Blog

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 look out for? We asked playersRead more

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 we mean by a ‘lick’, andRead 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 Baritone Saxophone. Joining my first saxRead 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, if not all of us, haveRead 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. Learning from books was no better—it’sRead 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 that restrict how you approach yourRead 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. Wally Wallace strikes a perfect balanceRead 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 where we would love to beRead 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 bar would be repeated four times.Read 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). The main takeaway from theRead 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 in your hands! Out of theRead 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 section copies their breathing. So listenRead 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 in a different key but byRead 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 was recently sent a baritone partRead more

So, you’ve been learning saxophone and have just completed Abracadabra Saxophone with your teacher and are ready to play some “real tunes”? Or maybe you are just looking for some fun songs to play at home? Either way, we’ve got your back. Most playalong music books are collections of songs of varying difficulty rather than progressive books arranged in orderRead more

Many of us still have a love-hate relationship with technology but the smart devices surrounding us can be valuable and diverse tools for learning music. We have more technology in our pockets than was used to land a man on the Moon! It’s likely that you already have the equipment and resources needed to pursue online music lessons. Any equipmentRead more

I love scales! Odd, you might think, but personally, I think scales and arpeggios get a bad press! They’re essential; they are the foundation of the music we listen to and play and therefore, we should learn all about them, to get the absolute best out of our own music making.  As a music teacher, I’m aware it’s all too easyRead more