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My Return From the Darkside of Synthetic Saxophone Reeds

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For a time I played around with synthetic reeds on saxophone….

Cane reeds were making me mad- I had switched mouthpieces, so my old reeds didn’t seem quite right with the new piece.

So synthetic reeds can be tempting!  You just put them on and play a consistent reed….

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But the sound isn’t as good.

You sacrifice a better sound for a consistent experience- a reed that lasts longer and each one you get plays the same.

But then I realized that it wasn’t worth it, I wanted a better sound again.

So I’m back on cane!

"What Scales Go with Chords – and if you have to play every chord you see in a tune"

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Hello
I was concerned about what scales go with chords and if you have to play every chord you see in a tune.
Thanks
Donald

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Hey Donald,
That’s a good question.
Sometimes a few scales can go with a chord.  All the modes- ionion, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian, and locrian work a little bit differently.  Some are more useful than others, for instance you almost never use locrian.

Ionian is the same as the ‘major’ scale and can be played over major chords, mixolydian scales can be played over dominant seventh chords, a few of them are minor.

You absolutely do not have to play every chord you see.  If there’s a ii V I progression, those chords are in the same key, so you could just think of one key for all three of those chords.

Being able to hear the changes in what you play for a solo is cool and shows you know the song, but playing too many notes shows you don’t understand how to use space.

-Neal

Saxophone Dynamics & Volume and Mouthpieces

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Hey Neal,
I need your help.
I play the bari and my jazz teacher wants me to play louder.
can you give me some advice. do I need to put in more of my mouth piece or what?
thanks,
Anabelle

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Hey Anabelle,
You could try more mouthpiece. Sometimes sax players don’t put enough in. See how it feels and if it affects the volume. You’ll have to experiment to see what is right for you.
Having good posture and breathing right is important for getting the air through too. When I breathe with the saxophone my stomach expands. And practicing long tones will give you more control and probably help you practice using more air.
In terms of equipment, a harder reed or a more open mouthpiece tip opening will give you more volume too.
Let me know how it goes
-Neal

"Be aware of what you practice, because what you practice is what you learn…."

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“Be aware of what you practice, because what you practice is what you learn.  Don’t keep playing entire phrases over and over again, isolate the problem areas
into small segments.”
-Eleonore Schoenfeld (1920–2007)

Schoenfiled played a mean cello and was a master of music.

On the path to master, focusing your practice is going to make good sax players great.

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Just jamming out all day on a song can be fun, but it’s not going to move you forward with your playing if getting better is one of your goals.

Eliminating bad habits, make your rhythm solid, getting a sound you want, all these things will come faster if you work on them right.

Getting better doesn’t magically happen.

You have to start by realizing there are problems with your playing and figuring out how to proceed.

That part isn’t always fun.  But it’s necessary to play saxophone better.

And that the result and the process should be fun.

Learning Saxophone – Playing Over Chords Question

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Good Evening Neal, I have a question. How do you play FMaj7 and BbMaj on the sax? What notes are involved if were going to play those chords?
Thanks
-Erskine

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Hey Erskine,
If the chords for the piano, you won’t be able to just use them. Alto and tenor sax are in different keys.
If the chord is F Maj 7 and it’s written for the saxophone you’re playing, then the notes are the 1, 3, 5, 7 of the major scale so F, A, C, E. For Bb Maj the notes are Bb, D, F.
But if those are the chords for piano/guitar/bass, then you’re going to have to transpose.
-Neal

Hi Neal, Yes you answered what I wanted to know. Now I will figure out how to play it. Those chords came from Band In A Box in a song that was pre made for saxophone, I could hear it being played but didn’t understand what I was hearing. I will keep working at it till I get it decent.
So the notes BbMaj7 would play Bb, D, F, A and if the notes were FMaj the notes would be F, A, C…… In playing a song, can those chord notes be played in any order?
Thanks A Million for your help!!
-Erskine

You just need to experiment to see what happens. Try playing around with them.
And actually you can use those notes or any others (think chromatic scale), the notes in the chord tend to be good land on and emphasize.
-Neal

Saxophone & Breathing – How Long Can You Hold a Note?

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How long can you play a note on your saxophone?  One measure, four measures?

It depends on which note and the volume.  And a baritone sax takes more air than an alto sax.

Being able to play long enough to cover a whole phrase without breathing gives fluidity to the phrase and makes it sound better.

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Kenny G holds the record for holding a note, but do you really need to play a note for longer than ten minutes?  Who wants to hear that?

Having good posture enables you to hold more air in your lungs.  I breath by making my stomach expand out when I play, like a baby does.  Herman Riley taught us that a few years back.

