Use This Instead of the Blues Scale You already know your blues scale. Hopefully, you know your major scales and some minor scales. But there’s a scale you probably don’t know or at least you aren’t using yet that can transform the way you improvise in every style of music, making you sound better, […]
The Most Important Scale for Jazz You’re NOT Using Read More »
Are Vintage Saxophones like the Mark VI and Balanced Action Overrated or Underrated? At the 2025 NAMM show, I took the opportunity to ask several professional saxophonists their opinions on vintage Selmer Mark VI, Balanced Action, and vintage saxophones in general, in a game called “Overrated or Underrated.” Grace Kelly and Mike Phillips expressed
I Asked Pro Sax Players if the Selmer Mark VI is Overrated Read More »
Conversation with Kirk Whalum: Intersection of Music and Language I recently had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with legendary saxophonist Kirk Whalum at the JEN conference in Atlanta, who shared insights on the deep connection between learning music and mastering a language. Kirk reflected on his journey with the French language, learning it
Beyond Technique: Kirk Whalum on Playing from the Heart Read More »
I’m about to share with you dozens of things you can do to become a better saxophone player and musician this year. These things are going to apply to every level of player from beginners to seasoned pros. I made this list as much for myself as i did for you since these are
How to Become a Better Sax Player in 2025 Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Ted Nash on Jazz, Maturity, and the Art of Music I recently had the wonderful opportunity to sit and speak with Ted Nash at the JENN conference in Atlanta, where he shared his profound insights on jazz, the saxophone, and his lifelong commitment
Overcome Your Musical Fears – With Ted Nash Read More »
The Truth About Musical Ability Most people don’t understand what separates strong musicians from those who can’t really play. It’s very common for people to say he or she is so talented, I wish I had that kind of talent. As if great musicians were somehow gifted this magical ability to play well at
If You Want to Become a Great Sax Player… Do This Read More »
KB Sax Necks There’s a guy who makes saxophone necks by hand in New York City. His name is Kim Bock, he’s from Denmark and his custom made necks are played by some of the top saxophonists in the world. I visited his workshop in 2020 and made a video about the whole fascinating
Putting an ELITE Saxophone Neck on “Student” Horn Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I’ve got a great book on improvisation I want to tell you about and why I think it will make you become a better improviser. Vincent Herring For a very long time Vincent Herring has been one of my favorite alto saxophone players.
This Book Will Make You a Better Improviser Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All Time Best Soprano Saxophone Players Here are 10 of the best soprano saxophone players of all time. Keep in mind that these are limited to Jazz and popular music genres. We’re not including classical saxophonists here. If I leave someone out that
TOP 10 SOPRANO Saxophone Players of all Time Read More »
I’ve been messing around with digital saxophones for over 20 years now and I’ve owned most of these instruments that have been made in that time. In this video I’m going to compare three of the most popular digital wind instruments, the YDS-120, the Roland Aerophone AE-20, and the Travel Sax 2. People ask
Digital Saxophones Compared – Which One to Get? Read More »
The Debate on Lacquered versus Unlacquered Saxophones One saxophone is a 40-year-old Yanagisawa 880 tenor that I bought used about 8 years ago and that I played on it quite a bit. Notice, it has lacquer. The other is a 6-year-old Yanagisawa WO2 tenor saxophone that I bought brand new and have played on
Why Saxophone Lacquer Matters… It’s NOT how you think Read More »
If you’re just starting to learn to improvise or if you’re not happy with your improvised solos, and you think what you play kind of sucks, I’m going to tell you the main reasons why, what you’re probably doing wrong, and exactly what to do to solve the problem starting today. From now on, whenever
The New Way to Learn to Improvise… It Just Works! Read More »
All right, this microphone goes inside the neck of your saxophone. And not only does it have an incredibly natural and even sound, but it fixes some of the biggest problems saxophonists have with standard and clip-on microphones. I’m going to tell you all about it, how to get one, and the ways I’ve
I Think I Found The New King of Saxophone Microphones Read More »
Recently, I asked band directors for their best tips when it comes to teaching the saxophone in the classroom, especially tips that might help other band directors whose primary instrument is not the saxophone. And we got a bunch of submissions, and I’m going to share with you my favorite ones. Everybody who participated,
I Asked School Band Directors How They Teach Saxophone Read More »
The sound that you get when playing a saxophone is created by the vibration of a reed that gets attached to the mouthpiece. You probably already knew that, but did you know that the mouthpiece has a greater impact on the sound that comes out than the instrument itself? You are unlikely to hear
How the Best Saxophone Mouthpieces are Made Read More »
The reed is our favorite thing to blame when we’re not getting the best sound on the saxophone right? It makes total sense that technology can solve this problem for us and be able to provide a saxophone reed that is perfectly consistent, sounds great and lasts a very long time. Who wouldn’t want
I Tried Plastic Saxophone Reeds… Again Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If there was a Sax Hero video game, Ben Wendel would without a doubt be one of the bosses you had to defeat. Ben has just released Technitudes, an innovative book designed to challenge saxophonists in new and exciting ways. I sat down
Solving Saxophone Puzzles with Ben Wendel Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Seriously, once you know your scales stop practicing them and move on to what I’m about to show you. Nearly everybody gets taught that improvising is a matter of applying various scales to chord changes. I was taught this, and practiced scales in
STOP Practicing Scales – Do THIS Instead Read More »
My Experience with the Travel Sax 2 It’s been a little over a year since I first got my Travel Sax 2 and made a review video for it. So today, I’m going to tell you what my experience has been like using this thing for the last 15 months or so. 99% of
Travel Sax 2 Review After 1 Year of Playing Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You might think you’re too old to get really good at music or to improve significantly. You might think younger people have all the advantages when it comes to learning an instrument. You probably think you don’t have the time to play the
Watch This if You’re Over 40 and Play Saxophone Read More »
We’ve just completed development of the most exciting new saxophone to be released in a very long time, and yes you can actually get one for 50 bucks or even less depending on where you live. I’ll explain the details of that in a little bit but first, allow me to introduce to you
Get the NEW BetterSax Alto for $50! Read More »
