From the first Lindeman fingering exercise. Response to Kate’s recording.
Recommendations:
1. Slowing down a lot, almost too much it may seem.
2. Work on making movements with fingers that are smooth and even.
Sams Recording
Slowing down on the Lindeman is important. Speed masks inaccuracy.
Sam played the A for less time then the B, which means lifting your middle finger abruptly and without control.
Work on the exercise slowly, don’t be in a rush to play it quickly, that’s not the purpose.
To look at the sound visually. Here I added in arrows to show the lengths of the notes. The durations of the notes are not the same as you can see by comparing the distances between consecutive arrows. Compare the red arrows to the blue arrows.
Bruce Chamberlain says
I’ve heard about flying fingers syndrome from other YouTube lessons, so I have tried to pay attention to my finger placement, but this exercise, really focusing on the fingers, seems like a good one – I tried it yesterday I’m going slow it is amazing to see how often I do lift my fingers off the keys – something new to add to my practice routine.
Neal says
Glad you tried it out! Send a recording when you can.
Ferd-Jan van Kemenade says
Lindeman exercise: going to practice it tomorrow. My fingers are still flying, and if I try to focus on moving them slightly I notice that other things go wrong – like the music itself 🙂 So practice is the way forward.
Neal says
Getting to focus on your fingers will really improve all elements of how you sound. The movement of the fingers I think is overlooked by many saxophone players.
There are saxophone players whose fingers fly, but playing like that makes it harder to sound good.
Getting the control as you practice will transfer to whenever you play as well even if they move a bit more during performance.
Anouk Radix says
Hi Neal, I was practicing with th blindenman exercise (curved fingers takes some getting used to). I practiced it slowly with some scales and while playing most notes goes fine when I need to sue the side keys with my right hand (for a sharp for example) my hands seem to small and I can’t comfortably reach that with the palm of my hands while my fingers are curved and staying on the keys.
But perhaps I am going too fast…
Greetings, Anouk,
Neal says
There are a few note transitions where you basically need to lift your fingers off the keys, not too many, but a few. With the Bb side key, you should be able to mostly keep your fingers on the keys, but the keys above that, you may not be able to.
Borja Lamadrid says
Basic things are most important to follow. Timing, posture, relax and, of course enjoy the music. It is very helpful to understand how important are the little details. Finger positioning is also something that we should do from the beginning in the proper way, minimizing movements. In my case I will try to reduce tension in my fingers either in my mouth.
Larry Webb says
The simplicity of repeating the 2 notes allowed me to focus on relaxing, breath support, minimal finger movement and effort. When playing scales or trying to learn a song, I am more focused on getting to the right note at the right time, and forget these other important parts of technique.
Trish M says
I learned that the Lindeman technique can improve accuracy, avoiding unclean ‘schmutz’ transitions between notes. It is important to slow down the practice. It is also important to keep the fingers curved and to use as little movement as possible.
Davor says
Doing Lindeman exercise I realized that my fingers are moving without me thinking too much about it and that gives me more time to be focused on breathing.
Davor
Neal says
Sometimes you do want the focus on your fingers since you can be thinking about things which should be automatic. The movement of your fingers becomes automatic, you want them to move efficiently.
It can also be good to think about breathing if that is something you need to change, something else that you should build a good habit for.
Davor says
Thank you, I’ll keep that on mind
Arron humber says
For me I think the linderman exercise will help with breathing, control, also slight of hand regards to the fingers instead of pressing hard on keys I can focus on slight movements and enables me to hear consistency of tone.
Wilkens E says
The Lindeman exercises are to help me with my technics at moving my fingers with control and playing my notes evenly. With control, I’ll be able to play aster and sound better as I move forward.
Y. Rideaux says
Lindeman Critique Exercise:
This exercise is great. It works on your embouchure, breathing, and tone. Also, it drills reading notes and allow one to focus on maintaining time.
Calvin C says
Hey Neal When I start blowing the Sax it gets louder then the other notes. What do you think I could do to make the first note smoother
Neal says
Being aware of it is a good first step. Think about a steady air column in your body. Just play the note and don’t change anything after you start to play. Try to play softer maybe.
Calvin Comer says
Cool thank you
Calvin C says
The Lindemann exercise helped you with your fingering and your breathing. Which is a good exercise I actually love this one
Neal says
Glad you like it, the exercises can change your playing a lot for the better.
