Just about any saxophone teacher, book, or website will tell you that when fastening your reed to the mouthpiece, the best way to do it is to position the tip of the reed so that it’s lined up as perfectly as possible with the tip of the mouthpiece. But sometimes it’s best to try some different [read more…]
Last week, as I was about to begin a practice session, I saw that I had a few brand new plain-and-simple neck straps that were sent to me by the kind folks at Rico. Burnt out on my old and sagging Neotech strap, I decided to give the Rico strap a try. First thing I [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.
INFINITEMUSICAN.COM
🎷 Sax Fundamentals Faster
This guest post is from world touring keyboard player Steve Nixon. He is the owner of the jazz education website www.freejazzlessons.com. Ok, saxophone players. I have a confession to make right off the bat. Even though I’m a piano player I’ve always had a secret connection to the saxophone. The first time I heard Sonny [read more…]
There are many music books that focus on a particular topic such as theory, harmony, rhythm, technique. Then there are, of course, the ever-popular transcription books full of famous saxophone solos. It is sometimes difficult to figure out which educational materials will help you take your playing to the next level. The new book, Saxophone [read more…]
The very survival of any artform depends on its ability to continually move forward and progress. Otherwise it becomes more of a museum exhibit than a living, breathing, and ever-expanding medium. Like any other artform, jazz requires the leadership of fearless and authentic artists to keep it alive and breathing, and without a doubt, renown [read more…]
Following the release of the Bob Sheppard Signature Edition hard rubber tenor mouthpiece, MACSAX has introduced the newest mouthpiece to their product line, which is the MACSAX FJ III hard rubber alto mouthpiece. For those who have tried, or own the MACSAX FJ III metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece, you will most likely be excited to [read more…]
Let me get this right; you practice long-tones, scales, exercises and patterns from a popular saxophone method book – every day – but you’re still not experiencing the progress you expect. Maybe you’ve been working to learn a particular tune for some time, but just can’t seem to make the improvements you desire. You feel [read more…]
It’s probably safe to say that if you’re here, you love the saxophone. Its dulcet tones are mesmerizing. The saxophone is a window into an elegant world of music. Maybe you love it more than anything else. Money? People? Matlock? It’s also probably safe to say that your passion for the sax pales in comparison [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 [read more…]
This guest post comes from Portland, Oregon-based professional saxophonist, educator, and developer of the Metronomics metronome iPhone app, John Nastos. As a saxophone player, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of using practice time to find the hippest licks, work on burning tempos, and exercise the altissimo chops. And sometimes it’s just as easy [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!
