hi guys, i'm a newbie here...i'm about to enter my 3rd month in my saxophone class...and yes i could play quite smooth, and yes i could read notes pretty well, but there is something bothering me....so i would like to ask for your opinions...

there is this guy (older than me, he has children already.....) who started at the same time with me....He said he has no background in music at all, and for your info, so do I, i'm 16 now and this is the first time i actually take a music class ( i used to have music class during year 7 and 8, but with simple instrument, recorder...everyone can do it..)...and the problem is, he could play songs without actually knowing it, he said "i just listen to the music, and i play it by heart"...and he told me stuffs about how he 'searched' for the right tone when he's experimenting with a song....

both of us has the same teacher and he said that i'm better at reading notes and he (the guy) is better at playing by heart....does that mean i wont be able to play by heart?and honestly, when I tried a song, it took me like 30 mins to just get the first four bars....i know i'm new in 'the land of music' but he too is new...yet he could play songs...so far i could only play 2 songs...does that mean i have no talent in music??? help me please............

That dosen't mean that you aren't good at music and that dosen't mean that he's good at music, playing songs isn't everything in music there's scales and altissimo among other things in music. That guy in you'r class is probebly one of those concert pitch people who no matter what note they hear they can say the exact note-name and then if they play an instrument they play it, i had a college student, who was teaching my class for a few months to get his degree, who could do that. We would play him notes and he would say them down to the # or flat. you can't practice for that talent you'r born with it some people will say that you can learn to do that but you have to practice really hard. You might not be able to do that nor can i but you can still be a great player! just practice hard and if you need the music in front of you when you play thats normal,people who play in symphonys play with sheet music,every musician need a sheet of paper to read off of at some point so they can learn, JUST DON'T GIVE UP!!!

That dosen't mean that you aren't good at music and that dosen't mean that he's good at music, playing songs isn't everything in music there's scales and altissimo among other things in music. That guy in you'r class is probebly one of those concert pitch people who no matter what note they hear they can say the exact note-name and then if they play an instrument they play it, i had a college student, who was teaching my class for a few months to get his degree, who could do that. We would play him notes and he would say them down to the # or flat. you can't practice for that talent you'r born with it some people will say that you can learn to do that but you have to practice really hard. You might not be able to do that nor can i but you can still be a great player! just practice hard and if you need the music in front of you when you play thats normal,people who play in symphonys play with sheet music,every musician need a sheet of paper to read off of at some point so they can learn, JUST DON'T GIVE UP!!!

That dosen't mean that you aren't good at music and that dosen't mean that he's good at music, playing songs isn't everything in music there's scales and altissimo among other things in music. That guy in you'r class is probebly one of those concert pitch people who no matter what note they hear they can say the exact note-name and then if they play an instrument they play it, i had a college student, who was teaching my class for a few months to get his degree, who could do that. We would play him notes and he would say them down to the # or flat. you can't practice for that talent you'r born with it some people will say that you can learn to do that but you have to practice really hard. You might not be able to do that nor can i but you can still be a great player. JUST DONT GIVE UP

First of all, I would like to welcome you to 8notes.com and the saxophone forum.
Don't worry about it; you've only been playing for a few months, you'll be able to "play from heart" with practice.
I'm not a very good sight-reader myself. I know where the beat is and play the given notes, but I'm still not as good as ZYX. I can, however, play a lot of songs on both my saxophone and keyboard "from heart". Sometimes (when I'm really bored), I listen to my iPod while playing my saxophone and I can figure out songs. I think it just has to do with years of experience or knowing certain keys (key of C, Bb, F, etc...).
I hope this helps a little!! Keep trying and good luck!!

wow, saxman13, ans saxophone_sweetie, thanks loads for giving sometime to reply my post, i've been quite frustrated about the problem but now i got to read your replies, i regained some of my confidence, and my sis also told me, 'just be yourself, you are you, he is he' which makes a lot of sense...yup, i practice almost everyday, while trying to play 'by heart' bit by bit....sure is difficult, but everyone can do it, no? anyway, thanks for the reply, and it's such a warm welcome from you sax_sweet....good luck to you guys too

i've usually heard that refered to as playing by ear, not by heart- just playing what sounds right. it's not like theres an instinctive passion or better quality of feeling that gives a person automatic ability.

just a thought.

keep practicing, and enjoy it. those are the most important things.

i SO wish i could do that playing by ear thing........
it sounds like a person who can do that is a musical prodigy or something......

It's really not that hard once you get a few notes and figure out if there are sharps and flats... It takes a bit of practice, but it's not as hard as it seems...

well if a listen to a song and i just randomly play notes chromaticaly til it sounds right, i just figure out the rhythm and write it down or memorize it. is that playing by ear? im not sure.

In a way, yes. But I'm not an expert on this sort of thing...

neither am i, but i can do it a little if i am really bored and have tons of time to kill.

Me too!! I usually listen to songs on my iPod and try to figure them out...

my favorite songs to figure out are the songs from all the pirate of the caribean movies. i bought 19 songs from iTunes from the movie soundtracks for all 3 movies! i play them on my tenor, closest sax to concert pitch, easier to figure out(for me anyway) i love music.....

wow...you guys sure are expert in searching for tunes...it took me awhile you know to figure out tunes from songs i've listened....maybe those who can play by heart (or ear) are born with it...wish i could have that....anyway, since my ear is not that sensitive, and i still coping with my musical 'soul', i decided to hit the bookstore and get some books containing all the musical notes form different songs...but still...it's hard.... practice practice practice........