What should you do when you feel like your sound isn’t projecting the way you wish it would? Change mouthpieces? Reed strengths? Both? Here are some practices I use to develop a big sound—at any volume.
How Do You Accompany Another Soloist With Your Saxophone?
In this lesson I’ll walk you through what I’m thinking as I accompany trumpeter YAYennings in a chord-less band.
Half (Ghost) Tonguing: A 5-Note Exercise to Make Playing Fast Easier
Using half tonguing when playing faster lines can help keep articulation and time in check.
Snarky Puppy Lesson Roundup: 7 Lessons on Memorizing and Retaining Music, Improvising Over Modal and Non-traditional Progressions, and Developing Melodic Ideas
Learning (and retaining) music quickly, navigating non-traditional chord progressions and forms, and finding ways to expand your improvisations on modal and loop-based grooves, these are all things we do on a nightly basis with Snarky Puppy. I’m on tour with them and we just played Utrecht, NL—the city where we recorded “We Like It Here,” it seemed like a good opportunity to round up a few Snarky-related lessons, including one I made during that recording session.
Q&A: Marketing Yourself, Practicing Rhythm, Chord Visualization, and Writing for the Quartet
In this month’s Q&A we cover marketing yourself as a saxophonist, how to practice rhythm, what I’m visualizing when thinking of chords, and what my inspiration was on each track of Quartet.
A Case Study in Applying What You Transcribe and a Terrific Exercise for Getting Chord Changes under Your Fingers (Roy Hargrove on September in the Rain)
How to learn a new piece of vocabulary, apply it, and mix it in with your own improvisations.
Breaking down Stan Getz’s Solo on Pennies From Heaven (Part 3 & 4)
We wrap up this series by examining how Getz takes a familiar seventh chord and applies it in an unusual place to create tension. (See how a small piece of vocabulary can be used to practice tone, time, and technique.) We’ll also explore how to get more out of your transcription practice by including using play-alongs and a metronome.
How to work on keeping your fingers moving while taking breaths
What happens when the line you’re playing is longer than you have air for?
Two Birds With One Stone: Applying the Same Vocabulary Over Both Major and Minor II-Vs
This piece of vocabulary works over both major and minor ii-V’s, making the tune Summertime the perfect vehicle for practice. Remember: your fingers are the time-keeper.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- …
- 56
- Next Page »