For those of you who’ve never heard of it, the NAMM (which stands for “National Association of Music Merchants”) show is a ginormous convention held each year in Anaheim, California. It’s a true play land (bad pun intended) for musicians in every genre, as musical instrument and equipment manufacturers are set up in booths containing [read more…]
This week I wanted to do something a bit special. Rather than rattling on with my views on saxophone playing and music in general, I thought I’d leave it to the saxophone greats to share their wisdom and insights with you. Between all of the combined quotes below is centuries worth of knowledge on topics [read more…]
The new JodyJazz DV HR Tenor uses the patented DV secondary window to add mid and low harmonics, resulting in a more authoritative tone than normal tenor sax mouthpieces provide. And the long straight somewhat high baffle gives the mouthpiece it’s fantastic projection and cutting power along with excellent altissimo.
JODYJAZZ.COM
The New DV HR Tenor from JodyJazz
The first time I saw Greg Fishman was when I attended Jamey Aebersold’s jazz workshop. Since then, Greg has come out with multiple educational books for saxophone such as Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Jazz Phrasing for Beginners, Tasting Harmony, and a good number more. The two books (to date) that make up Fishman’s newest series, Hip [read more…]
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 in [read more…]
Over the course of my playing career I have tried countless saxophone accessories and reeds from many manufacturers. The first box of reeds I ever played on was a Rico orange box. I later moved on to the Rico Royals and then continued to try more and more reeds from different manufacturers to see how [read more…]
This guest post is from saxophone and multi-reed player, composer, recording artist, and educator Sam Sadigursky of SamSadigursky.com As an improviser and composer, I do my best to always add an element of creativity and ear-training to all the practicing that I do. Often, my practice time is quite limited, so being able to address several things [read more…]
This article comes to us from renown professional saxophonist, recording artist, and author of the new book, A Complete Approach to Sound for the Modern Saxophonist, Ben Britton. I think it is safe to say that most of us who play saxophone are drawn to it because of its sound. It can be vocal and at the same [read more…]
For some time Forestone filed reeds have been my reed of choice. I actually reviewed their original line of reeds this past January in my post-NAMM 2012 article. For those of you unfamiliar with Forestone, to recap from my article: The Forestone reed is made up of a combination of polypropylene resin and cellulose wood fiber. Over [read more…]
UPDATE: Sadly, it has come to my attention that there are many saxophonists who have apparently purchased products from Lebayle, only to never receive what they paid for, nor did they receive any responses to multiple attempts at communication. So although I will leave this article up on the site for reference, please beware before [read more…]
Yes, I know, they’re not as fun as learning that hip new Mark Turner lick or wailing over Jamey Aebersold. But they’re necessary. The “they’re” I’m referring to are, of course, our dreaded long tones. But the truth is, they don’t have to be so torturous. There’s things you can do to make them more fun. [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!
