I returned to playing saxophone two years ago and wanted to really study. I viewed the many of the RUclips sax schools and decided Dr. Wally had the most logical argument for following his course. I started with his free 12 month fundamental course and am now a member of the Saxophone Academy. I think it is important to play everyday for at least 15 minutes. I start with the low Bb exercises and work on tone, technique and artistry. I am retired so I have more time to practice but it is still a hobby. The last month of the fundamental course I found really helped me so I do that study twice a month. I listen to music at least one hour a day or more and really enjoy it. I don't try and stress in how I am progressing because I know music will keep my ageing brain sharper and I would rather listen to Hank Mobley or Gene Ammons than watch the news. Good luck to all the saxophone community!
The exercise I worked on that gave me the most benefit was I decided to pick one artist and study their recorded work from beginning to end, and I chose Joe Henderson. I didn’t actually finish yet, but I took 5 months and listened from beginning to end each of Joe Henderson’s Blue Note albums. I started with Page One and ended with Mode For Joe. I did one album per month, and I would listen from beginning to end at least once per day, sometimes more. The first benefit that came to me was it got me practicing diatonic 7th arpeggios. Joe plays them ALL THE TIME! That morphed into more triad studies and practicing that all of that in all 12 keys every day really upped my technique a lot. Plus, what an enjoyable experience learning Joe Henderson’s sound and evolution. He has such a beautiful arc of a career from his Blue Note days to his albums at the end of his career where he seems to reflect back. It’s really a beautiful thing, and starting from the beginning and taking my time going through that was just a great experience.
This is one of the best videos you’ve ever done, and you’ve done a lot of great ones. Thank you so very much - I especially learned and clarified a lot from this one!
The perfect hour to practice for me was the hour immediately after my lesson. I’d go from my teachers studio to a practice room for an hour. When I could do that, I made more progress on the saxophone than any other time period. In contrast, the 30 minutes I spent practicing just BEFORE my piano lesson…well, I’ll never be known as a piano player. 😢
Greetings from Vienna/Austria! As a Saxophone-Teacher myself I find your Videos very inspirational & helpful for my own teaching. Thanks so much and keep on your amazing work - I appreciate it very much 😊
Wow, thanks so much! I hope I get the opportunity to perform/teach in your neck of the woods one day! (I actually have 2 students in my private studio who live in Austria - on is from Australia, that's kinda funny to me) :)
Thanks, Dr. Wally. I generally only ever have an hour to practice. I sit in the backseat of my truck on my lunch hour, tinted windows gives me a bit of privacy! But when I play Exercise Zero people think my truck is having an existential crisis😂
Oh man, I'm so impressed with your dedication. You don't have excuses, you have a suicidal truck!! Seriously, keep it up. I'm cheering you on! Happy practicing!
GREAT Mr. WALLY! THANKS A LOT. Thanks for all your dedication, all your work and specially your ENTHUSIASM to make me / us better SAX PLAYERS. I LOVE how you structure
as someone who came up on classical sax and swapped to basson and is now self teaching jazz sax I am immensely greatful for this structure and resources, much love
So much love coming back at you my friend. I'm immensely happy it's helpful. We're all self-teaching jazz. The records are our constant companions. Keep it up and hit me up here with questions. Have a fantastic weekend :)
This is great. I can do this during my lunch break at work. I get about 4 hours in the day when I can reasonably practice when school isn't in session. (I work at night so I sleep until like 10am PST) I can do my usual routine (Transcriptions, scales charts, changes) and then this.
That's inspiring man! I feel like a kindred spirit. When the other students were attending summer music festivals and traveling, I was woking in warehouses to pay rent. I also worked the overnight shift at a Fuji Photo lab 11pm - 6am one summer, so I know how you feel! Seriously, keep it up. I don't mean this in ANY condescending way, but: I'm proud of you. I really mean that.
I returned to saxophone in February after a brief 25-year hiatus. I've been using your saxophone fundamentals pdf and your videos to re-acclimate, and I'm surprised at how quickly I'm improving. Thanks kindly, from a fellow North Carolinian.
Hey, Dr. Wally. Nice seeing you again! I have been in a fixated state of practice for a time duration that has lasted too long. I can not stop improvising over jazz standards, and it has become redundant. It has gotten to the point of being the sole reason that I pick up the horn. This is, however, not realized without an underlying theory. I heard in an audiobook on jazz improvisation once that Joshua Redman learned most of what he plays on the bandstand, and I figured that it would be a good idea to take after him and set aside some time in life to do the same. On the contrary, a recent addition to my practice sessions has been the incorporation of my own fathomed scale studies with melodic chromaticism. I finally feel like I'm making useful progress again. Nonethless, I need to be more disciplined in finding continuity and diversity in practice. However, the most useful thing that I have been doing in order to refine my overall sound, including swing feel and articulation, is my writing etudes over tunes and implying my own melodic interpretation over them.
