Kirk Whalum’s ONLY Advice for Saxophone Players

At this year’s NAMM show, we had the honor of welcoming the legendary Kirk Whalum to the BetterSax booth. Kirk isn’t just one of the most soulful and expressive saxophonists of our time—he’s also a powerful voice for what really matters in music and in life.

What he shared goes far beyond technique. It’s about who you are when you pick up the horn.

Music Is About More Than You

Kirk reminded us that while we all want to improve, achieve, and maybe even “make it,” that can’t be the whole story.

Yes, work hard. Yes, get better. But better compared to whom? Not the player on Instagram. Not the person at the next booth. Better compared to you last week.

At the same time, don’t forget to contribute something meaningful to the world around you. Mentor someone. Encourage someone. Serve someone. The notes you play might impress people for a moment—but the way you treat them can impact them for life.

According to Kirk, what truly comes through your horn is the kind of person you are. If your playing is driven by ego, people feel that. But if it’s driven by generosity and love, that’s what they hear.

And that’s what lasts.

Develop Your Voice

When asked to boil it all down to one thing, Kirk said: develop your voice.

Your sound is your shortcut to connection. It’s your identity.

And how do you develop it?

Long tones.

Not flashy. Not glamorous. Just consistent, focused work on your sound. Every day.

Kirk emphasized fundamentals:

• Support from the diaphragm
• Open throat (like you’re yawning)
• Controlled crescendos and decrescendos
• Practicing vibrato with a metronome

He recommends setting the metronome around 60 bpm and practicing controlled vibrato subdivisions—two beats per pulse, then three, four, even five. Not to sound mechanical in performance, but to gain control.

It only takes 10–15 minutes a day. But done consistently, it refines the raw diamond of your sound.

Master the Fundamentals in Every Key

Kirk also practices scale exercises every single day.

But not casually.

He starts every scale on the lowest note of the instrument in that key and works through all keys methodically. Major, melodic minor, harmonic minor. Linear patterns. Then reconfigured patterns.

He also practices scales in odd time signatures like 7/8.

Why? Because when you internalize these patterns deeply, they become available in improvisation. And when you practice odd groupings, you can layer them over 4/4, creating rhythmic tension and sophistication that sounds effortless—but isn’t.

The point isn’t to practice something only if you know exactly where you’ll use it. The point is to load your “bin” with vocabulary so that when it’s time to improvise, you have options beyond clichés.

Make It Harder on Yourself

One of Kirk’s biggest influences was James Moody. And Moody gave him a principle that stuck:

If you’re getting comfortable, make it harder.

Learn thirds in every key. Slowly. With a metronome.
Then play them “pointing up.”
Then “pointing down.”
Then mix two up, two down.

The complexity you hear from great players isn’t magic. It’s simple materials mastered deeply and combined creatively.

Growth happens when you stretch beyond what’s easy.

Be Patient With Yourself

Finally, Kirk offered something many players need to hear:

Be kind to yourself.

Don’t let frustration rob you of joy. If practice gets overwhelming, step outside. Take a walk. Reset. Then come back.

Develop your voice. Stay consistent. Serve others. And remember—you’re not just playing as yourself. You’re representing something bigger than you.

That mindset changes everything.

For more interviews with great saxophonists go here.