About Sax Station
by Neal Battaglia
I had always wanted to play saxophone when I was growing up, was just into its sound. So at age 11 I started, first with clarinet, and then went to tenor sax.
Played in the band at school (and jazz band and full orchestra), and took some lessons over the years. At university I took some piano lessons too, which I would highly recommend since it lets you see the chords and gives you a much better sense of harmony, etc.
Since it’s so close by, I have almost always gone to the Monterey Jazz Festival. There have been some amazing performances and it makes me want to get better so I can become awesome on sax too.
Playing saxophone isn’t easy, well playing it well isn’t anyway. I suppose you could honk out a note without much effort.
It has been well worth it though. It will make you nervous when you first play in front of a crowd and as those crowds keep getting bigger. The applause from an audience combined with the feeling that you played something impressive is incredible.
On saxophone, you need to have the right attitude and the intention to play what you want when and how you want it. With the that attitude you still need to find what to practice and how to practice. (got that phrase from a grey-haired sax man). And after you keep at it for a while, you too can rip out a gut-busting sax solo.
In this newsletter, I plan to deliver to your mailbox videos, tips, and ways to practice written in plain English. I know that I was sometimes in the dark about how to go forward and what musicians to check out. I have a whole stash of music books, some of them have been useless while others have been invaluable.
Let me know how I can help you focus on what you need and what questions you have.
Remember, playing music is good for the soul. An old teacher of mine, Gary Stotz, always said that it’s a great antidepressant.
My MP3s
Winter 2006
Fall 2005
Fall 2004
Spring 2004