This is a sketch of Martha, my old tenor saxophone, drawn back in about 1984. This was scanned from a bad photocopy, as I'm not sure where the original picture is, and some of the pencil lines show. It was a large picture drawn very quickly in ink on paper, attempting to capture the form without a lot of outline, more by the lights and darks revealed by the fall of the light (in a sense, that's where "the blues" can also be found :)). I love pure black-and-white artwork (as often employed in traditional comics).

For any sax players out there, yes, the ligature is on the right way - I prefer not to crush the reed, so always had the screw at the top to keep the reed evenly supported (and you could get a better range of sound that way). I used to play both tenor and alto (which means transposing for both B flat and E flat) - they really are different instruments.

I haven't played saxophone in years, but I really should. Nothing can capture "The Blues" quite the way a breathy tenor sax can. I've always liked writing in classical keys, modulating from one to another, but that ain't the blues! I remember when I learnt my first blues scale, then how to mix Mixolydian notes in with it - way blue - that opened up a whole different world!

P.S. If you look carefully you can see me with a sketchpad in the reflection.

Labels: Illustration Friday, music, saxophones