In the olden days, particularly in the ’70s and ’80s, getting quality information on practicing the saxophone was quite the challenge. Saxophone teachers were scarce compared to those teaching piano, guitar, or singing. And even when you found a saxophone teacher, they might have been a brilliant player but not necessarily a great teacher. LearningRead more
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Improvising a solo over many different styles of music shares a number of common themes and approaches, however, there are some basic concepts that, for me, are especially important for pop music. These are my guidelines to ensure you match the energy and the musical narrative of a track instead of following strict rules thatRead more
There is an abundance of high quality free tutorials from pro saxophone tutors on YouTube, covering a wide range of musical topics for all abilities. As an educational resource, it can be extrememly valuable for learners and teachers alike. Here are a selection of our favourite YouTube channels for saxophonists. The Saxophone Academy Dr. WallyRead more
PRACTICE! I know what you’re thinking… not the ‘P’ word! Do NOT yawn or look away, please read on… Sometimes I cannot believe how dumb I am! I believe this is a trap many musicians fall into….We look to our heroes, folks who we consider to be better players than us, folks who are whereRead more
This is called a simile and indicates that the player should repeat what’s written in the previous bar. There are two simile symbols that you will encounter, commonly in band music: A ‘single line’ simile indicates that the first bar should be repeated, therefore creating a 1-bar musical loop. In this example, the first barRead more
The secret to playing faster… is to play slower! It may seem counter-productive but hear me out. A while ago I watched a video with Eddie Daniels (the king of clarinettists) and it completely changed my thinking on this subject. (It doesn’t matter that this video is about clarinet, the same principals apply to saxophone).Read more
Sax players often avoid venturing into the realm of the left-hand ‘paddle’ keys. These are used mainly for the notes below low D. However, those of us who are bari players are pretty familiar with them, ‘paddling in the swamp’, as we do. Warning: it is highly recommended you read this with your saxophone inRead more
If you find yourself playing as part of a saxophone section in a band, then breathing marks should be sorted and collectively discussed. Breathing together as a team is important to ensure sure phrases flow without any unwanted gaps. There is one school of thought that the lead alto makes the decisions and the sectionRead more
If you are used to playing an alto sax and you start playing the tenor sax, you are most definitely going to go through an adaption phase when it comes to sound production. The tenor sax is laid out exactly the same as an alto in terms of key-work, it’s obviously bigger and it’s inRead more
Yes! We’ve all got to breathe when playing but arrangers will often not write the breathing into a chart, but if they do, make sure you recognise the symbol. There are two symbols, an apostrophe or a tick (just after the note) to indicate that you breathe between that note and the next. I wasRead more