It's great to have you back, I've been going through your old videos over and over again to manage the withdrawal symptoms till you come back, and It has been extremely helpful
Great to hear you Sir, came back to the alto last year after a 34 year pause on alto and tenor. Making great progress. Got a great sound. Getting a tenor next month. Over months, your fundamentals book is a huge help.
What a great video this is Dr Wallace, a must for players of all standards. Your comments at the end are so true. So much covered in 22 minutes (and 10 seconds). Valued guidance, good to have you back!
It's so good to see you back again, I've missed the videos and the podcast (although it has given me a chance to catch-up with the podcasts and I'm now only 10 behind!). However, I've been using Exercise Zero since you first introduced it in the Fundamentals book and it is a regular part of my practice schedule - it's great and the benefits are quite clear; unfortunately my overtones are still "work in progress"! Best wishes, Peter.
Hello Dr. Wallace. One exercise that seemed to pay dividend for me getting back into playing was the Scale and Chord Loopers from Brad Carman. I've recently adopted a Circle of Fourths/Circle of Fifths sequential chord exercise over the range of the horn (including lower altissimo notes, yeah....I said it) combined with some "voice leading" from chord to chord. 🎷🎵
Bingo!!! After years, I'm vindicated with Dr. Wally's bassoon/saxophone tonal characteristic(s) reference. (esp. true with the tenor.) This is made more apparent if hearing a produced tone separated by some wall or partisan. When I lived in Vegas, there was one year, each time I'd pass a particular apartment building while walking to work, there was, it would turn out to be, a UNLV bassoonist who would happen to be practicing long tones and etude studies each time I'd be passing. That entire year, I couldn't quite put my finger on what was so different about this particular tenor player's tone. Cut-to almost a year later, as I started out on my trek --like clock-work-- I hear this person practicing as usual. Only this time, just as I approached the building the practicing abruptly ceased. Just as I reached the building, the terrace door to apartment opened, and a young lady exits with a flip-phone pressed to one ear...while steadying a bassoon as she attempted to coordinate with her neck-strap. For some reason that experience has always stuck when hearing particular players, be it a tenor or bassoonist. A similar comparison can be made with certain alto and tenor players sharing tonal/acoustic qualities with that of a soprano sax's mid-range. LOL...Sorry about the rant, but you're the only other person I've yet to hear make that comparison. I wanted to give you 12 'thumbs! ups! Really enjoy your channel Peace...
thanks a ton for everything on this channel, opened my mind up on a lot of things and there're still tons of material that i can't even comprehend yet. trying to go through the fundamentals book right now and it's been beating me up, but it's great! thanks for everything.
If I only have 15min before I leave for work, I always do my 12 major scales (1) octave worth by memory. When I could finally do this it was a gigantic confidence builder, and fun. Later once I put the circle of fifths letter sized graphic in front of me, I could do even better with majors and relative minors. And go through the fundamentals book with much more fun. 😊
One thing I did with the full range scale exercises was take 24 old playing cards and write each major and minor scale on them. I shuffle them separately and seed a deck alternating major and minor, and I'll just play however many I feel I have time for. I eventually get through them all, but they no longer dominate my practice time.
Hello back Getting my major key centers under control. ( I prefer calling them key centers as opposed to scales because I don’t always start on the root.) I might still stumble when a song I’m working on switches into that center, I feel more confident that it will get it back together. I need to get as comfortable with my melodic and harmonic key centers. I’ll go practice now.
Dr. Wally, I am a true beginner, (never ever picked a sax up). Age 58 and just retired. Have Always wanted to learn the sax and now I have the time. What is the best way to start learning. I watch videos and don’t have a clue of what they are talking about. I have been practicing going on my 2nd week. I have been working on the basic 7 notes and finger placement, long tones from those 7 and tongue articulation. When I hear major,minor, flat,sharp, I don’t have a clue as to what they are saying. What direction would you suggest I go in. My goal is to be playing in front of people, (church) in a years time from now. Thank you for any help you can give. Stan
Thank you for your help, I'm loving learning on my own but simple melodies and sax karaoke hold no more allure, I want more nuance and colour, all the things you point to with the right words and excercises 😂
So happy to see you back; you were dearly missed. Did you go to France to buy toursel a new Selmer Supreme alto sax? Thanks for sharing tips on how to better invest time during our pratice sessions. As a baritone play in a rather bigh-level big band in Monfreal, I'm glad you added the deserr part of sight-reading. Thanks for everyting. Best regards, Claire
Awwww, thaks so much! Did not go to Paris, but my dealer called and said he had "the best Supreme he's seen" - so being a sucker, I bought it ;) Glad you're playing in a big band - do you get a chance to go to the Montreal jazz festival??!!!
Greetings from Dublin! Great to see some new content from you. I have started learning sax just a month ago and I have been trying my best to follow some of our easier exercises from the older version of Saxophone Fundamentals. By the way, are the monthly assignments that are on your webpage staying the same with the updated materials, or are they going to be updated?
Great video! Q specifically around exercise 0: do you tongue the low b flat or play it legato? Im on bari sax and am curious about the pay off of trying to nail this note w out tongue. Thanks for reading the q!