Philip M says
The key is to be thinking about each note, and to use little finger movement. Keeping the notes equal in length, whether fast or slow, makes a difference, and slow allows more thinking on breathing and body
Rosemary Matos-Idiarte says
I first listened and learned that slowing down the notes gives a smoother sound. It was nice to here the other players and to figure out what can change. For sure playing it slower sounds more pleasant and more clearly. I will play it for myself and will look forward to you. advise and critique
Rosemary
Rodney Hamler says
hello Neal:
I look at the video on Lindeman excercise your transition is very smooth, and accurate. I believe that if Kate slow down the tempo her transition will be smooth also.
Rodney Hamler says
Hello Neal:
I watch you play the lindeman excercise it was very smooth, and even, there was no finger movement. It seem like you have better control on the saxophone.I will keep practice the lindeman excercise so i can play smooth,and slow down to get a better sound.
David Isaacs says
Neal,
When practicing the Lindeman exercise I found contained within its simplicity of two finger movement the complexities of maintining an even tone through my breathing and rhythem. Keeping my fingers curved and on the keys at all times required more focus for me than the othe aspects of the exercise.
Neal says
Good things to be aware of David!
Wagner Rodrigues says
The Lindeman exercise is very good. Unnecessary movements of the fingers take precious time. This exercise shows how we do minimal movement and shows that we do slowly and evenly. Will be of great help to me improve my sound and thecnique.
Neal says
Good understanding.
Ron W. says
What I notice about playing music is that it requires a combination of many elements – brain, body, breath. Take aways from Lindeman #1: even a simple exercise can be demanding to keep a steady rhythm. Also, developing good finger position will make movements more efficient and improve sound.
Neal says
Good observations
Michael SHORTLAND says
Useful video. Importance of (1) breath control, (2) pacing: keep it slow and even, (3) volume: regular and sustained. Thanks.
Mike
Michael SHORTLAND says
I have submitted my recording, which was not only too fast but saw me moving from A to B, and then from E to F# etc. It is true that really concentrating on timing, speed and precision will be very helpful. Mike
Guy says
Got to echo Casey’s comments above on running before walking
Great exercise for consistency in articulation, showed problems in playing some notes louder/ quieter
Slower is easier, every time I speeded up I played worse bars 5-8
Will watch my flying fingers going forward, have never previously given fingering any degree of thought compared to embouchre and breathing etc
Guy
Claudio says
Hi Neal:
I think should be the first class that any saxofonist should take. This help for many things, but for me, this method force you to be relaxed, and this is the best way to feel and make music.
Casey says
Hi Neal,
The Lindeman reminds me of that saying “learn to walk before you run”. When you slow down your tempo you can concentrate on getting your timing and volume even. Keeping your fingers close to the keys stops the schmutz, which can trip you over if you haven’t identified where it’s come from before you speed up..
Donny Piela says
The Lindeman exercise offers a simple yet brilliant way to develop: 1) good playing posture; 2) consistent tone; 3) impeccable timing; and, 4) rapid reproducible technique.
Neal says
Hey Donny,
Good, seems like you get the idea of it.
-Neal
jeff patin says
worked on using tips of fingers a-b
Hiram N. says
Hi Neal, seeing your sound waves as you play the Lindeman exercise shows me how important it is to slow down and grasp the fingering techniques at a slower pace. I will practice this way from now on. Great stuff, keep it coming.
Kelly Dacey says
I think the Lindeman exercise can improve my fingering capabilities when playing the saxophone. I always have trouble reaching the low notes I think because of not using this exercise. My former sax teacher years back never told me about this exercise. I also want to make sure I’m positioning my fingers the proper way on the saxophone so I don’t develop bad habits over time.
Neal says
Good plan.
Kelly Dacey says
I will work on this exercise too. Then I will voice mail it to you.
antuan aaron says
I think the Lindeman vital to playing the saxophone well because it focuses on the basics to build a strong foundation. We have to work on moving one finger to transition notes before we move from one to multiple fingers like a C to D. Also it helps teach us to have a controlled air flow.
Ernie Burton says
Slowing down does help, but having good air flow is critical to maintain the tone it seems
Michele Pippen says
This is now first of Step 5, listen to the Lindeman critique and to make comment. It’s indeed a great exercise, really can hear the improvement and the breathing now for me is the most difficult because there’s no ‘rests’ between the bars. Takes good control of expiring breath to keep even tone and note length. Such a great tool.
