I recently did a survey asking sax players what was the area of their playing that they’d most like to improve. The answer – well, you can probably guess that based on the title of this article. While technique is a very subjective term which can be used to describe the sum total of our [read more…]
As many of you know, I’m currently working on an e-book with accompanying audio lessons. One of my interviewees for the project is Bill Plake, whose insights into the physiological aspects of making music are seemingly endless. Among the many topics upon which I was enlightened by the good Mr. Plake was the puffing of [read more…]
UPDATE: This article is from 2011, so apologies in advance for any ridiculously outdated information. That said, most of the information here is quite general and should apply to playing gigs with DJs. Also, please feel free to leave a comment or reach out via the contact page if there are any broken (ancient) video links. [read more…]
To change things up just a little bit, I went ahead and put this week’s article to video. In my little micro-movie, I cover the topic of developing your own saxophone tone in a deliberate manner so that you can sound like you by first deciding what “you” sounds like. The video is a continuation [read more…]
UPDATE: This article is from 2011, so apologies in advance for any ridiculously outdated information. That said, most of the information here is quite general and should apply to getting gigs with DJs. Also, please feel free to leave a comment or reach out via the contact page if there are any broken (ancient) video links. [read more…]
Sometimes I think back on the way it used to be… I traveled regularly with multiple horns and never had a problem getting on a plane. Usually a tenor and a soprano, sometimes even a backpack with a clarinet and flute too. When I moved to the east coast for college, I even remember getting two [read more…]
As a sax player coming up, it was strongly engrained in my subconscious that no woodwind doubling equals no music career. I remember going to my strict but highly effective sax teacher Vince Trombetta (who also taught this other sax player named Michael Baker – or Brecker or something like that) and the accompanying displeasure of [read more…]
I recently saw a video with the great saxman Bob Reynolds, who’s best known for playing in John Mayer’s band, but also quite an established solo artist in his own right. At any rate, in a video (for his mailing list and online students only) he talks about how the best mouthpiece you’ll ever find [read more…]
Every once in a while I come across a saxophonist new to me who truly blows me away. Thanks to NYC sax maestro Daniel Blake, now is once in a while. As if performing and touring internationally with artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Anthony Braxton, Kenny Werner, Danilo Perez, Lukas Ligeti, Peter Evans, Ricardo Gallo, [read more…]
“Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.” – Charlie Parker Playing a woodwind instrument requires deep breathing, steady air flow and appropriate pressure on the reed. If any of these are lacking, your air flow will be impaired, which will have a negative impact on your performance. By paying attention to your breathing, posture [read more…]
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