Dr. Wally, funny to hear you mention the Ferling book (which I have), because I was sort of planning to go back through my college classical saxophone books with the idea that classical training 'may' help with playing jazz. Jazz is what I always gravitated too but it was not really taught in the university I went to other than a couple of jazz bands. So my knowledge of jazz language is severely lacking. My question is that I prefer to pursue jazz and wonder if the time has come to mostly leave the classical things like etudes, behind? Being an older student like many that gravitate to your channel, there's only so much time but what about trying to manage both embouchures and time dedicated to studying both genres? Is it likely best (in this scenario) to just commit to one over the other and get on with it? Thanks for your time and effort for such a great wealth of information! Greg
Thanks, Dr. Wally. This is very helpful. Question: How do you maintain a good sound on all your saxes? For example, when I go back to tenor after spending some weeks on soprano, my tenor sound is awful. Solution?
Dr. Wally. Good to see you. I like the Ferling. Haha. I don’t love it, but it makes me better. And speaking of etudes…my guilty pleasure for practice is playing etudes written over jazz standards. There is a fair amount of them out there and I just really enjoy playing them. Maybe we need a Dr. Wally book of standard etudes? Hmmm? So much of what you related is in my practice routine. Long tones, overtones, technical practice…diatonic sevenths, etc. Good stuff. One thing…. Transcription is not only emotionally taxing, but sometimes I just want to quit sax, and run away to South America or something. The amount of distress it causes me is difficult to describe. I make little to no progress. This is incredibly frustrating. Suggestions welcome. Maybe I need to go find your YT vid on the topic. Thanks for this. Take care!
Becky, I have terrible new. They have transcription in South America!! I encourage you to not make a value judgement on your transcription accuracy or speed, but value the consistency of the effort. Even if you get 5 notes, but do it every day...at the end of the month you've got a blues chorus. That's a TON of information and language you can apply to your practice. Small, easy, steps. Be kind to yourself, that's an order.
Great Video! Can you recomment any kind of strategy on revisiting things you‘ve practiced maybe weeks ago? I often find myself practicing something for a maybe a week and than I practice something different and tend to forget the things I practiced before. I guess I need some kind of system for that. 😅
Great question! Here's how I go about it: If I'm revisiting something, it's likely for a reason - concert, gig, recording session, RUclips Video, or educational content. So, on my music stand I keep the "on deck" material that I need to perform/record in the next month or so. At the end of the practice session - I go through and hit the hardest spots slowly with a metronome. For keeping jazz standards or other things memorized - I'll let you know if I ever figure that out!
Thank you for the great information. I always learn something with your videos. I also play the flute as well as the saxophone so it's always kind of a struggle to manage your time and what to practice. I find I have to concentrate on one instrument at a time for good technique and everything you talked about. Sometimes I go through a phase where I just improvise with both and do it as much as possible with and without backup. I mean in order to get better at improv you have to do it a lot. Any advice for doublers on organizing your time? It's always a pleasure to view your videos.
Funny enough, I edited out a question at the end about doubling: it was a joke basically saying: "I have no idea!" And that's the truth. I don't double, and really try to not give advice on things I don't do (well). Who would be a good person to ask? Let's think about it!
@@drwallysax That's, okay, I'm managing to manage, I just like to get other people's perspectives especially if it's someone I respect. Here's a good exercise, write a solo over a tune of your choice but without using an instrument. Then once it's written play it on your horn to see if it sounds the way you thought it would. Fix anything you don't like.
Partially commenting for Al Gore’s rhythm. I was just thinking the other day, “man, I haven’t seen Wally on the RUclipss lately.” I’ve seen you in the saxophone academy lounge, but I hadn’t seen a YT video for a while. (I assumed you were busy with other parts of your business, being a family man, etc.) It’s nice to see a YT video though!
What were the tunes used in the transitions? Also, can you do a video on audition Prep? My favorite exercise to work is scale flexibility. I learned this from other woodwind players and it helps with speed and key work.
Hi Dr. Wally, thanks for the lessons. I was wondering if you have any software/app/etc to loop a music you want to transcribe 4bars by 4 bars, at different tempos? I used to play spotify through automatic slow downer (ASD) on iOS or music speed changer on android. But unfortunately, spotify blocked it… Thanks for the hints 😊
Dr. Wally you have often talked about the 2 most important types of scales to learn: Major and Minor. However in your Fundamentals course you concentrate on the Harmonic Minor, not the Natural Minor or Melodic Minor. Why is that? Is there something more important about the Harmonic Minor over the others? Thanks Travis.
Yup, in short: The harmonic minor scale is the major scale of minor scales. It's the form of minor that works "functionally" in the harmony. The natural minor doesn't have a leading tone (thus not having the Dominant function) - and the melodic minor (while certainly used) does not hit the color tones of the ii-half-diminished chord (the predominant function). For minor chords operating in major keys - you're using the major scale. For chords in MINOR key ares - harmonic minor is the best tool. BUT - we use all 12 tones when soloing.