For Kate I heard – Uneven note lengths – not enough breath taken before starting so running out of air/breath. Good job Kate.
Is it not true that every player will sound a bit different as we have different teeth alignments, tongue sizes, lip sizes, architecture inside each person’s mouth is quiet unique so very hard for one person to sound absolutely exactly like another person. The breath being released also passes in the unique oral cavity before reaching the mouth piece and reed.
Long time ago, I practiced so long, too long, that my inner bottom lip was almost blistered, it was so sore, so I stuffed some moistened gauze in there to relieve the pain and kept playing, the sound was definitely different. I quite liked it actually!
Michele Pippen says
Exercise to practice and improve tempo discipline, intonation, volume, breathing and fingering control/execution. This exercise is also good practice to read notation, although it’s just the two notes, very good start as it helps with the good discipline to practice ‘following’ the notation.
May appear simple. It is so not simple, to execute with doing all of the above.. well, not at all.
Edward McDonald says
After watching your critique of Kate of the Lindeman exercise, I see that its not a race but should be done slowly and evenly.
The graph really tells the truth of it all and is really a good technique, can’t wait to see what I need to work on.
Although we don’t see the fingering method but the length of tone between keys shows whether or not its being done smoothly.
I will definitely be watching my fingering on the keys.
Edward McDonald says
The Lindeman Exercise is about teaching you the correct position of your fingers over the keys on the saxophone.
The purpose of this is so that very little sound will come from the pads opening and closing against the body of the saxophone.
You will also be able to have a more fluid movement across the keys as you begin inculcating other finger techniques.
I will be focusing on the correct fingering position to have it so that the tips of my fingers hover lightly over the keys.
Practicing in this position will give me the flexibility to play various key positions later on.
Neal says
Hey Edward,
Having little sound from the movements of the keys is something that happens, but it also gives you better intonation and faster/more fluid movement, you mentioned the second part.
You did say that the idea is to hover over the keys, that’s not quite it, you want direct contact with the keys. Your fingers should be touching the pearls unless you absolutely cannot keep them in direct contact, which is only the case for a few notes (namely, a few using the palm keys and a couple with the side keys for the right hand).
Thanks
-Neal
Barb says
The Lindeman exercise assists with improvement in some of the areas I struggle with including breathe control and intonation.
Neal says
Definitely with intonation! More than you might expect.
Mary says
I agree with Luke Bong, I have been praciticing Lindeman most days for over a week and find I am improving in all respects. The transition from C-D certainly the most challenging. I too are sloooooooowly getting it. Slowing down and most difficult for me is relaxing.
Luke Bong says
I’ve been doing the Lindeman everyday for almost 1 week and it’s an awesome exercise because I can feel my playing has improved. I can’t really put a word to it, just how I feel when I play. At first the C to D transition was really frustrating. But after putting in more practice sloooooowy, its finally coming out. My wife even commented hearing an improvement in my playing. So, I’m now convinced of the virtues of slowing down.
Neal says
Hey Luke,
Glad it’s helping. Really improved how I play as well.
Brooks says
I believe the Lindeman exercise will help develop a clean sound. I am already catching on to the graphic analysis available in the Audacity program. Good form in keying Morse code also stresses keeping the fingers on the key.
Neal says
Good comment, interesting comparison to Morse code, hadn’t thought about that before.
Luke Bong says
Hey Neal,
The Lindeman exercise taught me how important it is to be completely relaxed when playing (similar to what we do in martial arts). Small motions will create big results in terms of tone and fluidity. It takes very conscious effort to keep my fingers ‘glued’ to the keys but with enough practice it will become a part of me, like breathing – I don’t need to think about it when I do it. That’s when magic happens.
Mary says
The Lindeman exercise helps with control of your fingers, breath control, and for better transition between the notes for a smoother sound. I can see how it will help me to develop at becoming a much improved sax player.
Thanks
Terry S. says
Hi
The Lindeman exercise helps with controlling finger movement, slowing down to feel the beat and developing smooth even tones.
Bill Allen says
Lindeman is aimed at minimizing finger movement and smoothing out the transition between notes. I have also found that relaxing and reducing the tension in my back, arms, hands and especially fingers is very helpful. It just makes sense that minimizing movement reduces transition time and work required.
Neal says
Good point about reducing tension, thanks Bill.
