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Bob Reynolds Shares Strategies and Exercises for Getting Back on the Horn After an Extended Break

Photo by mikemackay82

One of my online students recently asked if I had any tips for building back up again after taking an extended break from practicing the saxophone. Bob: Looking forward to the Summer Series. Back on the site after a six month hiatus. [Dan goes on to explain some family health stuff that fortunately is working [...]

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Can Walt Weiskopf Teach Us the Ultra-Hip Sound of the Diminished Scale? (Exercise and Etude Included)

Can Walt Weiskopf Teach Us the Ultra-Hip Sound of the Diminished Scale? (Exercise and Etude Included)

I recently received Walt Weiskopf’s latest book, Understanding the Diminished Scale. I learned my C, C#, and D diminished scales in the past (between those three you have the notes for all twelve diminished scales, the book can explain further), but I never knew how to apply the scale effectively in my improvisation work. I have [...]

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Revolutionize Your Playing with Home Recording, The Outrageously Easy Way

Revolutionize Your Playing with Home Recording, The Outrageously Easy Way

No matter what level you are at with your saxophone playing, I’m willing to bet one thing – if you are not doing it already you could improve your playing quite dramatically by making recordings of yourself and listening back to them. Self recordings allow you to take a step back and become your own [...]

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Sound Wisdom for a Striking Saxophone Tone

Sound Wisdom for a Striking Saxophone Tone

This guest post is from Randy Hunter of RandyHunterJazz.com. When you think of great saxophone players, you know, guys like Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderly, and John Coltrane, probably the first thing that comes to mind is their sound. Even though their playing may contain unique harmonic and rhythmic components, the mind seems to embrace [...]

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Sax Virtuoso Rick Keller Shares Tips for Better Sound, Rhythm, Improvisation, and More

Sax Virtuoso Rick Keller Shares Tips for Better Sound, Rhythm, Improvisation, and More

Rick’s Official Bio Rick Keller continues to explore and develop his musical voice. Both a sought after sideman and an artist, Rick is constantly composing and pursuing his own projects which define his commitment to creative expression. He has been inspired by music from many countries as a result of playing in concerts and recordings [...]

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Can the Marmaduke Line of Mouthpieces Replace the Classics? Plus, Lupifaro Reeds.

Can the Marmaduke Line of Mouthpieces Replace the Classics? Plus, Lupifaro Reeds.

While at the 2013 NAMM show, I ran into a gentleman by the name of Alex Miyatake. I met Alex at the R.S. Berkley booth while trying out various Virtuoso tenor saxophones. Alex told me to try out his Marmaduke line of mouthpieces. I have heard and seen these mouthpieces on Sax.co.uk and have seen [...]

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Gain Instant Inspiration with these 16 Unsung Tenor Heros

Clockwise starting on the far-left: Stanley Turrentine, Don Byas, Johnny Griffin, Lucky Thompson, and Warne Marsh

We’re all raised on a steady diet of the tenor greats, of which there are many. So many of the movers and shakers of jazz played this horn, people like Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, and Wayne Shorter, continuing into more recent times with people like [...]

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Are these Horns by Selmer and Yanagisawa All that They’re Cracked Up to Be?

Yanagisawa 992 Tenor

Introduction For years and years now, Conn-Selmer has been manufacturing some of the most popular and highly regarded woodwind and brass instruments on the market. I was recently contacted by Derek Bowen over at Conn-Selmer, and he was nice enough to send me a Yanagisawa 992 tenor, Selmer Reference 54 tenor, and a Selmer Reference [...]

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