RIMB Saxophones

What's with the blogger banner?

2008-09-05T16:24:00.001+08:00

I can't read a thing on this blog because of the blogger toolbar!

Bryan(:

2008-04-08T16:43:00.001+08:00

can't get in!! help!!

Happy Birthday

2007-03-22T22:56:00.000+08:00

*blows all the dust off this blog* Happy Birthday Samuel! *hugs*

2007-01-30T16:11:00.000+08:00

I think we all have to learn a little vibrato from jiawei... everytime Mr. oura figures a violin vibrato I get so irritated cos I still cannot do it properly... and probably the whole section muz be able to vibrato... I mean its the trademark of saxophones... if we cannot even vibrato properly how can we say we are saxophones from RIMB...

What happened?

2006-12-31T22:39:00.000+08:00

You know, there used to be a time when I considered the members of this section to be among the closest friends I had. Now... what happened? Where did all the good times we had as a section go?

2006-12-30T09:42:00.000+08:00

Hmm. I expected there to be more posts on this blog, considering it's supposed to have 8 times the number of contributors, and therefore 8 times the number of posts. Unless you factor in the extra Aaron(s), of course, in which case it becomes a whole lot more.

At any rate, I suppose I ought to talk about section stuff. We're doing pretty good, I suppose. Of course, we have to note that I'm (rather arbitrarily, might I add) defining "good" in relation to the general performance of the band. So in that sense "good" isn't really all that good. More like "marginally better than completely pathetic".

But lesson in the art of verbosity and definition aside, the section is improving quite a bit. I personally think we're showing some degree of passion for the music we're playing. Plus, we tend to listen and change whenever there's something wrong with our playing. And that's always a good thing.

There's still a whole lot of room for improvement, of course. I find us sounding more like a "collection of individuals playing to completely outshine, or hide behind, the other" rather than a "holistic entity of individuals playing to complement each other, and therefore play proper music". Quite clearly, we don't seem to sound very much like a saxophone section. Much of that has to do with the fact that we don't have a baritone saxophone, and have some inexperienced dudes. But that still doesn't excuse us. I've heard 4 man sections with a tenor doubling as a baritone play better than us. Ok, so I'm lying. But so what? I'm sure there are 4 man sections with a tenor doubling as a baritone somewhere out there.

The point is that we have to keep on improving ourselves, both individually and as a section. Yes, it sounds hypocritical given it's coming from someone whose skills have been in gradual atrophy for some time now. But that's not the point. The fact of the matter is that all of us have to learn to play properly and play together. That's the key to impressing people.

I remember David once came over to the section area to watch our section practice. That was when Lester and Jermyn and company were still in action. David, of course, was impressed by our brilliance. I'm thinking that, if we put our hearts to it, he can come over to the section area again, before SYF, and tell me that our section quite literally blew him away.

Oh, and another thing. Abtzy, you owe me a dollar.

maintainence

2006-11-02T16:57:00.000+08:00

does any1 realise that the tagboard is not working? mayb it does but now it asks me for a password and sumhow I juz cannot get in... so then we go on to our usual post... i guess ill start by suaning Sam... wat happaned to that solo... oh ya we juz had holdae break the week b4... :) ok that was mean... ill stop... next... abt how pro I am... not exactly but ill start anyway... *Bryan u r soo pro* great... evry1 nids an ego boost sumtimes... im done yay!!! the blog is not soo dead... <3

what does ribbons represent?

2006-10-04T16:54:00.000+08:00

ribbons represent:

second chance (yellow ribbon)

anti drug (green and white)

presents (red)

death (white)

candy (multi colour)

my knee (sliced to ribbons)

manee hurts

maelbow hurts...

my poor jacket...

ouch!

randomness

2006-10-03T15:29:00.000+08:00

since NO ONE other than bryan seems to be interested in making the blog live...
i post today yah
my agenda:
do my geog assignment that was due yesterday by tomoro. last day for 10% gone :P
find out the diff parts of a sax mouthpiece if not jeremy wont give me one...which he was supposed to do for FREE
sleep in chinese class
learn how to spin the little spinning top like thing found on the desk legs faster
poke brian
poke brian again
spam poke brian
learn to say shit in as many languages as possible
poke benjamin for fun

thank you geog department for screwing my my marks...

rumours

2006-09-29T16:59:00.000+08:00

the most down to earth story abt mi ankle socks...:

dere is a time when ppl start to realise what is cool...

the moderate story abt mi ankle socks...:

i stopped playing soccer...