Charles B says
(moved)
Relative to the Lindeman:
I reviewed the material and find the exercise extremely helpful in my fingering as i noted a greater fluidity with emphasis on the light touch. Additionally, forcing myself to keep the fingers curved and lightly placed on the keys seems to almost assure me of being in better position to go to the next note. Finally, it is impressive that i noted so much irregularity in the length of my notes with the controlled slurring indicating that i am not employing as smooth a release and pressing of the keys as I could.
Neal says
Thanks Charles,
Looks like you see the importance of what the Lindeman exercise can do.
Shane G says
I found with the linderman exercise that
it gave you good awareness of ;
A.where your fingers are on the horn
B.a feeling of touch on the horn or comfort not trying to muscle it.also found it keeps notes even or tonel if that makes sense lol,and also sets or steadies your embouchure through the notes thats the feeling i got thats about the best i can describe this exercise cheers ,Shane
Neal says
Hey Shane,
Sounds like you understood some important ideas of it. I like what you’re saying about realizing you don’t have to ‘muscle’ through notes.
-Neal
Jay says
Lindeman is simply about control. Control serves to increase one’s literal and metaphoric ‘connection’ to the horn, which in turn builds sound, speed and clarity.
without control one can’t let go…
personally- i was a flying fingers guy., but feeling the difference is just mind blowing. why didn’t i hear about this earlier…
Rachel W says
I like this as it really allows me to be conscious of EVERYTHING….instead of just diving in and playing. I was wondering if there is a free program that shows the sound waves as you have them on the clip?
Neal says
I paid for a program called Amadeus which I use on a mac. There are other similar programs. Probably many recording programs can show you the sound waves. Garage band does it. I think audacity will do this too and that’s a free program.
Luc says
Hi Neal,
Is it an exercice we can do with other notes?
Thanks
Neal says
Hey Luc,
Definitely. You can apply this approach to any transition between notes. You’ll work on some more transitions specifically in the later steps.
Daniel lee says
Hi Neal, finally got around to the critique!
So, the Lindeman helps players develop control in their finger movements, allowing for smooth, precise transitions between notes. Concentrating on relaxing and playing notes like this also promoted a more relaxed approach to other aspects of my playing such as breath control and sustaining a good embouchure. I found that the exercise has helped to improve my overall control of the sound that I am producing and over just a little time, has started to feel like a natural way of playing.
Thanks Neal! And thanks for the feedback of the audio! Step 5 awaits!
Neal says
You’re welcome, looks like you’re understanding the idea of the Lindeman pretty well!
Doug K. says
First Part, Critique: I notice Kate loses her breath. For me I have to take a deep breath to hold the notes longer. If I take a shallow breath I run out of power quickly.
Doug K. says
Figures I sent you my AB lesson before I saw this video. But I will use it to do a better job. TY
Peter L says
Have at last recorded 1st Lindeman exercise.
Can see the benefit in a very short time.
Requires focus
Did manage to keep flying ” G finger” down this time!
Dan says
This exercise will eventually play faster in the future since you keep your finger on the keys. It will also develop flexibility of the fingers.
Thanks
Neal says
Hey Dan,
Good point about developing speed. Making so you play more like Charlie Parker could.
I didn’t quite understand your second point, how would it develop flexibility?
Thanks
-Neal
fergus says
OK so this exercise definitely helps with keeping the fingertips on the pearls as i had a tendency to raise my fingers off the pearls it took me a while to get the hang of it but now i have nice smooth transition between key changes, also practicing slow, definitely helps with tone & breathing control i think if we get this right it will help our overall playing abillity.
Thanks Fergus
Manuel Gonzalez says
Sound in the saxophone is produced by the resonance created by the vibration of the reed when we blow air through the mouthpiece. This air column moves through the saxophone producing specific tones as we press the keys since we are controlling the sound frequencies. A good fingering technique will allow us to produce a good tone quality. So, the Lindeman exercise is a tool for improving finger movement and positioning as well as helping in the tone quality by having a better control of the air through the sax. Is like becoming a better driver while having a better control over the wheel.
Alan says
The Lideman exercise helps me to gain breath control, produces steady sound and reduce flying fingers. Thanks
Bengt says
The Linderman exercise teaches you to be relaxed, calm, exercise in a slow tempo and – especially – to become aware of the importance of your finger movements. Good practice as I found that the keys are not flat, they are concave. So far we have practised A/B in one octave. I also tried it on other keys. Ran into problems cahnging from lower C to lower E (could not avoid C slammering). My guess is that it will take some time to incorporate the Linderman method. I will work on it!!
