Absolutely not.

It's mostly saxophonists but also clarinetists, trumpeters, bass, guitar, and piano players, and even violinists and an accordion player!

There are plenty of saxophone-specific lessons, but the majority of lessons are geared toward improving as a musician in general and will be valuable no matter what instrument you play.

“I worried that the lessons in Bob's studio would be overly saxophone-specific, but I decided to bring my accordion and give it a shot. The benefits I've gotten from the studio have been immense! I transcribed more solos in the first 6 months of the studio than I ever have in my life. The lessons on soloing over static funk grooves have been huge, and Bob's personalized feedback on my solos has been invaluable as I geared up for a studio recording session. I'd recommend this studio to anybody who'll listen.”

—Josh Hou, accordion

I recommend that students have a minimum of 3-5 years of playing experience to get the most out of the Virtual Studio.

At a minimum, you'll need to know and be able to play your 12 major scales and ideally have at least an awareness of basic chords and jazz theory (like what a "II V I" means). At least some experience playing over jazz standards is a huge help.

“I've only been with you a couple of weeks and I can't believe the improvements I'm seeing already in both my tone and technique. The stuff on how and what to practice is awesome. I wish I'd found you years ago!”

—Phil S., UK

Never! We have all age groups inside the Studio. The only requirement is a hunger to learn, and the willingness to get in the practice room.

“I'm 61 and I honestly thought I was "over the hill" when it came to improving technique and memorization. Your studio showed me I was wrong on that. Also, I was a prisoner to written music...but now I am enjoying playing the saxophone again. Also, seeing the behind the scenes of a pro like you who is still working to improve every day is incredibly inspiring.”

—Jack A., St. Louis

$49 each month.

A few things worth considering:

Private lessons with Bob. I do offer 1-on-1 lessons. They are $300 per 50-minute session. Email me at lessons@bobreynoldsmusic.com if you'd like to schedule one.

Equivalent college-level instruction. I remember how shocked I was to discover the per credit hour cost of my 30-minute private lessons at Berklee College of Music to be around $300!

Online college-level courses. A single Berklee Online course costs $1,200-$1,500 for just one 12-week course.

There are certainly other lesser-priced courses available, but often you'll be left with only a set of videos and materials, no personalized direction, feedback, support, etc.

Private lessons (local). I believe you should have an in-person private instructor when you're beginning. But even these will run anywhere from $60-100/hour or $2-300 a month.

I think you'll find any of 3 options for subscribing to my Virtual Studio to be a great value for all you're giving yourself in return.

No.

There are no requirements in terms of completing lessons to stay in the Studio. This is go-at-your-own-pace. Members from all walks of life are inside, and everyone has different amounts of practice time, as well as different goals. The most important thing is that you’re having fun and growing at your own pace. It’s impossible to go on this journey in a purely linear fashion. Also, that wouldn’t be as much fun. As important as it is to never stop working on the fundamentals, it’s as important to be stretched beyond what you know or feel comfortable doing...because on the other side of that is excitement and inspiration.

“Without your transcribing lessons I wouldn't have imagined transcribing a Dexter Gordon solo in less than four weeks. That included one week of only listening and singing and one week on a business trip without the horn. That means only two weeks of transcribing and trying to get fluid with the horn. No way that would have happened a year ago.”

—Brian L., Nebraska

Yes.

Every month we have a transcription challenge inside the studio. I select 3 options of varied difficulty, and you may submit a clip of you performing them.

I personally review these challenges every month and give you feedback on your playing along with insights how to improve and suggest lessons in the studio to explore.

“In addition to focusing on a group of individual lessons and courses, I have benefited most from participating frequently on monthly 'Transcription Challenges' and interacting with other stablemates in the studio’s forum. There is a lot of camaraderie and good vibes among the members of the forum. The forum provides an opportunity to learn from one another, and Bob contributes constantly to the conversation.”

—Ivan Iriarte

All videos inside the Virtual Studio are available for on-demand streaming only.

Once you’re a member you’ll have access to all the content inside 24 hours a day.

You’ll be able to bookmark any lesson to a personal page for viewing later and to build your ideal practice routine.

"FINALLY! Affordable and easily assimilated private lessons. Boom. 8 minutes and I’m off to the races. Peace of cake to implement and rewarding for certain. All my best ability comes from when I was doing what you did in this lesson. Thanks for the overview, demonstration, affirmation, and clarification on putting this method into practice."

—Andrew B., California

Yes. There are no long-term commitments and you may cancel your membership anytime.

However, you will lose all access to all the content in the studio (lessons, courses, community) when you cancel your subscription.

We don't have a "pause" option, per se, but you can rejoin after cancelling without having to get on the waiting list again.

All your saved videos (you’ll have a page you can bookmark any lessons you’re working with), course progress, and forum posts will still be inside the Studio.

Yes!

Every month I post a new “Practice Roadmap” that shows specific lessons to watch and implement that cover all the aspects of a good practice routine. You’ll get videos on building technique, learning tunes, transcribing, and improvisation.

You’ll also get a diagram on how to divide up your practice routine, whether you have 30 minutes or 2 hours to to shed.

“I have benefitted so much from adopting Bob’s approach to practicing my instrument. Adopting his system has allowed me to do a 'quantum leap' on the level of my playing.”

—Ivan Iriarte

All subscriptions are managed through PayPal but you may use any credit card you have linked to your PayPal account.

Try out the Virtual Studio for 14 days and if you discover it's not for you, email me at lessons@bobreynoldsmusic.com and request a refund. I want this to be an exciting journey for you and if you're not happy I'm not happy.