When it comes to gear talk among saxophonists, the usual suspects—mouthpieces, reeds, and horns—take center stage. But there's one piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked: the ligature. For the intermediate to advanced saxophonist, especially those navigating the…

The AKAI Electronic Wind Instrument, or EWI, is one of the most innovative and expressive electronic instruments available today. With over 50 years of development, it has become a favorite among musicians for its versatility and ability to emulate a…

For jazz musicians, improvisation is the heart and soul of the genre. It's what transforms a collection of notes into a story, a feeling, and a shared experience with the audience. But mastering improvisation isn’t just about playing what “feels…

Greetings Saxophonists,
 

In the rich tapestry of musical expression, the art of phrasing stands as a universal pursuit, weaving its way through the genres of classical and jazz. This edition of our newsletter is a celebration of the harmonious blend…

When purchasing a saxophone, it's important to invest in a quality instrument that will provide a rich and enjoyable playing experience. However, with so many options available on the market, it can be difficult to determine which saxophone is worth…

Breathing!

Breathing is vital for life and critical for saxophone players to optimize their performance. Without proper breathing technique, saxophonists may struggle to play long phrases, leading to subpar performances. Here are some essential breathing exercises for saxophonists to improve…

Doubling!

For those saxophonists who plan to make playing music their profession, playing several woodwinds is eventually a necessity in order to keep yourself in supply of enough work. There is also much to gain out of what you learn…

I remember my first solo. I played in my High School's Junior Jazz Big Band. I was 15, and I played 2nd alto in the band. We had a concert at school. We played a funky rock tune, and…

Today, I was informed by a friend, that a mutual friend posted on their Facebook page that saxophonist Steve Grossman, had died. 

If you are or were a private student of mine, a follower of my posts, my YouTube…

This time I'm reviewing the A.L.E. "Reed Balancer". Soon I'll be doing another video on reed preparation in general:
What it is, How to do it, What to look for, What to avoid, What tools are on the market.

See…

This video demonstrates how to start playing exercises on the mouthpiece and the reasons why you should do it.

Download the exercises here.

This video is an extension of a previously uploaded video "5 Things You're Practicing Incorrectly and How To Correct Them". - This video will discuss how to practice jazz patterns.

Check out the entire video here!

Enjoy!

This is in part a follow-up on a previous video of mine; "5 Things You're Practicing Incorrectly and How To Correct Them". This video displays a way to approach practicing technique and technical issues within a piece or music, or…

Here's my take on five things you may be practicing wrong and my tips on how to make it right.

Check out the video here.

This is Part 2 of my previous video on Embouchure: The "One Note" Theory.

Here I speak in detail about how to form an embouchure easily without difficulty.

Check out the video here!

The "One Note Theory" is a concept for forming an optimal saxophone embouchure (also for clarinet!). 

It is based on principles I'd learned from Hon. Dr. Joseph Allard, master teacher of many world famous saxophonists and clarinetists. Among them were; 

…

I recently stumbled across a video in YouTube with the title "The Only Long Tones Exercise You'll Ever Need". So naturally, I was curious to find out what that was. 

Although, it was a good exercise I did find flaws…

playing "Cherokee" with guest soloist Jürgen Seefelder.

The topic of this audio is a subject I’ve spoken about with my peers as well as my students over the years. And that is the subject of composing. 

You see, throughout musical history, the musician / performer was…

With this article/sound file / pdfs, I'd like to discuss and demonstrate some of the thinking and techniques I use when I'm faced with having to solo over a dominant 7th chord for an extended solo. 

In college, we often…

All improvisers are looking for new licks and/or techniques to improve our soloing. As saxophonists, too often are we seduced to licks with many notes with sometimes some quite complicated harmonic structures. I got a little weary of that I…

A while back someone asked me about enclosures and how to practice them for improvisation. I had to first identify what was meant by "enclosures".  I realized that I've always referred to this technique as "encircling". 

What I would do…