This guest post is from saxophone and multi-reed player, composer, recording artist, and educator Sam Sadigursky of SamSadigursky.com Whether you ever plan to improvise or not, to develop as a musician you have to be comfortable playing in all 12 major and minor keys. I know we’ve all heard this before, but this not only means that you [read more…]
Choosing a new saxophone mouthpiece is no easy task. Since there are now so many mouthpieces on the market, it’s more difficult than ever for saxophone players to figure out which one will offer them the sound and comfort they have been looking for. When you do decide it’s time to look for a new [read more…]
Is that once-burning desire to burn on the horn starting to flicker? Are the hours you used to devote to practicing now in jeopardy of being traded in for hours in front of a TV set and a bag of Ruffles? Or maybe you’re still practicing your tush off, but progressing at a snail’s pace [read more…]
For jazz saxophonists, transcriptions play a vital role in our musical development. Many of us have bought transcriptions books featuring solos by various players such as Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Bob Mintzer, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins to name just a few. Since transcribing is one of the best ways to improve one’s playing, [read more…]
This article comes courtesy of guest contributor, Todd Feldman of RS Berkeley Musical Instruments. Posi-Tone Records recording artist Travis Sullivan has earned a worldwide reputation as an alto saxophonist, pianist, composer, and arranger. He has been hailed by Jazz Times as being “…a gifted alto saxophonist and improviser who has also developed a strong and [read more…]
The Buddhists call the practice of applying calm awareness to one’s activities as “Mindfulness.” And no matter what it is you’re doing, mindfulness will allow you to do it better. Zen and the Art of Sax Of course, practicing the saxophone is no exception. In fact, I would venture to guess that over 90% of the [read more…]
Editor’s Note: This article was inspired by a question I recently received from a reader. It’s actually a great question, and I thought that it would be a fantastic opportunity to tap into the wisdom of Bill Plake. Some of you may recognize Bill as one of the contributors to the Bulletproof Saxophone Playing program. [read more…]
As many of you know, for the past 5 months, I’ve been busting my hump putting together the mother of all saxophone educational programs. I didn’t want it to be just average, but instead I wanted it to be bursting at the seams with game-changing information that would guarantee major improvement for all those who [read more…]
Since writing a review on the MACSAX FJ III metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the MACSAX D-Jazz alto saxophone mouthpiece, I wanted to write a review on a hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I found to be unique and truly one of the best hard rubber mouthpieces I have ever played. When I attended [read more…]
Anyone who owns a saxophone, be it a high-end professional model or an intermediate-grade student instrument, should give serious thought towards protecting their investment. The two best ways to do so are purchasing musical instrument insurance to protect against potential accident, damage or theft, and installing a home security system for overall safety. Finding the Right Level [read more…]
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