And doing long tones as part of your practice routine will get you some control over the notes as well as extending how long you can play.

Sax Station Creed

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At Sax Station, it is understood that you won’t become amazing at saxophone overnight.

It takes many small steps to become progressively better.

You can take these small steps as fast as you want.  Practicing evenly (every day when possible) makes these steps more effective.

Notes are important, but they are only one element of music- so you should learn harmonic theory alongside perfecting the elements of music.

Using space, articulation, rhythm, intonation, notes, dynamics, feel/emotion, tempo, technique, and above all listening will make the music become musical.  Notes by themselves aren’t music.

Listening to many styles of music will help broaden your musicality.  Saying “I don’t like this style” is a statement about yourself not giving that style a chance.

You should make the music feel good before trying to impress people with your technique.

Applying theory makes it become a reality for you.

Focus on mastering less rather than playing a lot of material at a mediocre level.

Equipment helps your sound, but it doesn’t make your sound.

Blues Chords for Sax

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The basic chords for blues are the one, four, and five chords.  They are denoted by roman numerals often times.  The blues scale will ‘fit’ over all of it, but with some notes more equal than others depend on where you are in the progression.  Play your solo with conviction though!  If you sound hesitant, it will be wrong, even if the note is ‘right’.

In the basic form of the blues, the chords are all dominant:

I7     | I7    | I7  |  I7

IV7  | IV7 | I7  | I7

V7 |   IV7  | I7   | I7

There are also variations of the blues including the minor blues and chords with alterations.  The song ‘Goodbye Porkpie Hat’ is a blues with many variations.

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How to Learn Saxophone

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So you want to learn saxophone, eh?

There are many methods on how to learn.  And this goes for both children and adults.  I have spoken with many people who want to pick up saxophone later in their lives.  Some pick it up again after a twenty year hiatus and others start fresh.  If you have the patience and determination, you can definitely learn saxophone too.

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What  do you need to do to learn how to play sax? First, consider the instruction method. Would you like some one-on-one saxophone lessons? If you have the budget, then you can get private instruction.  If you have access to a good teacher this can be the best way.  But group lessons can be very effective, especially early on. It depends on your drive and how fast you want to progress.

Some aspects of playing sax, you can learn on your own. There are many method books and articles written.   If you’re into smooth jazz or salsa or bebop, then you can choose songbooks that feature these styles. You can also try out completely new things.  Some books come with CDs that have examples and rhythm sections to back you up.

Getting the help of a close friend who knows how to play sax already can help you a lot too.  It could possibly be more comfortable.  You shouldn’t get anxious in that situation!  They can teach you how to hold the saxophone, how to play some notes, and get you started with reading.

No matter what method, you have to remember that learning how to play the saxophone takes practice. And you would progress when you put in the time.  An hour every day, with breaks in between is a good amount to start practicing.

Playing Saxophone Ballads – Full Exposure!

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When you play a ballad on saxophone, everything you do is right out in the open….

Playing fast can cover up a lot of details that might not be quite right.  If a note that lasts only a moment before moving onto the next in a fast run of notes is out of tune, you probably won’t notice.  Or if you play a lot of notes it might distract the listener from the lack of finesse with dynamics.

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Ballads will have you and the audience hear the nuances of how you play- the details in phrasing and articulation and many other elements.

Practicing them helps in the same way that long tones help your sound too since you have to sustain notes with control.

It shows your versatility as a player.

And people aren’t always in the mood to listen to lightning bebop.  Playing something slow can change up the pace.

So learn some ballads!

I learned Goodbye Porkpie Hat the other week.  Alone Together, Skylark, Naima, and many others are very beautiful.

Let me know which ones you like!

Saxophone Schmutz – Cleaning Up Your Saxophone Technique

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Sometimes when you go between some notes on saxophone, it’s not clean- you hear a note in between that don’t mean to play!  It’s called ‘schmutz’ (dirtiness) by some people.  I first heard that term from George Young who played in NY for a while.

The problem can be a sticky pad.  You should only be drinking water when you play and it’s good to brush your teeth before hand.  That can prevent the problem.

To fix the sticky pad, you can use a clean dollar bill since it has fiber in it.  You put it under the pad, press the pad down with a little pressure and then slide it out.  That’s a quick fix anyway.  You may need to take it to a sax repair guy.

It’s also just difficult to play between certain notes cleanly.  Between the D and B on the staff is one example.  The little key near your middle finger on your left hand tends to stick.

The schmutz can be your fault too.  Practicing going between these notes can help clean up your technique.