One of the most bewildering things for people learning to improvise can be how to add chromatic notes into their playing. We often learn chords and scales, but simply knowing them doesn’t make us able to play the colorful and interesting notes that make up the solos of so many of the greats, as well [read more…]
This guest post is from saxophone and multi-reed player, composer, recording artist, and educator Sam Sadigursky of SamSadigursky.com One of the best ways of building your ears and learning the jazz vocabulary is to transcribe solos by the masters. It’s one of the few things that, in some form or another, just about every jazz player has [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
I used to struggle with chromaticism in my solos. I wanted nothing more than to achieve that bebop sound, weaving in and out of chord changes effortlessly and never repeating myself. It wasn’t until I consciously sat down and came up with some exercises geared specifically toward this concept that it started to come out [read more…]
Bill Plake’s “Essential Polymeter Studies In 4/4” Introduction Before I talk about Bill’s e-book Essential Polymeter Studies In 4/4, I thought you might want to find out more about the author. Bill Plake is “a saxophonist, flutist, composer, and an Alexander Technique teacher, certified by the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT). He is [read more…]
Introduction While visiting the 2015 NAMM show, saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz Brown was nice enough to introduce me to one of my favorite baritone saxophone players, Jason Marshall. If you have not heard of Jason Marshall yet, I would recommend checking out one of his albums. I asked Jason if he would be willing to share [read more…]
Josh Quinlan is a saxophonist, composer, and educator based out of Colorado. Quinlan is currently an Instructor of Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado, music faculty member at Denver School of the Arts, Director of Education for the Colorado nonprofit, Gift of Jazz, Director of the Dazzle Recordings label, and Co-Director of the Telluride [read more…]
Introduction After reviewing Hip Licks for Saxophone Volume 1 and Volume 2, I contacted Greg when I heard about his new book called The Lobster Theory (and other analogies for jazz improvisation). I will be offering an overall review, my thoughts, and a conclusion as to what I was able to take away after working through this [read more…]
This article is the second of a two-part series on ear training brought to you by Scott Edwards of Ear Training HQ. Click here to read the first installment. A big part of ear training involves working on dedicated ear training exercises. These exercises focus on individual sounds (whether it’s intervals, scale degrees/solfege or chords) so you can learn [read more…]
This article is the first of a two-part series on ear training brought to you by Scott Edwards of Ear Training HQ. Once you’re done with this one, click here to read the second installment. When we first learn to play the saxophone we start by learning to make a sound. Then we learn where to put our fingers. After [read more…]
Getting a full, resonant, singing, “fat” sound is the aim of many a saxophonist. For some it means a continuous quest for the right setup. And without a doubt, equipment plays a significant part. Certain horn, neck, mouthpiece and reed combinations help optimize resonance. But no matter what your equipment is, you can always fatten [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!
