First time on Sax Station? Then start here and learn more about my saxophone lessons.

SaxStation

Speak Saxophone

Sax Chords

By 13 Comments

Here are some chords you can play as arpeggios (chord notes separately) on sax. The note that stays the same is the root- the root defines the name of the chord. The fifth doesn’t change for all of them. The third and seventh define the sound of the chord.

  • Major                        Root, 3rd, 5th
  • Major 7th                 Root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th
  • Dominant 7th         Root, 3rd, 5th, minor 7th
  • Minor                       Root, minor 3rd, 5th
  • Minor 7th                Root, minor 3rd, 5th, minor 7th
  • Diminished             Root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th,
  • Diminished 7th      Root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, minor 7
  • Augmented             Root, 3rd, augmented 5th
  • Augmented 7th      Root, 3rd, augmented 5th, major 7

saxophone

Saxophone Gong Fu!

By Leave a Comment

…gong fu actually means skill that transcends mere surface beauty.  A martial artist whose technique is decorative but without power “has no gong fu,” whereas, say, a calligrapher whose work is no pretty to look at but reflects a strong, austere taste certainly “has gong fu.”

(Mark Salzman, pg 30 Iron and Silk)

iron_and_silk

A saxophonist should also have gong fu in his or her playing.

Part of that means, really mastering the basics before moving on.  And having a solid foundation beneath any flashy technique.

Sometimes I hear a musician grooving and then they ruin it by playing something fancy that loses the groove.

Mastery of anything involves the same processes, so I would recommend the book Iron & Silk even you don’t study martial arts.  And the author, Salzman, also plays cello and he took his cello to China on his stay there.

How Are Your Reading Skills on Saxophone?

By Leave a Comment

Hey Neal,
For me, I learned to play mostly by using my ears and reading (theory books) any material that I can get my hands on. To tell you the truth though, sometimes I don’t really understand what it is I’m reading or I get the sense that I haven’t really gotten the depth of the material. However, my real frustration is not being able to read music properly. I played both in the concert band and jazz band in high school under a very good teacher. But, I’ve come to realize that even back then I relied more on my memory of how the music played rather than reading the music as written. I am on my own now and I can’t afford private lessons at the time, how can I improve my reading and how will I know if I’m  reading correctly without the guidance of a music teacher?
-Dolu
CIMG6737_filtered
Hey Dolu,
You probably just want to practice sight reading a little bit each day.
An etude book that comes with a CD where the music is played so you can listen and play along might be good.  Greg Fishman came out with a few good books.  I got those a couple of weeks ago.
And if you don’t have a metronome, get one and start using it more.  Then you’ll be able to tell if you’re playing the rhythms in time.
Is the issue with reading the notes, rhythms?
-Neal
No, I can read the notes. I think its the rythm and timing. I don’t play with a band anymore but knowing how to read proper will really help me with the books that I’ve purchased for phrasing and technique development. Do you think that knowing how to read properly has anything to do with improvisation? In other words, if i invest my time in improving my reading skills, will my improvisation skills increase? Thank you for your time.
Dolu
Hey Dolu,
All right, I figured it was probably with rhythms on the page. 

Using a metronome and starting slowly will help build your skills and make you more comfortable.

Reading properly will help you with improvisation since it will give you quicker access to written music and ideas.  It also lets you share your ideas, esp. if you start composing.

To make it your own, you’ll add your personality and your style and maybe even change the rhythms.  But it’s important to be able to play music as it was written sometimes, especially when you’re playing with other musicians.

It’s much faster to be able to play music by reading it than playing it by ear, IF you’re a good reader.  I’m not saying your ear is not important, however, you want to have multiple tools for music.  If you were building a house, you would want a hammer and a saw and probably a lot of other tools.  Having a really big hammer wouldn’t make up for not having a good saw.

And think about this, if someone suddenly can’t play a gig and you get called to come in and read some charts, you won’t get the gig if you can’t read well.  It will go to someone who might not sound as good as you, but who can read.

-Neal

Saxophone Music Books – Do You Have the Greg Fishman Jazz Saxophone Etudes?

By Leave a Comment

jazzsaxcoverhalf

Greg Fishman has written a set of three jazz etude books for saxophone as well as a book on phrasing and a set of duets.

I ordered all five books and have been going through them.  They have some cool licks in there, a few of which I have recognized already.

He’s a solid player, I heard him and met him for a minute at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

fishman_neal_judy

Greg says,

“This book of etudes was created to fill a gap in the musical resources available to the aspiring jazz musician. Its purpose is to demonstrate the concepts of soloing to those students who know their chords and scales but lack the musical vocabulary to create professional-level solos.

I have written twelve jazz etudes that are enjoyable to play, yet present some technical challenges. However, the technical benefits are secondary to the primary purpose of the etudes: to be able to play through the chord changes in a musical manner while clearly expressing the song’s harmonic structure.

