Saxophone Challenge

Day 07 – Practicing Saxophone with a Metronome

Do you have a metronome?

Do you use it?

Maybe if you naturally have the rhythm of Elvin Jones, you’re off the hook.  But I would wager that you don’t.

I knew a singer who played some guitar and the recording studios noticed the same thing about his music that I did, that a metronome would help.

With certain styles of music, it’s all right if the sense of time flows a little bit and isn’t all that precise.  Certain solo pieces, ballads, and a few other situations.

If people are going to dance though, you need to groove.

If you play with other musicians, you need to connect with them in terms of your senses of time.

Practicing, slowly at first, with a metronome will help you play your saxophone with a better sense of time.

Tip – Start with tempo that feels ‘easy’ and build up slowly, mastering the music with each increase in speed.

Mindset Lesson– Keep Track:

Your sense of time is fundamental to being a musician.  Sometimes you can rely on the drummer, but you’ll play with different drummers and different musicians.  So develop your own sense of time.