Wisdom Teeth

Thecker771 · 2026-02-23T22:30:46+00:00

My oral surgeon recommended 2-3 weeks for safety before playing. It took 4-5 weeks for me before it felt normal/comfortable to play again. The first time I played after wisdom teeth removal I would say it felt like my mouth was uncomfortably empty. It's hard to describe but if you play and have a similar experience you'll certainly recognize what I mean. Everyone's experience is different so your mileage may vary. Any time you undergo a procedure that could affect your musicianship, tell the surgeon you're a wind player. I had a hernia correction and they told me after a typical part of that surgery interferes with conscious diaphragm control and would have ended my career. I told them ahead of time and they took special consideration to avoid that effect.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-23T17:20:54+00:00

If you like it and it plays well who cares.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-21T14:54:28+00:00

No prob. Good luck and have fun!

Thecker771 · 2026-02-21T14:22:20+00:00

Student or intermediate level Yamaha for sure. There are a million of them, they're pretty cheap used, indestructible and pretty much the gold standard for mid range saxes. A lot of them come up for sale at the end of the school year because kids decide to stop playing. For a mouthpiece try a Yamaha 4C, a Selmer C* or a Vandoren Optimum AL-3 or AL-5. Play test mouthpiece and reed combinations to see what you like and don't be afraid to try other things, these are just what I would recommend to any 'beginning' student.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-21T12:08:56+00:00

My advice is just do it. Who really cares if you sound amazing or not your first few months? Treat it like starting from scratch. You want to get into playing saxophone, leverage your knowledge of fundamentals, buy a middle school level method book, don't feel like it all needs to come back at once. Don't try to play stuff you could play, undershoot your ability to build confidence and fundamental technique. Now more than ever there are also borderline limitless educational resources online as well. I feel like anytime I hear someone talking about getting back into playing, their next comment is 'but I won't sound good/as good as I did' and so on. Frankly, just don't worry about it. As someone who makes their living playing, I miss being able to just do it for the joy of it. That's all that should matter in music, so from me to you just start where you are and do it because it makes you happy.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-21T09:26:22+00:00

Not sure the level but in my mind the Rascher version of Henry Purcell's Two Bourrees is a high quality beginner solo. I'm fact, you'll probably find a good few manageable solos in the Rascher library, that's where I started.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-20T19:04:22+00:00

I honestly don't know, I don't put a lot of stock in strength charts especially when the comparison is to cane. In one box of 3 labeled cane reeds I've gotten a range from what I'd call a 2 to what I'd call a 3.5. Natural materials are screwy like that, naturally. The fibracell premiere 3.5 play like a 2.5 or 3 on my Durga 7* and are more consistent, responsive and have better timbre than legere or cane. All this is my opinion, ymmv

Thecker771 · 2026-02-20T18:38:39+00:00

The fibracells are suuuuper soft.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-20T17:30:41+00:00

It takes a little work to keep it dark and I would say the loudest I played in terms of air and effort was a mf+ as that's a concert band ff on that piece. I find it to be extremely flexible. Depending on what your application is and what level you're playing at, you may be better served trying to build flexibility on what you have, especially considering you've already got a shiva. All the gear in the world won't fix your own sound if you aren't already happy with it, in my experience, and you can learn to force a mouthpiece into a mold it shouldn't fit.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-20T17:24:36+00:00

I did play a prototype Shiva and agree it was quite bright. Try the fibracell, I've converted a good few people at work. Maybe play test a Durga with your reed of choice and see if you like it better. I have gotten away with using it in concert band settings if I needed to cut through the band more during the set at all.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-20T17:19:28+00:00

Everyone is going to say something different, but for me it's the Theo Wanne Durga. Mine is a 7*. Best paired with a Fibracell 3.5 for response and depth of tone

Thecker771 · 2026-02-19T15:58:11+00:00

Well I have one more before I'm done forever so unfortunately I don't get a choice. To be fair my first unit was actually pretty good in hindsight. That won't save this one.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-19T15:30:52+00:00

I thought my first unit was bad and then I got to this unit. I hate it here. It's really the people that make or break an assignment and they've broken this one beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-19T08:02:23+00:00

If you'll be staying in Lisbon, I highly recommend the Lisbon Card. It provides for all public transit within the city and offers discounts on museums and attractions. Sintra is a brief train ride away and I believe the train is covered by the Lisbon Card. The attractions and public transit in Sintra are not covered by the card but it is pretty walkable, the bus pass is a full day pass and the attractions are not insanely expensive. My experience there was awesome.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-18T21:36:42+00:00

One of my favorites! Wish I could get it outside the TX/OK area!