The etudes are based on familiar chord progressions, including blues, rhythm changes, and a variety of common “standard” 32-bar song forms.”

Jazz Saxophone Etudes For Alto & Tenor: Book & Two CD Play-Along Set

Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Volume 2

Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Volume 3

Jazz Phrasing for Beginners

You can hear the etudes played by Greg Fishman and also play along with just the rhythm section.

And the books have some reviews by a few guys you might have heard of…..

“This is really a great book!!!! A powerful sight reading, ear training, swinging, improvising jazz tool. Perfect for the student of jazz.”
––Michael Brecker

“Finally a hip jazz duet book from a sax man who can really play. I recommend this to any teacher who wants to share good music with his students.”
––Phil Woods

“Greg Fishman dares to explore new musical heights. Every lesson in Greg’s books is a must for all musicians, and this latest book is no exception.”
––James Moody

How Do You Growl and Squeak on Saxophone?

By 2 Comments

mayan

For one, how do you growl and squeal?

-John

Growling is easier than ‘squealing’.  You literally growl in the back of your throat, make it rough.  It will hurt if you do it too much.

Squealing is known as altissimo and takes a lot of development.  To start with, finger low Bb then without changing your fingers play the Bb an octave up and then play G and then play the Bb two octave ups, all without moving your fingers.  This is called playing the harmonics and will help you get towards altissimo- which are notes above the normal range of the saxophone.

Altissimo requires you to ‘hear’ the note in your mind and have a lot of control.

-Neal

Sax Music Pink Panther Originally Played on Tenor Sax by Plas Johnson

By 2 Comments

sax music pink panther

Plas Johnson played the original sax music for the Pink Panther theme on tenor sax.

Great player, I saw him live a few years back in Carmel, not long after I started playing saxophone actually.

The original tune has tenor on the melody.

I have also played a saxophone quartet arrangement of the Pink Panther Theme, it’s pretty fun. Even played the bari part a couple of times. It’s not a beginning piece- probably would call it intermediate-advanced, a couple parts are tricky.

Pink Panther Saxophone Quartet Arrangement

Pink Panther solo tenor sax music

Henry Mancini wrote some cool music, so if you would like the Pink Panther and some of his other songs, you could get

The Music of Henry Mancini

The arrangements on the CD feature a jazz trio and, in some cases, a full orchestra. All books are compatible with each other and are playable in any instrumental combination. Titles include: Baby Elephant Walk * Breakfast at Tiffany’s * Days of Wine and Roses * Le Jazz Hot! * Moon River * Peter Gunn * The Pink Panther and more.

Sax on the Web Has a New Look

By Leave a Comment

sotw

Harri Rautiainen got the saxophone forum ‘Sax on the Web’ a bit updated.

It’s got the latest forum threads, categories, and jazz musician of the day lined up in a menu on the left side.

Today is Jaco Pastorius, the great bass player, whose birthday it was today.

Here’s Jaco playing ‘The Chicken”

I’ve been on the site a bit, but maybe you have more.  Leave me a comment about your favorite thread on the site!

Sax on the Web

Do You Walk the Saxophone Walk?

By 4 Comments

“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.”
-Thelonious Monk
saxophone

Dancing can express ideas too!  Talking can be more efficient in expressing ideas.  If it’s done by people who know what they’re talking about.

Sometimes talking doesn’t really express anything though- think about certain politicians.

You can research music and learn all the theory, but it’s not going to matter until you apply it and bring it into your playing.

So worrying about how to solo isn’t going to be as effective as just doing it.

Learning new things is great, but then apply them to the music!

Saxophone Online

By Leave a Comment

There are a few good resources for saxophone online

experimentalsax

Dave Valdez has some good stuff- http://davidvaldez.blogspot.com

Storm Horn is about saxophone and…. storms.

Craig Buhler talks about sax, clarinet, improvisation.  He goes into some advanced stuff.

Helen has a blog at http://bassic-sax.ca/blog/ She talks about traveling with saxophones, players she’s into,  and seems to specialize in vintage horns.

And SOTW is the largest moderated saxophone forum.


And of course, if there’s anything I can help you with, let me know!

Who Cares About Your Saxophone Equipment?

By Leave a Comment

You finish your solo, everyone’s clapping, and then the guy in the front row comes up to you after the show and says, “man!  I loved how you used your gold diamond-encrusted  super premium aristomagnetic ligature over the bridge!”

Wait…. that’s never happened.

And it never will.

Saxaphone_bell2

The people who care about your equipment are you or other saxophone players.

The audience wants to feel good and get into the music.

Equipment can help you sound better, but it’s a small piece of the puzzle.

Don’t focus too much on it!  Think about the music.