I'm a beginning player and cannot consistently hit low Bb. Should I do exercise 0 with low C instead of low Bb? Or should I still start exercise with low Bb?
Low Bb is not negotiable - the beginner embouchure (when correct) can easily hit low Bb! If the issue is a leak or mechanical, it encourages you to get it fixed as well. Relax, tons of air, you got this.
I'm penciling in Fridays for Dr. Wally! FYI - I just discovered the charm and clarity of Sigurd Rasher mouthpieces, especially for a dark classical sound and the ease of overtones. I'm not a gearhead by any means, but when I started playing them on all my saxes (soprano, alto, and tenor) just a few weeks ago, I fell in love with the rich sound they produced. It's bringing a new joy to picking up the sax. I even featured it with a violinist who won the Allentown Music Club's Past President's Assembly Scholarship on two duets she wrote for violin and cello (now arranged for sax) ruclips.net/video/VBPMXNAtO5k/видео.htmlsi=SwcGp50nfbPTqVc1&t=841 (it's an unlisted video at Emma's request).
Oh cool, I'll check that out! The Rascher mouthpieces are a hoot! I have an acquaintance that makes a modern version too, I think! Funny anecdote, my old jazz teacher used to say "Playing a Rascher mouthpiece feels like pushing a turd through a screen door." I'm not saying it's accurate, but pretty funny :)
I'll be honest, I don't do mouthpiece exercises or recommend them any longer. Long conversation (over coffee one day), but the short: The changes and anatomy to make the mouthpiece affect those sounds doesn't translate to actually playing the instrument. I've seen it become counterproductive in creating exaggerated portamentos, etc.' But, just my 2 cents. I'm on RUclips, don't trust some guy on RUclips! ;)
The things I love to do that don't serve any actually technical benefit are playing etudes or songs or exercises that I can play in my sleep - they are just fun to play and give me the warm and fuzzies after I play them... but if I'm having a bad day and I blame them poorly there is nothing more defeating...
Im doing a Bob Mintzer study (Easy Groove) and there's this bit where goes up to high F with such a full tone and I'm just sounding thin and squeaky up there. I'll try those overtone exercises and see if that helps, thanks! ruclips.net/video/DKdX2d-7PUs/видео.htmlm30s
I returned to playing saxophone two years ago and wanted to really study. I viewed the many of the RUclips sax schools and decided Dr. Wally had the most logical argument for following his course. I started with his free 12 month fundamental course and am now a member of the Saxophone Academy. I think it is important to play everyday for at least 15 minutes. I start with the low Bb exercises and work on tone, technique and artistry. I am retired so I have more time to practice but it is still a hobby. The last month of the fundamental course I found really helped me so I do that study twice a month. I listen to music at least one hour a day or more and really enjoy it. I don't try and stress in how I am progressing because I know music will keep my ageing brain sharper and I would rather listen to Hank Mobley or Gene Ammons than watch the news. Good luck to all the saxophone community!
Fantastic, keep it up! Happy Friday!
Doctor Wally, we've missed you! ❤
The exercise I worked on that gave me the most benefit was I decided to pick one artist and study their recorded work from beginning to end, and I chose Joe Henderson. I didn’t actually finish yet, but I took 5 months and listened from beginning to end each of Joe Henderson’s Blue Note albums. I started with Page One and ended with Mode For Joe. I did one album per month, and I would listen from beginning to end at least once per day, sometimes more.
The first benefit that came to me was it got me practicing diatonic 7th arpeggios. Joe plays them ALL THE TIME! That morphed into more triad studies and practicing that all of that in all 12 keys every day really upped my technique a lot. Plus, what an enjoyable experience learning Joe Henderson’s sound and evolution. He has such a beautiful arc of a career from his Blue Note days to his albums at the end of his career where he seems to reflect back. It’s really a beautiful thing, and starting from the beginning and taking my time going through that was just a great experience.
that is diligence, well done Hank! Happy Friday!
Hooray! Dr. Wally is back!! Great to see you.
Hey Angie! How's your spring/summer going?
Cold turkey's a bear. DR Wally came back before I started to get crampy.
This is one of the best videos you’ve ever done, and you’ve done a lot of great ones. Thank you so very much - I especially learned and clarified a lot from this one!
The perfect hour to practice for me was the hour immediately after my lesson. I’d go from my teachers studio to a practice room for an hour. When I could do that, I made more progress on the saxophone than any other time period. In contrast, the 30 minutes I spent practicing just BEFORE my piano lesson…well, I’ll never be known as a piano player. 😢
Greetings from Vienna/Austria! As a Saxophone-Teacher myself I find your Videos very inspirational & helpful for my own teaching. Thanks so much and keep on your amazing work - I appreciate it very much 😊
Wow, thanks so much! I hope I get the opportunity to perform/teach in your neck of the woods one day! (I actually have 2 students in my private studio who live in Austria - on is from Australia, that's kinda funny to me) :)
Thanks, Dr. Wally. I generally only ever have an hour to practice. I sit in the backseat of my truck on my lunch hour, tinted windows gives me a bit of privacy! But when I play Exercise Zero people think my truck is having an existential crisis😂
Oh man, I'm so impressed with your dedication. You don't have excuses, you have a suicidal truck!! Seriously, keep it up. I'm cheering you on! Happy practicing!
