Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”

And he had success with a couple things in his life.

On saxophone, it’s tempting to try and be like Coltrane or Charlie Parker and play a million notes.  But it’s not always the best idea, especially for beginners on sax.

Some of my favorite saxophone players don’t even play that many notes.  Instead, they choose each note with intention and make it mean something.

Coltrane and Charlie Parker were great players, and if they also chose their notes carefully, especially the ones they emphasized.

They knew what the “active ingredients” were and they played them.

So on your next solo, try playing notes that matter- and that might mean playing less of them.