Saxophone Wavelengths Saxophone Wavelengths: Learning the saxophone does not always fall into place naturally.It’s easy to do things in ways that aren’t really the best, and if you repeat them, they become habits.However, it’s just as easy to build good habits, you just need to know what they are.There are many things that I have learned over the years and this book shares some of them.It assumes a basic playing ability, beyond my beginning class ‘Saxophone Foundations’. Course Challenges Questions & Feedback Began working on this in March and wrote most days for four months. You have probably seen the ‘wavelengths’ in the menu on Saxophone Tribe. Wanted to expand on all of those pieces. Here is the outline of what will be in the course: Wavelength #1: The Horn 1.1 The saxophone – saxophone is a relatively young instrument, briefly overview brands and quality 1.2 Reeds – they only grow in a few places and are aged for 10 years, the most important piece of equipment when playing 1.3 Mouthpiece – second most important piece of equipment, works in combination with the reed 1.4 Checking for common issues Wavelength #2: Listening 2.1 Finding favorite musicians – talking about styles and players, suggestions of people to check out 2.2. Focus – how to play something well, rather than many things sloppily 2.3 Slowing down – important tool, especially with faster music 2.4 Expanding who you listen to Wavelength #3: Rhythm 3.1 Basic rhythms – notation and mathematical relationships of durations 3.2 Articulation – rhythm on a finer scale 3.3 Phrasing – phrasing matters when you speak and when you play. 3.4 Styles – all styles and players use the same notes, the rhythm, articulation, and phrasing are different in styles of music 3.5 Roles in the band – the drums, bass, piano, and other instruments often play roles and that can affect what rhythms they play 3.6 Focusing on space and how to use it Wavelength #4: Tone 4.1. Personality – overview of tone and what it can do 4.2 Three types of tone 4.3 Implementation – Ballads and long tones Wavelength #5: Technique 5.1 Fingers – huge piece of technique that is often not a focal point. More detail on how the Lindeman works and how to work on it. 5.2 Airstream – being able to hold a steady airstream should be developed 5.3 Speed – fingers & developing speed 5.4 Articulation techniques – making your playing smooth and giving it kick. Wavelength #6: Notes 6.1 Major scales – foundation, harmonically 6.2 Piano – how playing piano helps you on saxophone 6.3 Beyond – composition, etc 6.4 Diminished scales, modes, blues scales Wavelength #7: Imagination 7.1 Structural constraints – like a haiku. Using a new ‘flavor’ of sound- diminished scales, overtones. Trying different styles. 7.2 Inspiration from listening – new places, getting new ideas. 7.3 Drawing from new experiences Bonuses: Practice routine check and feedback -Practicing efficiently will let you sound better quickly, but sometimes practicing can be counterproductive. I’ll check out what you’re doing and make some suggestions. Intonation check -You can find out if one note is in tune and adjust the saxophone, but I’ll check three notes in different ranges and let you know what will work best for overall playing in tune. When? You can sign up at the start of September, registration closes September 14. ($80)
Ted says
Just signed up, thanks Neal.
Neal says
Thanks Ted, welcome to the class!