the most outrageous story abt mi ankle sock...:

i met a girl...

the true story:

Jeremy, Justin and Abtzy gave me three sets of ankle socks which I truly appreciate...

to my seniors:

thank you soo much... you have been a great influence on me... i see the light...

to the world:

cheers

2006-09-21T20:53:00.000+08:00

u guys should uphold our reputation for being good buskers and go spam orchard road soon =D

well, u can ask ri/rj interact club for oppurtunities to do so...and simply sign up!
im guessing rj will have one this nov/dec :)

hmm yea nothing much to say 'cept i've taken up flight simulator, COMBAT style =D

too bored see. oh and my solo song/album aint coming out well...gotta get a new reed..disgusting tone and intonation right now. :(

ok cya

i think jiawei is cool

2006-09-20T23:07:00.000+08:00

you think so too?
hey im asking you sam...
maybe not but
the fanning action...
on tip toes
couples the ego...
maybe on one knee
with one arm forward...
or together with
the famelier sounds...
on the tenor sax
like the vibrato...
and the string of
notes that sound wierd...
watch out
the white sling...
is coming for you
is coming for sam...
better not say f
or i will pump jiawei 5...

now was that like soo totally random or wat...

Sigh

2006-09-19T10:09:00.000+08:00

RJ's bari sax rocks! Selmer Paris!!! Got Selmer paris mouthpiece as well! So fun to play... Can finally reach the low A/concert C. Their strap sucks though.

Nice to see you guys are doing ok in sectionals. Not perfect, but rather alright. I miss joining in... :(

i m bored

2006-09-12T22:02:00.000+08:00

i havent posted in a lloooooooooooooooooooooooong time yah?
i feel super random 2dae
i wanna:
drink sprite
learn trumpet
learn drumset
learn flute
learn bassoon
learn altissimo fingering
kill jeremy for not giving me my investiture gift
kill jeremy again because i lagged out the first time
learn how to do that portmando thingy
destroy the 3rd lang centre
destroy the staff rooms
play battlefront 2 the whole day
skip school
destroy all soft and hard copies of the CTs
poke kin chun cuz brian aint here anymore
buy winston a microphone
dream about doing all the abovementioned stuff cuz it aint gonna happen anytime soon

no more

2006-09-11T23:26:00.000+08:00

i posted again... (parden the lousy engrish)

bertrand and jiawei have been good sls...

i will miss the sec 4s...

no more tortured by Justin

no more squashed by Abtzy

no more lagged by Jeremy

but i will still miss you guys...

next year i will probably say the same thing of bertrand and jiawei...

PREDICTIONS

no more sling whack by jiawei

no more owe money by bertrand...

and the year after patrick and zhuo hao will say

no more showoffs by Samuel

no more (extreme) showoffs by Bryan

it goes on

but i end it here.... :)

yoyo

2006-09-10T17:17:00.000+08:00

Attention.

Tubists are waging war on our blogskin. Let's bring our own mudpies over okay? spam their tagboard =D

gogogo jiayou i will be behind u all the way pls spam all u likeee

*grin

cya

1000 saxophones on the Great Wall of China!

2006-09-05T22:04:00.000+08:00

Anyone want to go to China?

They have a contrabass sax!!! I want one!!!

our team leader was the witch...

2006-09-05T08:57:00.000+08:00

REACT was pretty fun and enjoyable... (not that im as porn as sam) but i seriously enjoyed it... look at glen... he was like ultra 'emo'??? aniwae i thought the games were pretty well designed except that there were too little games... and our team leader was like ultra perverted... at the pocky game... (ill explain) basically the team leaders sit in front and the members sit in a row in a boygirlboygirl pattern... so we are supposed to pass the pocky stick from mouth to mouth and the person passing will have to bite a portion of the stick... since it starteds with the team leaders... jasmine, our team leader aka the witch, bit off all the chocolate leaving like 3half cm for us to pass... damn evil larh... but we had great fun aniwae... wargames x)... i still feel the rafia string... three legged war games... well at least i noe im still quite handsome... cos a girl volunteered to tie her leg with mine... XD lol... interesting experience... will come again next year... BLUE TEAM MERRIED THEIR KNIGHT TO PRINCESS 2>>>hahas...

2006-09-03T23:40:00.000+08:00

yo

hope samuel and jiawei learnt stuff from the workshop today that should be used in sectionals, no? *grin

andand iiiiiii wanttttttttttt theeeeeeee cddddddddddd butttttt howwwwwww doooooooooo iiiiii payyyyyyyyyyy

if possible scan the cd cover plsplspls

we could put it up on section shelf

lala cya

Here's to Gold with Honours

2006-09-02T22:32:00.000+08:00

Ah well. Since everyone in the section's getting emotional and thanking their sectionmates like the armageddon beckons, i might as well keep up the charade, shan't I?

