There are 12 notes.
Seven of them are ‘in the key’ and five of them are ‘wrong’ notes.
So most saxophone players only practice the seven ‘right’ notes.
The fourth of a major scale is a ‘right’ note, but if you stay on it and emphasize it, that note won’t sound good.
If you play any ‘right’ note without discretion, it won’t sound good.
And if you go from a ‘wrong’ note and land on something else, it will sound good if you do it right.
Basketball teams practice rebounds.
In football you practice recoveries, fumbles, on side kicks, etc.
They practice these things because you don’t always do everything how you planned. And you don’t control all the musicians on stage.
Practicing all 12 notes can be very good for you.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Neal, and good advice. Diatonic notes are just a framework to hang colors on. A friend of mine who played bass with Sonny Stitt many years ago said that Sonny told him there’s only one key, the key of C, and everything else is just a matter of adding sharps and flats. Of course Sonny knew his theory; he was just making a point about getting comfortable with chromaticism.
.-= Bob Hartig´s last blog ..Dixie Alley: Are Storms on the Menu for Late Next Week? =-.
Yeah! your’re right Neal. That’s what Miles Davis like “Wrong Notes” make it “Right”.
Thanks for the advice
Cheers!