Meet DLP User Patrick Oliver Kohalmi

A wise old teacher and mentor once said, "The greatest thing about music is the people you meet through it" ...and we couldn't agree more. Patrick Oliver Kohalmi is a personal trainer, web- entrepreneur, and budding soprano sax player from Hune, Nordjyllan, Denmark, a picturesque area just off the coast of the North Sea.

The beautiful but rugged landscape in Hune creates a cool contrast to the IKEA-like interior designs of homes and businesses in the region. So where does someone from this area with a passion for soprano sax go to learn the instrument? Discover, Learn, and Play of course!

We met Patrick a few months ago when he submitted a few videos and friend-ed us on facebook. It's easy to see that he is quite a character and very passionate about a number of interests in his life.  He recently agreed to answer a few questions for this blog and he agreed to share his story with other DLP users -enjoy!

POK - I am a personal trainer (coach) and I'm working on my webshop. So, I am a fitness and bodybuilding guru. :) I have been playing piano since I was 12 years old. I got some piano lessons when I was 15, but it was only 25 minutes per week and lasted only a half year...it was too expensive. I never really learned to read notes, instead I learned songs by ear and at the time my inspiration was Richard Clayderman. 

I heard Kenny G's songs when I was about 20 years old and I really liked them. At that time, I wasn't interested in learning to play sax but I think I got the idea about 2 years ago that it could be cool to be as good as Kenny G. I lost my job and I thought it would be a good time to start something new. I said "I want a soprano saxophone, I want to be good as Kenny G!".

So I bought a Yamaha and have been learning it for exactly a year. The first time I ever tried to play on it I loved it. Fantastic instrument! I did not have a private teacher, I have used "Discover, Learn, and Play" and checked youtube for information when I was in doubt about something. I bought the same reeds and mouthpiece that Kenny G uses. I also bought a lot of music books and now that I have been through all 20 lessons of the Kore Series I can try to learn some of Kenny's songs.

What I liked most about the lessons were the songs. Even at a beginner level, they have a good melody and background play-alongs. You can enjoy them without getting bored and thinking: "Oh God, when will I become a pro so I can play good melodies?" I have suggested DLP for one of my friends who got a guitar for his birthday. I still have to practice song 2 and 3 in Lesson 20 a bit more to make them perfect and I will be sending those videos soon!

We think you are doing a fantastic job Patrick and we look forward to hearing more from you along the way. PS - the Kore Series II and Jazz Series are coming along - we'll let you know when they're ready to go!

Be sure to visit our User-YouTube page to see Patrick and a few other DLP member performances.