I have reviewed Forestone’s filed and unfiled reeds, finding that each had its own sound characteristics. Recently, I was introduced to the Forestone Black Bamboo reed. I knew I needed to test-play this reed to find out how it differed from the filed and unfiled cuts. For those of you new to the brand, Forestone’s reeds [read more…]
While I was recently searching for a new mouthpiece, I started reading more about refacing and how the right person could turn a good mouthpiece into a one-of-a-kind-mouthpiece. In this review, I will be profiling various mouthpiece makers/refacers whose mouthpieces I have tried – whether it be their own branded mouthpiece, or another branded mouthpiece [read more…]
Regardless of your horn, mouthpiece, or reed, the truth is, to the outside listener, you sound pretty much like...you. It's not that gear doesn't affect your sound at all, but your biggest and richest sound will only come by developing the skills within both your body and mind to sound great on any setup.
So if you're willing to move beyond having your day ruined by a lousy reed, then sax legend David Liebman's course, Ultimate Guide to Saxophone Sound Production is where you're going to want to go next.
Broken down into bite-sized lessons, this streaming video program covers just about every single aspect of saxophone sound production. It represents his entire life's work teaching the techniques and concepts that were handed down to masters such as Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, and Harvey Pittel (among many others), and then refined over the course of decades teaching countless lessons and masterclasses worldwide. Click below to see for yourself why so many professional saxophonists consider David's thorough, methodical, and practical approach the "real deal" for players at any level.
SAXOPHONETONE.COM
The Ultimate Guide to Saxophone Sound Production
To date, I have play-tested the P. Mauriat 67R, 76 2ND edition, and the 86 model alto saxophones at various NAMM conventions. Recently, Craig Denny at Saint Louis Music sent me one of the limited edition model altos that P. Mauriat just released as the “System-76 3rd Edition Alto” – aka “The Dragon” – aka the [read more…]
My 7-Minute Jazz Micro-Documentary with Mintzer, Liebman, and Sheppard I’m PUMPED! I’ve got a very exciting announcement I want to share with you guys. It’s a bit of self-promotion, but I’m also going to be giving away some cool free stuff for you guys, so this is a good thing. :) Those of you who [read more…]
Official Bio Chad grew up in Horseheads, a small town in up state New York. His father was a music teacher whose love for jazz naturally flowed into the heart of his young son. With his father as a mentor, Chad had his first saxophone lesson when he was nine years old and so began [read more…]
One of my online students recently asked if I had any tips for building back up again after taking an extended break from practicing the saxophone. Bob: Looking forward to the Summer Series [Sorry(!), but this web page has disappeared since the original publication of this article]. Back on the site after a six month [read more…]
While at the 2013 NAMM show, I ran into a gentleman by the name of Alex Miyatake. I met Alex at the R.S. Berkley booth while trying out various Virtuoso tenor saxophones. Alex told me to try out his Marmaduke line of mouthpieces. I have heard and seen these mouthpieces on Sax.co.uk and have seen [read more…]
Someone once told me that, when speaking to Cannonball Adderley about tone after seeing him with Miles’ band, which included John Coltrane (!), he mentioned that they were seeking an “inspired tone”. Safe to say, they found it. An inspired tone, along with great time, are two traits that all masters have in common. No [read more…]
Introduction Vandoren is a name that many saxophonists have come to swear by. I have tried many of Vandoren’s reeds and saxophone accessories for soprano, alto, and tenor. David Gould and Andy Blanco over at DANSR were nice enough to send me some of their most popular Vandoren products. I am going to be reviewing [read more…]
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…]
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!
