Harlem Nocturne, - the Viscounts version.

I was a kid. Back then, we didn't have the written music resources we do now. The only things available were at the rack in the music store. There were no fake books, except the illegal ones traded by the then older, pro, musicians. So I learned it by ear.

For the sax it's in F#, which for a not yet mature saxophonist, is a * tricky key.

I wore out and eventually damaged the vinyl record, and it took quite a few hours, picking out the notes, one at a time.

But it was a labor of love, good ear training, and the song served me well for many decades on stage.

Today, I make my own backing tracks, drums, bass, and comp parts, and Mrs. Notes and I play and sing live on top of those tracks. Having sheet music available, an ear trained with many years experience, and physical skills also developed, songs aren't that hard. They can be very time consuming, learing all the parts, and often there are problems to be worked out, but nothng as hard as an untrained ear picking the notes out, one at a time, using a record player as the source.

Notes ♫

* for the guitarist in the group. Unlike guitar, the sax fingering for the same song is quite different in every key. F# was a difficult key a the time, although, I eventually learned to love it. F# on the tenor sax is E on the guitar, the Bb sax is tuned two half steps higher.

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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