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 my
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 »
Check out the audio podcast version of this post on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. During a recent visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, I attended the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and was able to sit down for an incredible conversation with saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. Throughout her career, she has performed with artists such as Anita Baker, the Count Basie Orchestra,
Lakecia Benjamin is Unstoppable Read More »
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 »
