Tag: Live Performance
Sax Virtuoso Rick Keller Shares Tips for Better Sound, Rhythm, Improvisation, and More
Tweet 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 [...]
Category: Best Saxophone Players
9 Tips Guaranteed to Make You Play Better by Relaxing More
Tweet Today’s article was inspired by a reader who posed the following great question: Any tips / advice on the critical skill of learning to relax when playing? Before I start a piece I try to breath deeply and let go of stress in the body. Despite this I can feel the tension rise, particularly [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Pre-Playing to Get Big Results with Little Effort
Tweet I would venture to guess that many of us go into a practice session or performance somewhat mindlessly. Of course, once the horn is in our mouth, we usually snap into conscious music-making mode. However, are there things we can do set ourselves up for the best possible results before we start playing? To [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
11 Tips for Making Your Saxophone Playing More Expressive and Soulful
Tweet The definition of the word, Soul as defined on Dictionary.com: the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments. When it comes to music, it’s been my experience that the sound of a human being singing tends to touch the average person’s heart more than any other sound. Because we [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
A Guide to Playing in a Big Band Saxophone Section
Tweet This article is a guest post from Jeff Rzepiela, whose transcriptions of saxophone solos by the greats can be found at www.scooby-sax.com. Playing in a big band’s sax section can be a thrilling experience. When the section is in synch, it can be like the Blue Angels flying in perfect formation. On the other [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
10 Sources of Inspiration for Saxophone Players
Tweet Is that once-burning desire to burn on the horn starting to flicker? Are the hours you used to devote to practicing now in jeopardy of being traded in for hours in front of a TV set and a bag of Ruffles? Or maybe you’re still practicing your tush off, but progressing at a snail’s [...]
Category: Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
How to Put Yourself on the Path to Bulletproof Intonation
Tweet Let’s face it – saxophonists are known for playing out of tune. Well, not only for playing out of tune, but suffice it to say that the saxophone is anything but a perfectly tuned instrument. Simply pressing down the keys while blowing ain’t gonna cut it. And if you play alto or soprano – forget about it. You’ve [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Get Gigs Jamming with DJs in Clubs: Part 2
Tweet Having gone through Part 1 of this 2-part series, we’ve covered what types of DJ music work with the sax, and how to get those DJ-plus-sax gigs, we can move on to… Getting the Proper Gear for a DJ-plus-Sax Gig An important thing to know when approaching one of these gigs is that you are pretty much [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
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