Let's start with the seniors, since they're about to leave (but not without playing Spanish Fever first). It probably isn't going to be the last time I'm seeing them -- at any rate they'll still be in RJ by the time I head over to the school-next-door -- so I don't think there's a lot to moan and sob about. Still, I really want to thank them for making me a much better saxophonist (i think). Here's to Justin for some (violent) drilling, Abtzy for making sectionals so fun (and fat), and Jeremy for truly motivating me to play real music on the saxophone. I might poke fun at you guys (maybe not Justin... too violent), but i respect you for what you've done for the section.

Now for the juniors. You've fit well into the section, and got yourselves accustomed to band life. I can tell that you (most of you anyway) love the band, love playing music, and that's good to know. Still, I can't help feeling that you guys are playing... well... notes. That's probably a bit rich coming from me, considering how bad I am at the saxophone, but I really hope that you guys can start putting some emotion, some interpretation into the music that you play.

To Samuel, you're better than me when it comes to the technical. You can reach altissimo notes, play complicated run-ups, and play in timing for relatively complex rhythms. What you now have to do is feel the music, begin to imagine the music as not just a string of sounds but as an entirety to be appreciated. Right now I can't feel anything from your music, even though it's played exactly as the SL tells you to. Emoting your music is what you need to do now.

To Brian (or Bryan. Same difference.), I can't give you very much advice, because I do not play the bassoon. Still, I'd like to congratulate you for becoming more open, more willing to play music for the band. You've become more confident of yourself, and you show it through your music (and your socks). Keep that fire to improve in you, and we can expect great things of you.

To Joel, I can tell you're improving. Your tone is more solid now, and I can hear you. What you must do now is practise more. You need to come down for practice, get used to the songs, and not think you can smoke your way through concerts anymore. You have it in you to play tenor well -- all you need is more hard work.

To the Sec Ones, you have experience, but now you have to get used to playing as a band. Zhuo Hao, you're a superb soloist, but a band is different from a solo. Keep time, look at Mr. Oura, play with your section. Patrick, don't be defeatist and think you can't play a song before you start. No song is that tough (honestly -- band songs at secondary school level are hardly ever difficult), so just play your heart out. It's alright to make a mistake -- just remember to solve it. And hiding behind Samuel and Jeremy won't help -- you have to make the extra effort to learn the part.

So I've talked a lot of rubbish (in not so good english, i apologize), but I really mean it. I'll try what's in my ability to help Bertrand out in sectionals, so you can all improve. Someday, I really hope that our section can become like the section of 3 (or was it 4?) years ago -- Lester's batch -- where there was so much cohesion, so much music coming from that circle on the 3rd floor that even the clarinets would come up and marvel at our superiority.

Here's to Gold with Honours, no?

One Last Shot

2006-09-01T12:20:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow...

2006-08-31T22:34:00.000+08:00

er...abtzy where's the tagboard?
and you should put in some links...
and then put in the tagboard...
so we can tag...
and not have to post like diz...
BERTRAND your belt is wimme
gimme ur Saitek joystick in return for ur belt
BRYAN teach me bassoooooooooooon
JEREMY WONG i want my invest gift u lagger

yeah im in...

2006-08-31T11:41:00.000+08:00

yeah im in... short intro of myself(which you probably all noe already)... i play bassoon... im in saxes im in RIMB and im in RI... im a male... the things dat you dont noe... im drinking milk now... aniwae... id juz like to thank the sec4s for making our time here in RIMB soo enjoyable... id also like to thank han sheng (not in saxes lol)for saving me a dinner... why not... maybe some '08 sax player can teach me to play saxophone... or '07 bass clar can teach me to play bass clar... some versatile guy ill be... again im digreesing... the main point is how do you do that cool moving TITLE thing??? and the4 prometheum cd was ultra cool thx abtzy... did you see mi face on RInspire??? ill give you a clue... im in one of the europe trips... i seriously hope justin can teach me the full bassoon range b4 he goes RJC... and I sure hope I can beat sam by next year... which is quite a fat hope actually... ill just get him some cookies... also i nid to train on my responsibilityness... hopefully i can be responsible enuff to be band major by end of sec3??? or you can juz send your best wishes to me... to the sec4's all the best in you future and have fun! if you need a social etiquette teacher you can always ask me...

