Who says that us sax players can only play jazz gigs, sleepy coffee shops, and big fat weddings? As one of the few jazz sax players out who’s also produced dance music (house music to be exact), I’ve been lucky enough to participate in this relatively unknown new world of live performance. If you’re open to [read more…]
Sometimes I think back on the way it used to be… I traveled regularly with multiple horns and never had a problem getting on a plane. Usually a tenor and a soprano, sometimes even a backpack with a clarinet and flute too. When I moved to the east coast for college, I even remember getting two [read more…]
As a sax player coming up, it was strongly engrained in my subconscious that no woodwind doubling equals no music career. I remember going to my strict but highly effective sax teacher Vince Trombetta (who also taught this other sax player named Michael Baker – or Brecker or something like that) and the accompanying displeasure of [read more…]
I recently saw a video with the great saxman Bob Reynolds, who’s best known for playing in John Mayer’s band, but also quite an established solo artist in his own right. At any rate, in a video (for his mailing list and online students only) he talks about how the best mouthpiece you’ll ever find [read more…]
“Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.” – Charlie Parker Playing a woodwind instrument requires deep breathing, steady air flow and appropriate pressure on the reed. If any of these are lacking, your air flow will be impaired, which will have a negative impact on your performance. By paying attention to your breathing, posture [read more…]
This post is part of a special column titled “Ask a Saxophone Repairman” with answers supplied by our resident repair whiz, Matt Stohrer of Stohrer Music. Disclaimer: Saxophone repair is a complicated business, depending not only on the skill of the repairer but on the reality of the situation at hand. The advice given here is given [read more…]