@@drwallysaxreally enjoying being a member of the Private Studio too. Just working thru Blues Walk lessons, and excited to submit my first exam soon.
@@dougjsax Oh, OUR Doug! (I only see RUclips handle). Great to have you! Looking forward to our Blues Walk!
GREAT Mr. WALLY! THANKS A LOT. Thanks for all your dedication, all your work and specially your ENTHUSIASM to make me / us better SAX PLAYERS.
I LOVE how you structure
Awwww, thanks Peter! Happy practicing my friend!
as someone who came up on classical sax and swapped to basson and is now self teaching jazz sax I am immensely greatful for this structure and resources, much love
So much love coming back at you my friend. I'm immensely happy it's helpful. We're all self-teaching jazz. The records are our constant companions. Keep it up and hit me up here with questions. Have a fantastic weekend :)
This is great. I can do this during my lunch break at work. I get about 4 hours in the day when I can reasonably practice when school isn't in session. (I work at night so I sleep until like 10am PST) I can do my usual routine (Transcriptions, scales charts, changes) and then this.
That's inspiring man! I feel like a kindred spirit. When the other students were attending summer music festivals and traveling, I was woking in warehouses to pay rent. I also worked the overnight shift at a Fuji Photo lab 11pm - 6am one summer, so I know how you feel! Seriously, keep it up. I don't mean this in ANY condescending way, but: I'm proud of you. I really mean that.
Nice to see you, Dr. Wally! Hope all is well with you and the SA. :-)
I returned to saxophone in February after a brief 25-year hiatus. I've been using your saxophone fundamentals pdf and your videos to re-acclimate, and I'm surprised at how quickly I'm improving. Thanks kindly, from a fellow North Carolinian.
Hey NC friend! Glad you're playing again, keep at it! Beautiful day here in Greensboro, where you call home?
@drwallysax I'm here in beautiful Hickory, but I've been to the Gate City many times. My wife is a UNCG alumnus.
Great content Dr Wally- really useful guidance as ever. Cheers
Mr B….. go practice 🎷
Thanks! Have a wonderful weekend, and listen to @nigelcreasy6406
Hey, Dr. Wally. Nice seeing you again! I have been in a fixated state of practice for a time duration that has lasted too long. I can not stop improvising over jazz standards, and it has become redundant. It has gotten to the point of being the sole reason that I pick up the horn. This is, however, not realized without an underlying theory. I heard in an audiobook on jazz improvisation once that Joshua Redman learned most of what he plays on the bandstand, and I figured that it would be a good idea to take after him and set aside some time in life to do the same. On the contrary, a recent addition to my practice sessions has been the incorporation of my own fathomed scale studies with melodic chromaticism. I finally feel like I'm making useful progress again. Nonethless, I need to be more disciplined in finding continuity and diversity in practice. However, the most useful thing that I have been doing in order to refine my overall sound, including swing feel and articulation, is my writing etudes over tunes and implying my own melodic interpretation over them.
It's great to have you back, I've been going through your old videos over and over again to manage the withdrawal symptoms till you come back, and It has been extremely helpful
Thanks so much, Glad to be back! Have a great weekend :)
Great comments and advice…. Love to see how you tie this to your pdf guide. Thank you. Look forward to on-going videos. 🎉
Great to hear you Sir, came back to the alto last year after a 34 year pause on alto and tenor. Making great progress. Got a great sound. Getting a tenor next month.
Over months, your fundamentals book is a huge help.
So glad it's helpful, keep at it!!
What a great video this is Dr Wallace, a must for players of all standards. Your comments at the end are so true. So much covered in 22 minutes (and 10 seconds). Valued guidance, good to have you back!
Nigel, that's very kind. Thank you. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
It's so good to see you back again, I've missed the videos and the podcast (although it has given me a chance to catch-up with the podcasts and I'm now only 10 behind!). However, I've been using Exercise Zero since you first introduced it in the Fundamentals book and it is a regular part of my practice schedule - it's great and the benefits are quite clear; unfortunately my overtones are still "work in progress"! Best wishes, Peter.
Great lesson as ever . I have found practicing minor and major pentatonic patterns to be excellent for progressing
Hello Dr. Wallace. One exercise that seemed to pay dividend for me getting back into playing was the Scale and Chord Loopers from Brad Carman. I've recently adopted a Circle of Fourths/Circle of Fifths sequential chord exercise over the range of the horn (including lower altissimo notes, yeah....I said it) combined with some "voice leading" from chord to chord. 🎷🎵
Uah! You are back! I miss you Prof! 😉🙂😄😉👍
Great to see you! Happy practicing!
huge appreciation: much respect ❤
Much respect back at ya! Thanks Steve, have a great weekend.
