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…]
I had the opportunity to read world-renown saxophonist Eric Alexander’s new e-book, Improvising with the Whole Step Triad Combination Scale. The book is focused around a concept Eric refers to as the “whole step triad combination scale.” I have been a long-time fan of Eric Alexander and am extremely excited that Eric has come out with a [read more…]
This is a guest post by saxophonist, arranger, and educator Brad Carman of BradCarmanMusic.com. We all know that some notes on the saxophone are tougher to hit than others, especially as we begin to delve into the altissimo register. While there is a great deal of information out there about the art of altissimo as [read more…]
The SaxyScarfStrap is one of the most original products I have received since my first review came out on this web site. This neck-strap was designed to offer professional musicians support that distributes the pressure equally between their neck and shoulders. This support will allow saxophonists to practice and play longer than before without having [read more…]
If you’re a subscriber to my email newsletter, you should have received my most recent edition in which featured a great tip from sax great, Bob Sheppard regarding sound production. I’m not going to repeat everything I wrote, since you can get that stuff by checking out the online version of the newsletter here. However, what [read more…]
Reed preparation rituals – everyone’s got one. We may find ourselves doing things like soaking our reeds in Listerine, or shaving them down with a nail file, or burying them in the ground for 6 months, or just slapping them on the mouthpiece and playing. The goal is to end up with a reed that sounds, and [read more…]
Did you know that playing on the mouthpiece alone is a great way to train the muscles in your mouth and throat to respond extremely effectively in getting you the best and biggest sound you can possibly get? If not, I’d recommend checking out this article. Although the article I just pointed you to contains [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!