Sandy says
Good exercise to get tips of fingers resting on the keys and get A and B to have equal timespans. I tend to fly my right hand fingers expecially when going for side keys.
Exercise also helped my breathing.
Neal says
Interesting, thanks Sandy
Ron says
Linderman exercise is about good tone, transition using proper fingering. I never noticed that I was a key slapper. Going to have to break some habits.
Neal says
Definitely!
Larry says
The lesson was a much needed reminder about proper hand placement in order to reduce finger movement. I didn’t realize how far my fingers, especially the pinky, were from the keys. The critique also emphasized breath control to smooth out the sound and allow the notes to flow together.
Neal says
Yep, that’s something that most sax players don’t pay a lot of attention to. You can play well with poor technique, but it makes it harder and takes more time. Better to develop good habits.
Ted says
Difficult to avoid the “flying finger syndrome”. I find if I look in the mirror while doing the Lindeman exercise I can really reduce my finger travel.
Lindsey Duhs says
The lesson was a reminder to keep hands curved and to use very little finger movement. This excercise is good for me to get smoother moving from one note to the other without thinking about it as much.
Neal says
Hey Lindsey, yes those are good things to keep in mind. Also, the critiques emphasize slowing it down.
Joanne says
The Lindeman excercise helps me with smooth fingers giving me more control over the notes as I struggle to keep my fingers close to the keys when learning a new song, this will really help! I believe it also helps with breath control.
Sam says
Neal,
From the video, I think I should concentrate on a steady tone, definite key movement and equal volume per note.
The frequency diagram is a superb tool for analysing a recording.
Thanks
Sam
Neal says
Hey Sam,
Yes, sounds like you got the idea. Try it out!
And thanks, it does seem like a pretty good way to show some things with those diagrams.
-Neal
Clay says
the lindeman exercise helps me gain the control i need so i can play smooth and relax so as i needto play the fast notes i wont stumble it take some getting use to because it will show your faults
Neal says
Hey Clay, I like that last part you said, it does act like a diagnostic tool to show you some things to work on. Work on it for a little while and then record it and I’ll check it out. Thanks
Asha says
The Lindeman exercises are designed to help you play with a smoooth, even tone. It helps you gain control of the keys with little finger movment.
Jerry Price says
I believe the Lindeman exercise helps you control your keys to help you try to cut out the schmutz that you get when you play to fast. It helps you to slow down and play in a steady rhythm and to develop a consistent technique. Lastly, it helps you focus on your breathing and to help you get better.
Doug says
The lindeman exercise to me is to gain more control over the movement of my fingers during playing. The most difficult thing I find is how much harder it is to play as I move to different key combinations. I do feel as I continue with this it will definitely improve my technique.
Samuel Golden says
Lindeman exercise practiced for keeping fingers on keys while playing notes, breathing control while creating the sound of the notes; slow and even sounding notes, and good posture for pressing keys for notes through the music scale.
Samuel Golden says
The Lindeman exercise is for toning, fingering, learning tempo, scales and an introduction to concentrating on music. Slowly, learning to read notes and work on songs much better because of the lindeman exercise. Sam
Paul Frankland says
Hi Neal
Lindeman exercises will expose inconsistencies in fingering and breath control. It aims to minimise and coordinate finger movement for a smooth transition between different notes. It requires a relaxed posture, embouchure and tempo.
Neal says
Hey Paul,
Definitely! They act like a diagnostic tool in figuring out some things you need to work on.
In terms of tempo, slowing it down helps you hear the nuances that you sometimes miss at faster tempos.
KT says
Lindeman exercises are to help me control finger movement and achieve smooth transitions. To reach that goal Lindeman is used regularly with slow movements from one note to the next. It also shows any struggles with breathe control, and build confidence.
KT says
Recommendation 3 is missing:
Get some more exercise , so my breathing is not an added problem!
Neal says
haha, yep, exercise is good. I personally recommend crossfit 😉
Anouk Radix says
Lindeman excercise helps you control your tone by controlling your posture and your fingers (how relaxed everything is, how much or little touches the saxophone and stays in the seem place).
Neal says
Those are good observations. Much more of playing the saxophone is about the fingers than you might think at first.