Bingo!!! After years, I'm vindicated with Dr. Wally's bassoon/saxophone tonal characteristic(s) reference. (esp. true with the tenor.) This is made more apparent if hearing a produced tone separated by some wall or partisan. When I lived in Vegas, there was one year, each time I'd pass a particular apartment building while walking to work, there was, it would turn out to be, a UNLV bassoonist who would happen to be practicing long tones and etude studies each time I'd be passing. That entire year, I couldn't quite put my finger on what was so different about this particular tenor player's tone. Cut-to almost a year later, as I started out on my trek --like clock-work-- I hear this person practicing as usual. Only this time, just as I approached the building the practicing abruptly ceased. Just as I reached the building, the terrace door to apartment opened, and a young lady exits with a flip-phone pressed to one ear...while steadying a bassoon as she attempted to coordinate with her neck-strap. For some reason that experience has always stuck when hearing particular players, be it a tenor or bassoonist. A similar comparison can be made with certain alto and tenor players sharing tonal/acoustic qualities with that of a soprano sax's mid-range. LOL...Sorry about the rant, but you're the only other person I've yet to hear make that comparison. I wanted to give you 12 'thumbs! ups! Really enjoy your channel Peace...
thanks a ton for everything on this channel, opened my mind up on a lot of things and there're still tons of material that i can't even comprehend yet. trying to go through the fundamentals book right now and it's been beating me up, but it's great! thanks for everything.
Keep at it and be kind to yourself. If you were already great at this, I'd be unemployed! Happy practicing!
Great to see you back, Dr Wally. I love your vids and especially your sense of humor… for me best sax content on the web. OK …I go practice 😊
Thank you for the kind words, I hope you have a great weekend!
@@drwallysax❤
If I only have 15min before I leave for work, I always do my 12 major scales (1) octave worth by memory. When I could finally do this it was a gigantic confidence builder, and fun.
Later once I put the circle of fifths letter sized graphic in front of me, I could do even better with majors and relative minors. And go through the fundamentals book with much more fun.
😊
Long time no see… happy you’re back, good to see you again. I enjoy every one of your videos 😍🎶🎷🎶
It's great to be back! Missed you guys. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Hey Dr Wally. Where’s your podcast please. You and Dr Fanshaw made me laugh so much whilst learning while doing my job
Nice to see you again!
Thanks Rob, likewise!
Thanks Dr.! Have a good weekend!
You as well my friend :)
Thanks Dr.Wally. I think this is exactly what I need.
Excellent. Have a wonderful weekend and happy practicing!
One thing I did with the full range scale exercises was take 24 old playing cards and write each major and minor scale on them. I shuffle them separately and seed a deck alternating major and minor, and I'll just play however many I feel I have time for. I eventually get through them all, but they no longer dominate my practice time.
That's a gambling addiction I can get behind! happy Friday!
Hello back
Getting my major key centers under control. ( I prefer calling them key centers as opposed to scales because I don’t always start on the root.) I might still stumble when a song I’m working on switches into that center, I feel more confident that it will get it back together.
I need to get as comfortable with my melodic and harmonic key centers. I’ll go practice now.
Fantastic, keep at it!
Another great resource. Much appreciated Dr Wally
Most welcome, Jamie. Have a fantastic Saturday (after you practice, of course) :)
Glad to see you're back at it, Dr. Wally! Your video content is always top notch and very helpful.
Thanks so much, most kind! Hope you have a fantastic weekend - and goooooo practice!
Dr. Wally, I am a true beginner, (never ever picked a sax up). Age 58 and just retired. Have Always wanted to learn the sax and now I have the time. What is the best way to start learning. I watch videos and don’t have a clue of what they are talking about. I have been practicing going on my 2nd week. I have been working on the basic 7 notes and finger placement, long tones from those 7 and tongue articulation. When I hear major,minor, flat,sharp, I don’t have a clue as to what they are saying. What direction would you suggest I go in. My goal is to be playing in front of people, (church) in a years time from now. Thank you for any help you can give. Stan
Thank you for your help, I'm loving learning on my own but simple melodies and sax karaoke hold no more allure, I want more nuance and colour, all the things you point to with the right words and excercises 😂
Wonderful, I'm here to help! Happy Friday!
You can usually tell the difference between tenor sax and bassoon by the smell (5:00)
True, bassoonists have that whiff of paint thinner and panic.
More good instruction, keep it coming, Wally.
Thanks my friend, happy practicing!
So happy to see you back; you were dearly missed. Did you go to France to buy toursel a new Selmer Supreme alto sax? Thanks for sharing tips on how to better invest time during our pratice sessions. As a baritone play in a rather bigh-level big band in Monfreal, I'm glad you added the deserr part of sight-reading. Thanks for everyting. Best regards, Claire
Awwww, thaks so much! Did not go to Paris, but my dealer called and said he had "the best Supreme he's seen" - so being a sucker, I bought it ;)
Glad you're playing in a big band - do you get a chance to go to the Montreal jazz festival??!!!
