Low Tech Practice Room Necessities Today I want to talk about some essential low tech items every musician should have in their practice space and how I use them. If you’ve got any tips for low-tech practice room gear please share them in the comments section below! Music Stand My first bit of low tech […]
Must Have Low Tech Gear for All Musicians Read More »
Who are the Greatest Alto Saxophone Players of All Time? Today we are going to take look at my top 10 of the greatest alto saxophone players. This list, in no particular order, are 10 of the greatest and most influential classic jazz alto saxophone players of all time. If you play the saxophone you
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Hey BetterSax Players, today I’m going to play test 6 different professional metal tenor sax mouthpieces. All but one of these mouthpieces are based on or inspired by the classic Otto Links of the 1950s but they are all modern versions that you can go out and buy new today. For this play test, I’ll
Play Testing 6 Metal Tenor Sax Mouthpieces (Otto Link Inspired Designs) Read More »
Jody Jazz HR* The Jody Jazz HR* 7 is killing on alto. This is my first time playing it and I dig it a lot. A more in depth review and comparison with other Jody Jazz alto mouthpieces on the way. “The HR* is a hard rubber saxophone mouthpiece aimed at professionals and students looking for
Jody Jazz HR* 7 – Alto Sax Mouthpiece Play Test Read More »
I’m always getting asked about the headphones I’m using in my videos. They are actually a really important part of my daily music work flow. So today, we’re going to talk about which ones I use, and some cool uses for them you may not know about. Today we’re talking about high tech gear in
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I try new mouthpieces all the time, and sometimes it’s hard to truly evaluate the mouthpiece without playing on it a long time. Here are two tips to think about while trying new mouthpieces. Advice for Trying New Mouthpieces 1. New mouthpieces need a bit of play time on a variety of reeds before you
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This Drake Studio Mouthpiece is an incredible addition to the Drake Mouthpiece line-up. This mouthpiece is absolute FIRE ? “This mouthpiece is an original design which features a rollover baffle and a medium chamber. The baffle and floor contour are specifically calibrated to offer flexibility with outstanding control and projection. The versatility of this design
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Core Essentials The exercise I’m going to show you comes directly out of my Core Essentials Course on saxophone fundamentals. If you’re already taking the Core Essentials Course, this video is gonna help you get even more value out of the long tones exercise – which you should be doing every day. Long Tone Exercises for
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Lots of viewers have asked me how to swab and clean out their baritone saxophone so I did it for the first time myself to find out. The crook of the baritone sax is not easy to swab out. I had to add a long piece of string to an alto sax swab in order
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Are we practicing the right things? Think of the #1 thing you should be practicing everyday, but aren’t. What are some of the things you practice instead? I’m going to talk about some bad habits we all have in the practice room, and how to fix them. What’s Really Important When Practicing? Just like in
Are You Practicing the Right Stuff on Saxophone? Read More »
Ever hear of saxophone lung? It’s a real thing! I promise, Google it. “Saxophone Lung is a rare type of hypersensitivity pneumonia, in which patients develop allergic pulmonary disease when they’re exposed to fungi that invade instruments — and are never removed. Basically, the musicians have allergic reactions to the mold that won’t let up” –
The Essential Cleaning Routine & The Saxophone Lung Read More »
Jaleel Shaw That’s Jaleel Shaw. He’s a saxophonist, composer and bandleader with three albums under his name. He’s also a member of Roy Haynes and Nate Smith’s bands and professor at the New School and Manhattan School of Music where we met up to chat about saxophone. You know I like to talk about gear
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DIY Saxophone Repairs ?⚒️ If you’ve ever wanted to try repairing your own saxophone, here are 4 common, quick and easy DIY saxophone repairs you can do yourself. These all take under 10 minutes to do, and the materials & tools cost less than $10. To demonstrate these repairs I used the Ammoon/Lade Alto Saxophone.
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Soprano Sax Repairs Being able to repair your instrument usually best left to a qualified technician, but I’m going to show you a few easy(ish) repairs on a soprano sax that you can try if you’re feeling up to the challenge. If you do any of your own repairs, comment below and let us know
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I hope you’re all staying safe out there. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to clean your saxophone so I decided to make a video about it. To do it properly, it’s a big job as you’ll see, it’s definitely something you shouldn’t try on your own since there’s a lot that
Time to Clean Your Saxophone? Read More »
Ever want to play on a killer Theo Wanne mouthpiece? In the video above I’m going to demo 4 of Theo’s new alto sax mouthpiece models. If you’ve ever played on one of these beauties, comment below and let us know what your experience was like with these mouthpieces. These Theo Wanne mouthpieces are as
New Theo Wanne Alto Sax Mouthpieces – Play Test & Review Read More »
If you want to cut through the mix and make altissimo a lot easier you need a high baffle mouthpiece. Never been my thing in the past but I must admit it’s a lot of fun playing on these! Which Mouthpiece Do You Prefer? Check out the instagram video below to hear two different high
High Baffle Ear Bleeders Battle – Mini Mouthpiece Review Read More »
What reeds are you playing on these days? Lately, I’ve been trying a few different brands. Today, I’m going to test out the new Lupifaro Evo Reeds and see how they play for me. Let’s talk about what to look for when choosing reeds. When I was buying my first reeds way back when, my
Choosing Between Different Cuts of Reeds – Lupifaro Reeds Read More »
People are always asking me what my favorite saxophones are, what saxophones are best for beginners, what saxophones are more affordable, is it safe to order a saxophone from a particular website… So I created this list of saxophone reviews to help you navigate your saxophone shopping experience. Below you’ll find some of my past
Alto Saxophone Play Test Reviews & Buyers Guide Read More »
We talk a lot about horns, mouthpieces and reeds, but perhaps the most important saxophone accessory are our neck straps. Today I’m going to compare my favorite neck straps for saxophone and go over what I like and don’t like about each one The Plain Ole’ Neck Strap We all start out with the standard
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A lot of people ask me how to record yourself playing an instrument along with a backing track. So today I’m going to break down my entire process for putting audio together with video. In recent years, recording good quality audio has become easier, more affordable, and more accessible to everyone. I’ve been making multi
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