At some point in your playing, you are going to have to ‘sight read’ music – the stuff of nightmares or an exciting challenge? The good news is that, unless you are a seasoned pro, you will always have some time to look at the score and ‘get the picture’. But what should you lookRead more
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When it comes to improving as a saxophone player and improviser, practising ‘licks’ is one of the most valuable things you can do. Working on a bank of ‘licks’ is a fantastic exercise for players of all levels, both technically, and creatively to develop a musical vocabulary. Licks vs Patterns So what exactly do weRead more
Pretty much all of us start our saxophone journey on Alto or Tenor Saxophone. These instruments are the perfect size to learn on, have a pitch range that makes for comfortable listening, and have a wealth of music to play. I started on alto, but was soon drawn to the bigger sound of the BaritoneRead more
“Do you ever get nervous when you perform?” As a professional musician, this is a question I’m asked frequently, and the answer is…“it depends”. Some performance situations are so familiar they are not daunting at all. At other times, I feel just as nervous as I did when doing my first ever performance. Most, ifRead more
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
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
