Coming off of Maynard Fergusson’s band, Denis Di Blasio could blast the volume on his horns.

However…..

He was told by John Krell, “You’re fine for triple-forte on up, but you can’t lay anything soft, you’ve been playing loud for so long.”

(pg 3 ‘Saxophone Masterclass’ from the Windplayer Editors)

Different levels of volume use your muscles in different ways.  So to be able to play a range of dynamics, you need to work on these different muscular sets.

So use dynamics when you practice.  Play loud and soft.  Use crescendos and decrescendos.