Looking for an inexpensive Baritone Saxophone mouthpiece? I’ve tested out 6 of them ranging in price from $19 to $199. Watch the video to hear what they sound like and my thoughts on each. Yamaha 5C This is a classic bari sax mouthpiece that can be found in school music programs all over. If you […]
Comparing Cheap Baritone Saxophone Mouthpieces Read More »
Many people often think they’re “too old,” to do something new. Do you know how many people have always wanted to play the saxophone but don’t, or maybe played it back in high school, put it down and now wish they were still playing? A lot… But there’s also tons of people who have started
Too Old to Play the Saxophone? Read More »
“I SUCK!” “I SUCK!” Ever say that to yourself? You’re not the only one. In fact, I don’t think there is a single serious saxophone player alive who hasn’t uttered this exact phrase in frustration. It’s a feeling we can all relate to right? Doesn’t matter if you’ve been playing for a week or 50
“I SUCK” – Turning Frustration Into Musical Growth Read More »
A Simple Strategy for Impressive Results Consistency is key. At the beginning of 2019 I set a simple goal for myself, upload a quality YouTube video each week of the coming year. I had other side goals in mind like reach 100K subscribers on YouTube, but I didn’t realistically expect that to happen this year.
How Consistency in the Practice Room Results in Solid Improvement Read More »
First Notes In this lesson I’m going to show you the saxophone fingerings for a bunch of notes to get you started playing the saxophone. So far we’ve learned how to set up our reed and mouthpiece properly in Lesson 1, How to form a good saxophone embouchure and get our first sounds in lesson
Saxophone Fingerings and First Notes | Beginner/Refresher Course Lesson 4 Read More »
Setup & Ideal Body and Hand Position In this lesson, let’s learn how to put the saxophone together and the correct hand position for your fingers and hands on the keys. So far we’ve learned how to set up our reed and mouthpiece in lesson 1 and get a sound with a good saxophone embouchure
Saxophone Setup, Ideal Body and Hand Position | Beginner/Refresher Course Lesson 3 Read More »
Welcome to lesson 2 of the BetterSax Beginners course where we will discuss the proper saxophone embouchure In lesson 1 we learned how to set up our reed and mouthpiece properly to get the best results. In this lesson I’m going to show you how to get a sound out with a good saxophone embouchure.
Saxophone Embouchure and Producing a Good Sound | Beginner/Refresher Course Lesson 2 Read More »
Welcome to the BetterSax Beginner Saxophone Course. The lessons in this course are entirely free, please enjoy and share. Nowadays, you can get information about almost anything for free on the internet, but it is often jumbled up and scattered around. I created this beginner course to help anyone starting out on the saxophone to
Saxophone Mouthpiece and Reed Setup Tutorial | Beginner/Refresher Course Lesson 1 Read More »
You may have seen some heavy mass screws and gadgets on my saxophones in recent videos and instagram posts. Lots of people ask me what they are, and how they affect the sound of my saxophone. Today, I’m going to tell you how you too can get a massive, explosive saxophone sound (hint, it’s not
The Most MASSIVE Sax Sound Ever | Do Heavy Mass Screws Work? Read More »
Last year, I made a video entitled “The Best Saxophone in the world?” It was all about the hype and mythology surrounding the Selmer Mark VI saxophone. My conclusion in that video is that the Selmer Mark VI is a great saxophone. It is the standard to which all other saxophones are compared. It
The BEST SAXOPHONE In the World… for me Read More »
I received an iSolo Choice wireless microphone system from Cloud Vocal, a company in Taiwan, specializing in instrument mics. I’ve been using it on several gigs this year and have found it to be a surprisingly good wireless saxophone mic. Watch my video unboxing and review below. What Comes In The Package You get the
iSolo Choice Wireless Microphone – A Great Compact Solution for Sax Players Read More »
I just got back from Rotterdam in the Netherlands where I played at the North Sea Jazz Festival with a band called the California Honeydrops. In a recent YouTube video, I shared with you some of the things I was doing to prepare for that gig: learning, memorizing and writing down the horn lines. Today
How to Get Called Back for Gigs (12 Tips From a Freelance Sax Player) Read More »
Today, I want to talk about saxophone ligatures. You know the little device that holds your reed onto the mouthpiece. There are so many different ones to choose from, and apart from the basic cheapo two screw model, each one claims to improve your sound in a whole range of ways… In this article, I
Why Ligatures Matter? It’s NOT How You Think… Read More »
Like just about everything else, the world of saxophones has it’s share of myths, legends and widely held yet false beliefs. I’m going to try and clear some of these up. At least some of the ones concerning instruments and gear. If you agree or disagree with any of my statements let me know in
Saxophone Myths: Equipment Edition Read More »
Today, I’m going to compare the cheapest sax on Amazon against my Yanagisawa saxophone. I’ve talked a lot about how the saxophone you play is not that important compared to the work you put into your saxophone sound. In my video listening test comparing my four professional tenor saxophones it is clear that I sound
Cheapest Sax on Amazon vs My Professional Yanagisawa Saxophone Read More »
Synthetic Reeds What do you think of Synthetic Reeds? This is a question I get asked just about everyday… I guess saxophone players are really frustrated with the inconsistencies of cane reeds and they’re looking for an alternative. In my video on this subject below, you’ll see and hear me play both cane reeds and
Legere Signature Synthetic Reeds vs Cane Saxophone Reeds Read More »
Like everything else on saxophone, playing in the altissimo range is really hard until one day it’s not so hard. Today I’m going to show you all of my fingerings from high F-sharp up through high C in the altissimo range for alto saxophone and tenor saxophone. But more importantly, I’m going to show you
Altissimo Fingerings for Tenor and Alto Saxophone Read More »
Need some more gift ideas for a saxophone player? Or maybe you’re a sax player and need a convenient way to drop some hints to your loved ones so you don’t get another ugly sweater this year. In this post I’ve put together a list of great gift ideas in all price ranges that will
Gift Ideas for Saxophone Players Read More »
I want to share with you three essential saxophone accessories you should have in your sax case and how I use them. Click below for the video version of this post. Each one of these saxophone accessories will make playing the saxophone easier, more enjoyable and save you money. If you’re a saxophone player and
The 3 Best Saxophone Accessories in My Case Read More »
Let’s take a look at what’s wrong with the way many of us were taught the saxophone. Then we’ll take a look at some solutions to these problems. Click here to watch the video version of the post. How We Learn Saxophone I’ve been studying saxophone for over 30 years, and teaching it for more
6 Reasons You Were Taught the Saxophone Wrong Read More »
Today, let’s talk about a how the melodies you practice on the saxophone or any instrument can help you improve in the areas that matter most, quickly. Click below for the video version of this post. Practicing Technique While Feeling Accomplished Ever feel like you’re practicing for hours and not getting anywhere? Everybody feels like
How You Can Use Melodies to Practice Your Fundamentals on Saxophone Read More »