crapping

2006-08-28T21:22:00.000+08:00

HIHI...i decided to kachiou abtzy to invite me for the fun of it. i forgot my old account. LOLX
lets seee.... apart from an overpopulated section which is prone to lagginess, i like coming to band. gives me a chance to practise fighting off 5 people at once. it aint easy easy easy easy easy.
JEREMY WONG RUI PING WHERE IS MY INVESTITURE PRESENT!!!!!!! and to think you were band major...
justin stop whacking my ass with that chopstick you found.
joel PLEASE come for band more often. i see ur fingering and i get scared cuz u don seem to be familiar with them...either that or u are slower...SO PLEASE COME FOR MORE PRACS improve urself. and ur tone. having an expensive ligature isnt everything u noe...
ZUOHAO!!!!having 2 saxophones is different from having one and being able to play with the band. u're good i can see. but its time to shift from ur solo repertoire to a band repertoire. watch oura all the time.
PATRICK. i noe ur hyperactive and cant sit still for long, but please...pay abit more attention and stop moaning about how hard the piece is... they're not actually that hard.
BRYAN!!!! will u teach me bassoon?

It's almost over

2006-08-28T09:04:00.000+08:00

Our SLs

Sec 1s and Jeremy

Cute guy

Before...

...and after

Well, my time in the section is almost over. We've had some fun times together, and made some good music. Words can't describe the feeling I have now, but I shall try.
You guys have been a huge part of my life, maybe even more so than my batch. I've found comfort and friendship in you guys, and hopefully, I've been able to return the favour.

To the sec 1s, I have not much to say, since I don't know you guys too well, unfortunately. I hope that you all will be able to uphold the quality of the section, but more importantly, that you will enjoy yourself as one of its members.

Joel, I hope you decide to come down more often. Without you, we just aren't a complete section! Work hard, and improve, so that you can enjoy yourself in playing beautiful music.

Bryan, as I've said before, I admire your improvement since Sec 1, and I've enjoyed playing side by side. Just keep up the improvement, and you'll be fine. Work hard for 2008 too, when you'll be the senior lower woodwind.

Samuel, ever since Sec 1, you've impressed me. You've even managed to get a semi-solo in Prometheum, which is good for a Sec 2. After this, you'll be the principle alto sax player, but I know you'll be able to handle it. Have fun in band, and enjoy the music.

Jia Wei, your skills in the sax are good, but what I admire about you most is your creativity and ability to improvise music, as well as to understand it. I've enjoyed listening to your random bursts of music, as well as having you in the sax section for the past 2 and a half years.

Bertrand, you're better than you believe. You're already as good as, if not better, than me at the bass instruments. As SL next year, you'll be in charge of leading one of the finest groups of people I've ever known. I wish you good luck, and hope that you will be able to uphold the section, but more importantly, bond them together.

Well, it's nice to know that we still have one last opportunity to play together as the RIMB Sax section this Saturday. I both look forward to it and dread it. I also wish you guys good luck in the future. Auspicium Meli.. oh forget it.

RIMB Saxes/Lower Woodwinds 2003-2007

2006-08-23T22:02:00.000+08:00

Leow Yu Qing

Lester Lim
Jermyn See
Mohammed Arif
Daniel Lim

Jeff Chen
Benjamin Goh
Benny Khoo
Tan Xue Yang

Justin Ong
Jeremy Wong
Aaron Theseira

Bertrand Na
Lee Jia Wei
Li Yi Hao

Samuel Cheah
Bryan Choong
Joel Kek

Patrick Ang
Zhang Zuohao

thx.

The Greater One Demands

2006-08-22T19:48:00.000+08:00

heyall =D

sorry about the slight delay =)
well i wanted this blog to feel alive again, at least for now..
so here's 3 lines to it

whee.

The Great One Speaks

2006-04-03T21:08:00.000+08:00

So this blog's dead. Since last October, in fact. But really, does it matter when the Great One's at hand to rescue this miserable cluster of pixels from eternal oblivion?

Not really. But massively overblown ego aside, I suppose we really ought to get down to some serious business. Noticed that our section's been languishing ever since Jermyn and co. left. At the risk of sounding like a complete asshole, we might be marginally better than most other sections when it comes to practical ability, but somehow we haven't achieved the levels of discipline and musical unison that Lester managed to inculcate into the saxes 2 (or was it 3?) years ago.

