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…]
I recently received Walt Weiskopf’s latest book, Understanding the Diminished Scale. I learned my C, C#, and D diminished scales in the past (between those three you have the notes for all twelve diminished scales, the book can explain further), but I never knew how to apply the scale effectively in my improvisation work. I have [read more…]
No matter what level you are at with your saxophone playing, I’m willing to bet one thing – if you are not doing it already you could improve your playing quite dramatically by making recordings of yourself and listening back to them. Self recordings allow you to take a step back and become your own [read more…]
This guest post is from Randy Hunter of RandyHunterJazz.com. When you think of great saxophone players, you know, guys like Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderly, and John Coltrane, probably the first thing that comes to mind is their sound. Even though their playing may contain unique harmonic and rhythmic components, the mind seems to embrace [read more…]
Rick’s Official Bio Rick Keller continues to explore and develop his musical voice. Both a sought after sideman and an artist, Rick is constantly composing and pursuing his own projects which define his commitment to creative expression. He has been inspired by music from many countries as a result of playing in concerts and recordings [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…]
We’re all raised on a steady diet of the tenor greats, of which there are many. So many of the movers and shakers of jazz played this horn, people like Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, and Wayne Shorter, continuing into more recent times with people like [read more…]
Introduction For years and years now, Conn-Selmer has been manufacturing some of the most popular and highly regarded woodwind and brass instruments on the market. I was recently contacted by Derek Bowen over at Conn-Selmer, and he was nice enough to send me a Yanagisawa 992 tenor, Selmer Reference 54 tenor, and a Selmer Reference [read more…]
Pushing Your Saxophone Technique Limits It’s true. There are physical limits to how many notes can be played with accurate timing, articulation, and proper intonation. However, there’s really no telling what those limits are. When practicing, it’s important to push ourselves to approach those limits to achieve greater proficiency. That will result in a more [read more…]
While visiting the MACSAX booth at the 2013 NAMM show, the booth to the left was that of the saxophone accessory company, Jazzlab. At this booth, I found a new neck strap called the saXholder (yes, that’s the spelling that the company uses). Benefits of the saXholder I was able to talk to Silvin Jancic, who [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!