Greetings from Dublin! Great to see some new content from you. I have started learning sax just a month ago and I have been trying my best to follow some of our easier exercises from the older version of Saxophone Fundamentals. By the way, are the monthly assignments that are on your webpage staying the same with the updated materials, or are they going to be updated?
Thank you Mr! No i go practice a theme from Cannomball Adderley slowly first.
Ohhh, that sounds like a great idea! Have a wonderful weekend :)
Great video! Q specifically around exercise 0: do you tongue the low b flat or play it legato? Im on bari sax and am curious about the pay off of trying to nail this note w out tongue. Thanks for reading the q!
Dr. Wally, funny to hear you mention the Ferling book (which I have), because I was sort of planning to go back through my college classical saxophone books with the idea that classical training 'may' help with playing jazz. Jazz is what I always gravitated too but it was not really taught in the university I went to other than a couple of jazz bands. So my knowledge of jazz language is severely lacking.
My question is that I prefer to pursue jazz and wonder if the time has come to mostly leave the classical things like etudes, behind? Being an older student like many that gravitate to your channel, there's only so much time but what about trying to manage both embouchures and time dedicated to studying both genres? Is it likely best (in this scenario) to just commit to one over the other and get on with it? Thanks for your time and effort for such a great wealth of information!
Greg
So Nice to get some more wise points of practice wisdom from Dr Wally !! Another valuable resource from the Master. Big Thanks Dr Wally !!🎷
Thanks, Dr. Wally. This is very helpful. Question: How do you maintain a good sound on all your saxes? For example, when I go back to tenor after spending some weeks on soprano, my tenor sound is awful. Solution?
Awesome stuff Dr. Wally!
Thank you! I hope you have a fantastic (and practice filled) weekend! Hit me up with questions if you have any :)
Dr. Wally. Good to see you. I like the Ferling. Haha. I don’t love it, but it makes me better. And speaking of etudes…my guilty pleasure for practice is playing etudes written over jazz standards. There is a fair amount of them out there and I just really enjoy playing them. Maybe we need a Dr. Wally book of standard etudes? Hmmm? So much of what you related is in my practice routine. Long tones, overtones, technical practice…diatonic sevenths, etc. Good stuff. One thing…. Transcription is not only emotionally taxing, but sometimes I just want to quit sax, and run away to South America or something. The amount of distress it causes me is difficult to describe. I make little to no progress. This is incredibly frustrating. Suggestions welcome. Maybe I need to go find your YT vid on the topic. Thanks for this. Take care!
Becky, I have terrible new. They have transcription in South America!!
I encourage you to not make a value judgement on your transcription accuracy or speed, but value the consistency of the effort. Even if you get 5 notes, but do it every day...at the end of the month you've got a blues chorus. That's a TON of information and language you can apply to your practice. Small, easy, steps. Be kind to yourself, that's an order.
@@drwallysax buzz kill. LOL. Thank you. I will continue to work on it! 😂
Great Video!
Can you recomment any kind of strategy on revisiting things you‘ve practiced maybe weeks ago? I often find myself practicing something for a maybe a week and than I practice something different and tend to forget the things I practiced before. I guess I need some kind of system for that. 😅
Great question! Here's how I go about it:
If I'm revisiting something, it's likely for a reason - concert, gig, recording session, RUclips Video, or educational content. So, on my music stand I keep the "on deck" material that I need to perform/record in the next month or so. At the end of the practice session - I go through and hit the hardest spots slowly with a metronome. For keeping jazz standards or other things memorized - I'll let you know if I ever figure that out!
Gracias Doctor
What and how to practice is what originally drew me to the lair of the Saxophone Academy. If only I would listen to this advice…
You can lead a PJ to water, but you can't make him do ear training...
Thank you for the great information. I always learn something with your videos. I also play the flute as well as the saxophone so it's always kind of a struggle to manage your time and what to practice. I find I have to concentrate on one instrument at a time for good technique and everything you talked about. Sometimes I go through a phase where I just improvise with both and do it as much as possible with and without backup. I mean in order to get better at improv you have to do it a lot. Any advice for doublers on organizing your time? It's always a pleasure to view your videos.
Funny enough, I edited out a question at the end about doubling: it was a joke basically saying: "I have no idea!" And that's the truth. I don't double, and really try to not give advice on things I don't do (well). Who would be a good person to ask? Let's think about it!
@@drwallysax That's, okay, I'm managing to manage, I just like to get other people's perspectives especially if it's someone I respect. Here's a good exercise, write a solo over a tune of your choice but without using an instrument. Then once it's written play it on your horn to see if it sounds the way you thought it would. Fix anything you don't like.
Partially commenting for Al Gore’s rhythm.
I was just thinking the other day, “man, I haven’t seen Wally on the RUclipss lately.” I’ve seen you in the saxophone academy lounge, but I hadn’t seen a YT video for a while. (I assumed you were busy with other parts of your business, being a family man, etc.)
