The Foundation of Popular Music You’ve got to have the sound of the Blues in your playing no matter what style of improvised music you’re making. The sound of the Blues is the foundation of Jazz, Rock, Pop, Soul, Hip-Hop and every popular music style in Western culture. It’s also super fun to play […]
Beginner Blues Improvisation Lesson Read More »
If you’re not cleaning your saxophone after you play, it’s kind of gross. You don’t just use the same fork, spoons, and cups without washing them right? I’m going to show you very quickly the daily swabbing you should do on your horn, neck, mouthpiece, and even some of the pads. How To Swab
Saxophonists, If You’re NOT Doing THIS… Please Start! Read More »
Learning How to Play Saxophone So you want to learn the saxophone, but you don’t want it to take years before you can play something that is fun and sounds good. You’re a grownup and you know that it takes a long time to get really good on any instrument, but if there was
How Long Does It Take to Learn Saxophone? Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Visiting the factories where my favorite musical instrument gets made by hand is super exciting, but as I found out later, there are very few people who have ever visited all 3 of the most important factories of our time, Selmer in Paris,
How Yamaha Makes Saxophones (Mostly) By Hand Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. To play jazz you must know some blues heads, I’m going to give you 6 of the easiest to learn and most often played at jam sessions and performances. You could learn all of these in a short amount of time and start
The 6 EASIEST Blues Heads You MUST KNOW Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Insights from a Master Teacher I recently had the chance to sit down for a great conversation with Brad Leali, the Professor of Jazz Saxophone at the University of North Texas, one of the world’s leading Jazz Programs. He gives us a rundown
A Saxophone Lesson at the University of North Texas with Brad Leali Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. BeatBox Sax Techniques with Derek Brown I recently sat down for an interview with saxophonist Derek Brown, who is extremely well known for the beatboxing technique he uses when he plays. Derek was able to teach me some basic beatbox techniques in a
Derek Brown Teaches Me How to Beatbox on Sax in 5 Minutes Read More »
Do you want to be able to shred on the saxophone like your heroes? Of course you do, who doesn’t? One of my absolute favorite saxophone players for many years now is Eric Alexander. I want to share with you a lesson that comes directly from Eric’s brand new BetterSax course called Double Diminished
If I Could Only Practice ONE Thing… It Would Be THIS Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a great discussion with stellar saxophonist Troy Roberts, whose new album “Green Lights” was just released. You can check out Troy’s website here with more info on him and his tour schedule. Troy highlights
Why Troy Roberts Switched to a Modern Saxophone Read More »
This is a list of things I wish I knew when I started learning jazz. I have spent a few decades on this so far and I could have saved a lot of time and frustration, had I known the stuff I’m about to share with you. So I hope this helps. 1) Learn
9 Jazz Lessons I Wish I Knew Sooner Read More »
I’ve had my EMEO digital saxophone for a little over a year now, and I wanted to make this follow up video to tell you about some updates to the instrument, and new things that I’ve learned we can do with it. If you want to know more about what the EMEO is and
EMEO Digital Saxophone 1 Year Later… Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. My guest in this interview is Camille Thurman, an incredible saxophonist, vocalist, composer, and educator. In our conversation we talk about why she almost gave up music entirely, but how supportive teachers and fellow musicians brought her back which led to playing with
Why Camille Thurman Gave Up Music, and What Brought Her Back Read More »
Every saxophone I ever bought was really expensive. I just assumed they had to cost a lot in order to be any good. People told me that a cheap saxophone is garbage and I just believed that. Quality AND Affordability And then I got involved in producing my own design and I learned what
The BetterSax Tenor is Here! Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. How to Play the Saxophone Longer My guest in this interview is Don Braden, a renowned saxophonist and educator, who shares insights into his routines and habits that keep him mentally and physically fit at the age of 60. This has allowed him
How to Play Saxophone Until You’re 100 – Don Braden Read More »
ii V I Chord Progression Learning jazz improvisation can be really intimidating. I hear students say over and over again how will I ever learn to do this? I even said that myself when starting out. It seems as though the more you learn the more you realize how little you know. The good
When I Started Practicing THIS, Everything Changed Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. My guest in this interview Andrey Chmut, a talented Ukrainian saxophonist, who dared to dream big. Despite language barriers, he reached out to jazz legend Bob James via Facebook, expressing his admiration and sharing a song of his with him
How the Saxophone Changed his Life – Andrey Chmut Read More »
In this review video, I’m going to introduce you to 2 new alto sax mouthpieces that have been generating a lot of interest lately. Selmer has introduced their first (official) jazz mouthpiece, the Jazz Flow for alto saxophone. They have other jazz mouthpiece models in the works to keep an eye out for. And
Alto Sax Mouthpiece Battle: Selmer Jazz Flow vs. Meyer Bros. Connoisseur Series Read More »
My guest in this interview is the phenomenal French saxophonist Baptiste Herbin, who has developed a virtuosic level of playing through passion for the music, dedication and a lot of hard work. This video is completely in French but subtitles are available. Influences and the Development Process Throughout our discussion, Baptiste shares insights into his
How Much Did You Practice?! – Baptiste Herbin (en francais) Read More »
Yanagisawa, renowned for its commitment to quality and tradition, has recently introduced a new neck design called the Kz neck. We’ll look at the differences between the old and new designs, examining how they play and whether they’re worth considering for your saxophone setup. Comparing the Yanagisawa WO Neck with the Kz Necks I
How Much Do Saxophone Necks Change the Sound? Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. At the recent Namm show, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the renowned saxophonist Mark Gross for a captivating conversation about his musical journey spanning decades. From playing alongside legends like Dizzy Gillespie to sharing his wisdom with
Mark Gross: The Necessary Components for Jazz Read More »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Did you know that Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were opera fans? It’s well known that Charlie Parker was very much into classical music and that Dizzy Gillespie predicted that their music would become the classical music of the future.
The Charlie Parker Opera Lick Read More »
