I’ll be upfront - I play Saxophone (badly) I’ve been improving slowly over the past 3 years but despite loving it I’m still terrible at it!
Now as a newbie sitter I’ve decided to NOT ask HOs
if I can bring my Saxophone with me on my first sits- after all I’m looking to nail some 5* sits down before applying internationally. I’m fully aware that dogs/cats might not like Jazz improv and that neighbours also might complain…. so my question is-
Do any sitters travel with a musical instrument and how do you manage the ‘annoyance noise’ aspects?
I would just take it with you as long as there are no neighbours to annoy. I love house-sits with pianos, although did one where the poor dog howled every time I even opened the piano lid, let alone played anything. I’m not sure whether she was singing in anticipation, or begging me not to!
That’s hilarious! I remember a lovely family very kindly invited me to play their piano on a sit last year. The first day of the sit, I decided to play a bit of a piano concerto and the upstairs neighbours texted the HO to complain about me straight away. I was mortified!!! There was me thinking I was quite a decent pianist but I never touched another key on that piano for the rest of my stay!
I actually have a neighbour back home who plays the bagpipes and whenever he’s rehearsing, the whole neighbourhood knows about it!
That’s amazing that you play the saxophone! Kudos to you for persisting with it as jazz improvisation is really not easy in my experience. You just reminded me that exactly 12 years ago today, I did my first jazz piano improvisation performance at a place called Paradise in London. A very memorable night that was.
If I were you, I’d go for detached homes to do sits in and then you can play to your heart’s content without having to worry about disturbing any neighbours. The pets you look after are very lucky to have great live music to listen to!
@Becca my 13 year old son likes a sit with a piano too. He has done some keyboard skills in music lessons at school, and has started using simple YouTube tutorials to play parts of popular songs. So far the pets haven’t expressed an opinion!
No of course not actually I have a digital silent ‘travel sax’ that operates via headphones so I’ll probably take that with me to keep my scales practice going. My current favourite Saxophone is a Bari it’s huge, and not very travel friendly.
Well done for learning a new skill As a homeowner I would not like it if a sitter brought an instrument without checking if our dog would be ok with it. I’m sure many pets are fine with instruments being played, but our boy can be nervous and unsettled with new things and noises (and the last time he heard a sax he howled ). I’d feel upset if a sitter had not asked us about something like this up front. From the perspective of a HO with a pet that is not used to live music
I think you should take your sax, play it, enjoy it and don’t worry about it. If the neighbors complain, why would they complain? Anyway, if they complain tone it down. And, come sit at my house next time!!! Your sax is welcome!
I play (extremely badly) the flute. In my experience cats don’t like the sound of it and hide, so I don’t bother playing when I sit. Or I do so in my van when I am sitting locally. One exception was this little guy; he kept wanting to play with that bright shiny whistling stick!
My cat loved my flute…l I think - when I played it she wrapped herself around my legs, or climbed up my back and wrapped herself around my neck - either she loved it or she was trying to get me to stop. As did my other cat when I played guitar & sang - he’d lean on the strings and put his paw on my mouth - harsh critic!
My husband plays electric guitar daily on every sit we do. No animal we’ve taken care of has (to our knowledge!!) been traumatised by his playing! Some even like watching him play!
And re-disturbing neighbours -we often sit in rural places where sound is not an issue. Otherwise he is sensitive obviously. Just do your thing!
As a HO, I study piano so there’s a piano in my house that sitters are welcome to use freely as long as it’s from 9am to 11pm. I live in a condominium style home with neighbors downstairs and on one side. No one has ever complained. I can also use the headphones to block out annoying repetitions that are only important for me to hear!
I’d guess it depends on the location. If you are in an apartment with thin walls, old look for a rooftop space. In our house, we have a piano and guitar for guests. Our current sitter is recording and asked if there was a quiet place for him. With 3 floors and several indoor living areas, music room and outdoor decks in a serene rural setting, the only one he’d bother or be bothered by is his partner.
Regarding: I’m fully aware that dogs/cats might not like Jazz improv and that neighbours also might complain…
Does this mean that regardless of how neighbors or pets might feel, you fully intend to bring your saxophone anyway? And the homeowners can deal with any fallout, whether it’s stressed out animals or complaints from their neighbors?
I applaud you for liking music and playing an instrument, but unless I am not understanding correctly, this seems a blatant disregard for the people contracting with you to watch their home and pets.
actually I have a digital silent ‘travel sax’ that operates via headphones so I’ll probably take that with me to keep my scales practice going. My current favourite Saxophone is a Bari it’s huge, and not very travel friendly.
