Did you notice? Probably not. But when Wilshire Winds played in worship on Sunday, I was not in my usual seat with the baritone sax. I was one seat over with a tenor sax. It was time for a change.
Before Sunday, I had never played the tenor sax with an ensemble in what might be called a “performance” setting. I had played alone at home, and the change was a very long time in coming.
Why the change? There are several reasons. The first was circumstances. When George Gagliardi passed away two years ago, he left a void in our Winds saxophone section. And then earlier this summer I learned Alan Brooks, one of our former Wilshire youth, was coming back to Dallas and was thinking about playing with the Winds. He played saxophone in school and could play different types, but baritone was his favorite. That led to a “light bulb” idea for me one night: I could hand over the baritone, which belongs to Wilshire, and take up George’s tenor, which also belongs to the church. That would fill out our section again.
More important to me, taking up the tenor would fulfill a lifelong desire. I was pointed to the baritone sax in junior high and played all through high school, including marching band. When I went to Baylor, I skipped marching band but took a used tenor with me with the idea I’d play that in the symphonic band. When the director learned I’d played baritone, he said that’s where I was needed. I played for one semester and then retired from instrumental music for 25 years. I even sold my tenor. I was done until I learned Wilshire owned a baritone and was encouraged to take it up. I’m glad I did because I didn’t realize how much I missed being “in the band.” Wilshire’s baritone got me back in and that’s where I’ve been for 23 years – until last Sunday.
Another reason for the change is purely physical. A baritone sax stands 42 inches and a tenor is just 32. The baritone and its case are heavy and getting heavier and more difficult to carry around with each passing year. I have no proof, but I wonder if it had something to do with my need for rotator tendon surgery a few years ago. Regardless, I believe toting and playing the tenor will keep me in the band longer. Also, the baritone has a large loop at the top that blocks the music on the stand. That’s become more of a challenge in recent years as my vision has changed.
Sometimes a change, although wanted and planned, is unsettling just the same. In this case, by total coincidence – and with a large dose of irony – I made the change on a day when we played “Of Time and Change.” The Winds have played the piece many times before, and I didn’t anticipate how disorienting it would be to play a new part on tenor while the baritone part I’m familiar with was played right next to me. I had to work hard to focus on the new notes in front of me and not the familiar notes next to me.
I’ve also had to adjust the expectations of my ears. The tenor and baritone both play on the treble clef, but a middle C on a tenor is pitched much higher than on the baritone. So early on in practice, I’ve had to stop myself from trying to lower the octave with my embouchure – the position of my mouth – and remind myself, “No, this is where I am now.”
Changes also can be difficult to execute. I thought I’d have two months to practice and get comfortable with the tenor, but I didn’t. I sent the tenor out to be serviced and repaired in late June, and it wasn’t ready until a few days before we played in worship.
Time will tell if this change is as satisfying as I hope it will be. Tenor sax parts usually are more melodic with more moving notes than baritone parts. I might find it is more than my older fingers and brain can handle. On the other hand, the keys are smaller, closer together and don’t have to be pressed as deeply, and it seems like I might be able to play more notes faster. I can already tell I can play more measures without breathing than I could with the baritone because the tenor requires less air.
Finally, a thought regarding that word “performance” I used earlier. The young man at the music store where I had the tenor serviced is probably in his twenties with tattoos and piercings that seem to go with the fact he plays drums and guitar in rock and metal bands. He knows I play with a church wind ensemble, and he says while he loves to perform loud music with his bands, when he goes to church, he doesn’t want loud music; he doesn’t want to see a performance; he doesn’t want to be entertained. He wants to experience something more reverent.
I told him I agree completely. When the Winds play, we don’t want to perform or entertain; we want to contribute to worship through music.
I told him he should come check out Wilshire sometime. That might be a good change for him.
Meanwhile, is there something in your life you need to change? Something that’s been great or even just okay, but you’ve stuck with it because it’s been easy and comfortable? Is there something you’ve been considering doing that perhaps will “add years to your life and life to your years,” as radio storyteller Paul Harvey used to say? Sometimes the act of changing something is reason enough to make the change: Turning a page or turning a corner can be the key to renewed energy, new momentum, fresh ideas.
Think about it. Pray about it. Do it. Now is a good time for change.