It’s nice to see a YT video though!
Al Gore's rhythm? Mike, I'll sick Manbearpig on your butt.
Dr. Wally is Back! 😄🙌
I'm here to chew gum and teach sax. And I'm allll out of chewing gum :)
What were the tunes used in the transitions? Also, can you do a video on audition
Prep?
My favorite exercise to work is scale flexibility. I learned this from other woodwind players and it helps with speed and key work.
Transition tunes were The Sononauts! (my band). I'll certainly consider a video on audition prep ;)
Very practical lesson Thanks 🙏🙏🙏
Most welcome, let me know if you have any questions! Happy practicing!
Lesson Teachee just sent this to me. He hasn’t even watched it
Yet* I know this since he sent me this at 2 minutes
@@MB-pn6ol Ha! I like him already! Happy practicing!
Hi Dr. Wally, thanks for the lessons. I was wondering if you have any software/app/etc to loop a music you want to transcribe 4bars by 4 bars, at different tempos?
I used to play spotify through automatic slow downer (ASD) on iOS or music speed changer on android. But unfortunately, spotify blocked it…
Thanks for the hints 😊
Dr. Wally you have often talked about the 2 most important types of scales to learn: Major and Minor. However in your Fundamentals course you concentrate on the Harmonic Minor, not the Natural Minor or Melodic Minor. Why is that? Is there something more important about the Harmonic Minor over the others? Thanks Travis.
Yup, in short: The harmonic minor scale is the major scale of minor scales. It's the form of minor that works "functionally" in the harmony. The natural minor doesn't have a leading tone (thus not having the Dominant function) - and the melodic minor (while certainly used) does not hit the color tones of the ii-half-diminished chord (the predominant function).
For minor chords operating in major keys - you're using the major scale. For chords in MINOR key ares - harmonic minor is the best tool. BUT - we use all 12 tones when soloing.
Thanks so much papa
You are most welcome!
☮️What’s up Doc👨🏻⚕️🎶🎵🎶🎷
Oh just saxophone stuff :)
What you doin'?
I'm a beginning player and cannot consistently hit low Bb. Should I do exercise 0 with low C instead of low Bb? Or should I still start exercise with low Bb?
Low Bb is not negotiable - the beginner embouchure (when correct) can easily hit low Bb! If the issue is a leak or mechanical, it encourages you to get it fixed as well. Relax, tons of air, you got this.
I'm penciling in Fridays for Dr. Wally! FYI - I just discovered the charm and clarity of Sigurd Rasher mouthpieces, especially for a dark classical sound and the ease of overtones. I'm not a gearhead by any means, but when I started playing them on all my saxes (soprano, alto, and tenor) just a few weeks ago, I fell in love with the rich sound they produced. It's bringing a new joy to picking up the sax. I even featured it with a violinist who won the Allentown Music Club's Past President's Assembly Scholarship on two duets she wrote for violin and cello (now arranged for sax) ruclips.net/video/VBPMXNAtO5k/видео.htmlsi=SwcGp50nfbPTqVc1&t=841 (it's an unlisted video at Emma's request).
Oh cool, I'll check that out! The Rascher mouthpieces are a hoot! I have an acquaintance that makes a modern version too, I think! Funny anecdote, my old jazz teacher used to say "Playing a Rascher mouthpiece feels like pushing a turd through a screen door." I'm not saying it's accurate, but pretty funny :)
I usually do mouthpiece-only exercises before the exercise zero. Do you think I should swap the order?
I'll be honest, I don't do mouthpiece exercises or recommend them any longer. Long conversation (over coffee one day), but the short: The changes and anatomy to make the mouthpiece affect those sounds doesn't translate to actually playing the instrument. I've seen it become counterproductive in creating exaggerated portamentos, etc.'
But, just my 2 cents. I'm on RUclips, don't trust some guy on RUclips! ;)
The things I love to do that don't serve any actually technical benefit are playing etudes or songs or exercises that I can play in my sleep - they are just fun to play and give me the warm and fuzzies after I play them... but if I'm having a bad day and I blame them poorly there is nothing more defeating...
I assure you David, there are many things more defeating!
@@drwallysax oh believe me, I know!
What made you get a Supreme?
Blackmail.
Wait...what? Who's the guy in the tee-shirt?
A dad who's home with 2 kids this summer and a golden retriever tearing up everything in the house. Don't push me man....don't push me....
@@drwallysax I feel you bro'. I have an Irish Setter puppy. It's like constantly living at closing time on a Saturday night in downtown Dublin....
Im doing a Bob Mintzer study (Easy Groove) and there's this bit where goes up to high F with such a full tone and I'm just sounding thin and squeaky up there. I'll try those overtone exercises and see if that helps, thanks!
ruclips.net/video/DKdX2d-7PUs/видео.htmlm30s
Keep at it!!
Keşke Türkçe konussan
Me too :)
Hey Dr Wally. Where’s your podcast please. You and Dr Fanshaw made me laugh so much whilst learning while doing my job
We'll get back to it :)