Member-only story
Life without sax? Adapt to changing abilities.
Abilities changing. Can’t play my horn. Acute pain on top of chronic pain. Need new solutions. Right-sizing virtual and in-person visits. Maintain optimism.
Life without sax? Oh, no!
I haven’t been able to play my baritone saxophone for a few weeks. I’m bummed and worried. I often speak about my health goals: progress as slowly as possible, don’t fall, don’t mess with my pathological optimism, and continue playing the baritone saxophone. I haven’t been able to play due to issues with my back, decreasing mobility, and the weight of the big 25-pound horn hanging around my neck. I’ve been playing an average of an hour a day for the past 18 months. The more I play, the more equipment I accumulate and lug around. One place I rehearse weekly has 2 flights of steep steps. It’s been getting more difficult and riskier to climb those stairs. I know that I could get band mates to haul equipment for me. That’s not the problem. I haven’t been able to stand and play for 15 years. I sit. But I spent the last couple of weeks not able to sit for more than 15 minutes at a time. If I can’t sit and hold the sax with a shoulder harness, I can’t play. What are my options? I could play a smaller instrument — clarinet or alto sax, but I love the bari. Playing the bottom resonates in my soul and in my bones. My sax teacher pointed me to a bari sax…
