I believe that jazz music is one of the most intellectually and artistically demanding paths on which a musician can be. Technical chops and pyrotechnics that have historically been part of jazz improvisation are still an intrinsic part of the music, and the skill set needed to learn an instrument well enough to navigate the [read more…]
Introduction If you’ve ever had any interest in creating arrangements for saxophone quartet, or if you’re simply curious about how those arrangements are created, the read on, as there are few people walking the planet would be as qualified on the subject as the man you’re about to hear from. René Blom is a conservatory-trained [read more…]
Here's a new alternative to the uninspiring tunes often found in the average beginning sax book. This collection of 25 tunes, each with backing and demonstration tracks plus a video tutorial, is the product one of my most significant discoveries in over two decades of working with beginning saxophonists. That is, beginners learn fundamentals much faster by playing the kind of music that attracted them to the horn in the first place.
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🎷 Sax Fundamentals Faster
Powerful In this article, I share some exercises for solidifying the most important fixtures of my practice routine – sound and flexibility. Exercise #1: Opening Up Your Sound I think of this exercise as a way of working towards a bigger sound by making sure that the flow of air is not constricted as it [read more…]
Introduction You hear it time and time again – the playing level of young musicians entering the scene nowadays is higher than it’s ever been. One of the players who exemplifies this trend and starting to build a name for himself is Aidan McKeon. I had not heard of Aidan until running into some videos [read more…]
During my 45 years of playing the saxophone, 25 of which have included teaching at the university level, I’ve developed a teaching philosophy that boils down to two pretty simple things: Help students develop strong fundamental musical skills (instrumental technique that is relaxed, flowing, and confident; rhythmic/metric integrity; fluency in theory and harmony; broad knowledge [read more…]
Introduction It’s been over five years since I last visited John’s shop and much has changed since then. Besides having a large assortment of modern and vintage saxophones, John has expanded his line of products to carry Ted Klum’s mouthpieces, Ishimori ligature & reeds, and an assortment of vintage mouthpiece, ligatures and some neck-straps. While [read more…]
Long-time followers of this site might have seen my article from some years ago with a list of essential ballads to have in your repertoire. I know there were also a number of excellent suggestions of songs left off the list as well. The truth is, there are thousands of great songs flying around, so no [read more…]
Introduction For some saxophonists, developing palm key technique is a challenge. These keys, used to finger the notes of the upper register, specifically high D, Eb, E and F, can feel awkward to many performers since to depress these notes, the left-hand palm must be used. In addition, high E and F are notes whose [read more…]
Introduction Although I mainly play tenor saxophone, I still pick up the alto from time to time and like to listen to various alto players such as Kenny Garrett, Baptiste Herbin, Jaleel Shaw, Will Vinson, Immanuel Wilkins, Nick Biello, Braxton Cook, and the list goes on. Today, I was fortunate enough to meet up with saxophonist [read more…]
Introduction Getting caught in the YouTube rabbit hole can be a blessing and a curse. At times, you will be taken to videos of new players you’ve never heard of and are glad you checked out and at other times through countless random videos to where you ask yourself “what am I doing?” In this [read more…]
Tips and Techniques from the pros PLUS free access to the Sax Lessons with the Stars archive - 10 years worth of interviews and exercises featuring the likes of David Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Ben Wendel, Bob Reynolds, and many more!