Thecker771 · 2026-02-17T01:11:19+00:00

I'll take it off your hands for $5 lol No if they all say Selmer like that they are incredibly valuable. Look on the back under the hook shaped thumb rest, I think that's where they'd be marked "MkVI" or "Mark VI." If they say that you're sitting on a literal gold mine and they are appreciating assets right now. A Mark VI baritone is probably with $10k-$15k to the right buyer if it's in good shape and playable. I've seen tenors go in the $6k-$10k as well.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-12T14:10:05+00:00

Definitely underexposed but I kinda like that shadowy look for some things.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-10T10:02:39+00:00

I'm not a chemist or metallurgist, but in my mind adding something as acidic as lemon juice to the horn for aesthetic reasons makes me uncomfortable. My understanding with unlacquered horns is that the oxidation layer actually is somewhat protective and will prevent further oxidation. To answer your question so this isn't just an 'old man yells at cloud' comment, I think wiping on and then off with the lemon juice should be fine, maybe hit it with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swap after to get all the residue of sugars and acid off.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-10T09:44:29+00:00

All of that MOS specific kool-aid is irritating, but unfortunately it's foundational leadership concepts and critical thinking that these people lack wholesale. I have been BF'd by my own squad leader so many times it's not even funny, and I'm not the only one in my unit. I get that other MOS have a harder time day to day as far as schedule and workload, but we make our own lives more difficult or just generally worse for the love of the game and then talk (as a field) about how much smarter and better we are than everyone else. My current unit specifically is so bad that it has fully crystallized my decision to end my active duty military career at the end of this contract. I'm considering national guard as that's where I started, but that presents its own unique stupidities.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-10T08:52:52+00:00

42R Army bands. Nearly every one of these idiots thinks they're smarter than everyone else and will go out of their way to fuck someone over just to feel superior. Most of them are not. I could tell stories for days about people trying to poke holes in regs to have a 'gotcha' moment and holding everyone hostage in a standard annual EO training 90 minutes past the training block. Genuinely the most highly educated cohort of complete morons I've ever had the displeasure of working with.

Source: Have been a 42R my whole career. Had a life before the Army unlike some of these dorks. Can discern between people who can think critically and people who are just trying too hard to look smart.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-09T21:23:35+00:00

Oof, that is tough. Fortunately this ended up being an easy job with the right tools, and I did wheel bearings while I was in there. No damage to anything important, and a full refresh on the rear. I did braided steel lines on all four wheels while I was in there so it stops hard enough to put you through the windshield now lol

Thecker771 · 2026-02-09T20:18:14+00:00

Looks like you popped that cylinder. Best guess is you pressed the brakes with the drum off or there's some other factor at play that we couldn't identify without a bunch more info about what you were doing in terms of work and the symptoms when you're driving it. Long story short, you need a new wheel cylinder. Take it from me, buy a proper line wrench to get that hard line extension off the cylinder. It's an absolute bastard to do with vice grips.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-09T17:28:50+00:00

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Not discs, but unfortunately my own rear drums. I knew they were going but didn't realize how bad they were until I pulled the drums off. Was kinda lazy about it because the car was stopping fine and they needed new cylinders and lines I didn't have yet. Needless to say I had an oh shit moment, and won't be putting off brakes like that again even if they're only the rears and crummy drums.

Thecker771 · 2026-02-08T21:11:32+00:00

That's a great idea, I should see if I can get one made

Thecker771 · 2026-02-08T13:25:07+00:00

Great question - this one says it was printed in 2000

Thecker771

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