, would a $350 CAD alto be too cheap?
I don’t think so! I played a Jean Paul student alto for years and I think that’s about how much it costed me
@@FoolishFrankie oh ok thanks, I’m in the band for school I play a student model Yamaha but I’d like something that isn’t too good, I just need it to play over the summer
This vlog could even play in germany somewhere in Bavaria, too. Best regards from germany 🍺🇩🇪
🙌🏻🙏🏻
But where's the clarinet???????
Luckily I can’t play clarinet
Omegle just shut down... What are your thoughts on that Frankie?
End of an era, but going to keep making those vids on Ometv
Name a song?
Como se llama la canción???👌🏽
Which one?
I'm a solo act. Why don't you consider solo acts in combination with band gigs?
I don’t like being a bandleader, also much harder to book a good for solo saxophone
Could you mention me in a vid please?
I don’t do shoutouts sorry!
Do you have perfect pitch?
Nope!
But why?
Why not?
Use a tenor and go up a step. In Heaven there is no Beer!!
😂😂
All kidding aside, you do a great job of expressing the ups and downs of gigs!! Are you a multi woodwinds player?
accordion carried
Facts
You are a fantastic top flite professional musician Frankie, but a polka band seriously? They don’t have tuba, no trumpet, no trombone. Seriously, I really feel for you having to play that gig. You deserve better, much, much better.
Thank you and definitely not!! All of these musicians were much more versed in this genre than me. I’m not above this music even a little bit!
@@FoolishFrankie Sorry, I guess I wasn’t knowledgeable or or didn’t drink enough to appreciate the fine points of Polka music.. 🎼 Still think you should be hooking up with a quartet playing Stellar Regions or A Love Supreme instead. But I understand it’s probably not gig worthy music. Good luck! 🙂
Getting those @eddiebarbash vibes my dude!
The goal!!!