Introduction Depending on where you live in the U.S, a good repair tech can be hard to find. Most cities don’t have the demand to support a saxophone specialist. If you’ve struggled with this lack of instrument repair options, you might keep an eye on your local theater’s event schedule for Disney’s Frozen the Musical. [read more…]
Introduction When it comes to making a mouthpiece change, the question as to whether to purchase a new one or to reface a mouthpiece you already own comes up quite a bit, and the answer really depends on your situation and why it is you are looking to make a change. In the past when [read more…]
Sax legend David Liebman's new course is designed to be the ONLY course on saxophone sound you'll ever need. This streaming video series features the most effective sound production techniques and concepts he's come across over decades spent helping saxophonists to find their biggest, richest, and most compelling voice on the horn.
David takes the same methods that were taught to fellow legends (Michael Brecker, Eddie Daniels, and other giants), and expands on them so that players at any level (including those who don't have a ton of time to practice each week) can start building the kind of sound that truly turns heads.
Introduction Since moving out to the Bay Area 7 years ago, I’ve had the chance to visit various music stores and repair shops and meet saxophonists selling gear from time to time. Now, when it comes to someone who is not just a great player but has one of the nicest collections of vintage saxophones, [read more…]
Introduction The first time I heard Danny Janklow play was some years ago at one of Vandoren’s “Vandojam” concerts, which take place as part of the NAMM show in Anaheim, California each year. I was blown away by his level of skill given his age. I recently got to see Danny play at the Black [read more…]
To anyone who’s ever played a wind instrument, the advice to use proper air support is not exactly “insider information”. We’ve all heard it before, many times. Over the course of my years on the saxophone, I certainly have been advised to “support the air from the diaphragm” , but I have to admit – [read more…]
Introduction Back in May, I finally made the trip to visit my sister in Boston. While in Boston, I knew before I left I needed to check out the music scene as well as any music shops that focused on saxophones (problems of a gear head). Even though I was only visiting for a couple [read more…]
It’s been a good 12 years since I published one of the all-time most popular articles on this website. That post being my most recent (and only) collection of terrible saxophone jokes to commemorate the birthday of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of our beloved instrument. November 6 (tomorrow, at the time of this writing in [read more…]
Introduction Steve Kortyka and newcomer on the scene, Ryan Devlin are two heavy players navigating the scene today at different points in their musical careers. Between the two of them, they’ve recorded multiple albums – Ryan with Thoughts on the Matter and The Shape of Light, and Steve with Steps Forward, Wedding Song, and Looking [read more…]
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that unless you a super-advanced and possibly professional improvising musician, you sometimes struggle to come up with new stuff to play in your solos. Next, I’m going to go out a bit farther out on that limb and guess that many of you look to resources [read more…]
Introduction One of the first saxophone-centered stores I ever visited was Roberto’s Winds. I remember when I first visited, the Vandoren V16 hard rubber line of mouthpieces for tenor and alto sax had just come out, in addition to Roberto’s Reeds and earlier versions of their wooden ligatures Quite recently, in addition to reeds, ligatures, [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!