Personally, I feel we lack discipline. Now this might sound a bit rich coming from someone who bursts into substandard impersonations of Moody and the Untalkative Bunny, but I think we have to achieve a level of ruthless effeciency, where we don't waste any time in sectionals. We have to learn to respect the conductor, learn to treat creating music as a discipline in and of itself, and not as a tool to vent your emotions. Music deserves to be played well, and to do that we have to treat it seriously and not fool around like a monkey on steroids.

But the problem doesn't only lie with discipline (or a lack of it, whichever you prefer). Perhaps taking a step back, we might notice that we don't play as well as we can. For instance, I'm fickle-minded when it comes to tone, and constantly focus on altering and perfecting it whilst neglecting tonguing and intonation. As for the rest of the section, I don't think I'm in any position to comment, but there certainly is room for improvement. But on a whole, we lack the distinct sound of a group of saxophones. The magic... it's not there.

Really, individually, we're all capable players. Jeremy has the jazzy funk, Abtzy rocks ass with the baritone, Samuel and Bertrand can both play notes that are way beyond the range of the average musician, and Justin's in the SSO. Brian won best practical, Joel's improving fast, and the Sec 1s are extraordinary considering how raw their talent is. On paper, we're really quite brilliant, but we have to play together as one unit, create true musical fusion.

I often sound like a demented cheshire cat on steroids when I'm at band, but right now I'm pretty dead serious. I loved the feeling of playing in a top quality RIMB section, to feel the elitist pride of hearing the clarinets go gaga at the vive the saxophones can exude.

I want to play real music again.

New Songs

2005-10-31T23:09:00.000+08:00

Well, good to be back. Currently we got 4 songs so far:

Manatee Lyric Overture
Silvercrest
Carmen Fantasy
The Bandwagon

Can't say much about the first 2, but there are some heavy sax parts in Bandwagon and Carmen, so we've got a lot to do. Of course, with a little practice, it should be easy.

Happy Birthday!

2005-10-10T21:15:00.000+08:00

Yeah... I would like to say Happy Birthday to Jeremy! Hyperbm... Thanks so much for reminding me to go to band and helping me to recognize that it is a high priority... And wish you a great year ahead as BM. Cheers! Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday!

2005-10-10T21:12:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday Jeremy!

whee

2005-10-01T11:13:00.000+08:00

!!

2005-09-08T08:45:00.000+08:00

the bundy's better than both the selmers and yamaha in terms of tone. unbeilavable! jiawei u must try... x) and should i move onto xue yang's instrument? im more used to mine..hmm
aiyah dun change la, i shall stick with my wife through everything XD

eh abtzy how am i supposed to add a tagboard when i can't edit template? >.<

Spring Cleaning

2005-09-07T20:35:00.000+08:00

I would just like to thank the members of the section who turned up today, since we had 3 people working on 15 or so instruments. So, good job to Jeremy and Bertrand. I would also like to thank Bertrand for nearly singlehandedly arranging our section shelf, all while our so-called "section leader" was slacking by the side. As for the rest of you, beware for next prac!!! (Just kidding lol)

Scores

2005-09-06T20:25:00.000+08:00

Jeremy or Jermyn should have.

who got scores?

2005-09-06T11:25:00.000+08:00

eh, anyone got alto sax scores for omens of love and takarajima?

React

2005-09-05T23:01:00.000+08:00

Well, today was React, the annual get-together of the three Raffles Bands, and a very good chance for one to pick up girls. Anyway, section was split up for the better part of the event, so I'll leave the others to post their experiences. Myself, I had a very fun time with Samuel soaking him with soap during the games. The concert was good though, saxes from all three schools played well, IMO, especially on Takarajima. Congrats to that, especially since we had no time to practice, and I hope we can improve even more! Once again, pictures of us will be posted as soon as someone is kind enough to give me one. Meantimes, post your experiences!

Investiture 05

2005-09-04T22:06:00.000+08:00

Recently, we had our annual Investiture, where the Sec 3s take over the leadership of the band. Our thanks go out to our dear Sec 4s, who have been with all of us since our first year, guided us in our music, and shared in our fun. To Benjamin Goh, Benny Khoo and Tan Xue Yang, thanks!

I'll post pictures once I get them.

Welcome

2005-09-04T22:03:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the blog of the RIMB saxes! We're the most fun-loving and energetic section in the band, as our members will testify. As of 3rd September 2005, our section consists of:

Jeremy Wong
Aaron Theseira
Lee Jia Wei
Bertrand Na
Samuel Cheah
Joel Kek

So, just sit back, relax and enjoy the posts.