Tag: Tone Production
6 Crucial Facts About Saxophone Reeds
Tweet 1. The differences between the brands is not as big as you might think. One of the first things to consider when purchasing a saxophone reed is which brand to buy. Every saxophone player has their personal favorite, but in terms of sound quality, the differences between the brands are minimal. Personally, I started with Vandoren reeds [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Improve your Sax Playing – with Flute Exercises!
Tweet I’m always on the lookout for exercises that develop tone, technique and articulation. While I use material that is familiar to saxophonists (e.g. The Universal Method, Oliver Nelson’s Patterns for Saxophone), I also draw from methods developed for other instruments. Having started as a classical flute player (until a Charlie Parker record changed my [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Musings on Improvisation and Originality with David Binney
Tweet As one of jazz music’s leading voices on alto sax, David Binney’s musical vision is constantly shifting and expanding whether it’s in the realm of playing, composing or producing, Having played with giants such as Gil Evans, Maria Schneider, Jim Hall, Brian Blade, and Mark Turner, David was also a co-founder of the hard-edged quintet “Lost Tribe.” [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Players
Standing Straight and Sounding Great
Tweet There’s a lot to be said for sitting up straight and walking tall. Indeed, there’s something about proper posture that exudes health and confidence. Hell, a good posture will even make you look thinner (not that any of us need to look thinner, of course, just sayin’). For us who play a wind instrument, [...]
Category: Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Tune Your Horn Sharp and Sound Better?
Tweet Blazin’ saxman Steve Neff recently hipped me to a very cool YouTube video in which a very interesting concept was introduced to me. In the video, it was suggested that you could improve the quality of your tone by pushing in your mouthpiece to the point where your horn is a quarter-step sharp and [...]
Category: Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Flutter Tonguing – The Sexy Sax Secret
Tweet If your aim is to underscore the sound of a cool cat puttin’ on the moves circa 1958, you’re probably going to want to learn to flutter tongue. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, flutter tonguing is basically a sound effect, or dare I say, gimmick used by [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
Through the Eyes of Dave Liebman
Tweet This week’s podcast is a very special event here at Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. as we interview saxophone giant David Liebman. A Brief History Having been featured on nearly three hundred and fifty recordings as both a leader and a sideman, living saxophone legend David Liebman is one of the most influential voices on [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Players
8 Tips for an Open Throat and Bigger Sound
Tweet UPDATE: Since writing this article, my views on the topic of an “open throat” have actually changed quite drastically. So forget about this silly article and hop over here to get the real skinny on this super-important concept. With any wind instrument, the rule is more air you have access to, the more “fuel” [...]
Category: Best of the Blog, Best Saxophone Tips and Techniques
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