How can I improve my timing? I used to play in a brass band and would see the conductors baton, I find I am not following the metronome, just listening to it
-Richard

My response:

A lot of your rhythm on saxophone has to do with the control of your fingers. You need to be able to make movements that can be fairly different (involving different and more/less fingers & keys) in the same amount of time.

An early step to working on rhythm is to slow things down. You can slow things down a lot if necessary. If you slow things down too much, it’s possible to make the music unrecognizable, so be aware of that.

As you slow down the music, you can more easily concentrate on your fingers. Do you move them consistently? Do you press too hard or not enough? Do you tend to move one finger faster than the other?

Try playing simple music at a slow tempo and see if you can get it in time. With a metronome you can increase the speed by a ‘click’ (usually a few bpm) at a time. Then try increasing the tempo a bit and seeing if you can still play the music in time. Increase in small increments. Eventually you should be able to play it fast.

Part of rhythm is in your head. Let’s say you have four sixteenth notes, do you think of them as individual notes? Or as a group?

If you have other questions about rhythm, go to this page and enter your question. Thinking about putting together a class on rhythm.

https://saxstation.com/what-are-your-questions-about-rhythm.htm