I'm 78....I've been listening to jazz for 60 years...... never played the alto sax. Now I have one. This guy makes sense; in fact THE only sense for a beginner like me. So far, I can play three notes; A, B, C and D.....a satisfactory start. I WILL master the alto, thanks to sensible videos like this.This is Day One..........I'll report back on my progress in 365 days.
@@rosalindbarbier7670 The good news is.....is.....IS.....that my Yamaha sax has doubled in value....the not-worth-mentioning-news is that I haven't really progressed; but....I can play a few simple jazz riffs, interrupted only by my desire to hear the real thing in my extensive jazz collections!
Great advice. I played clarinet and sax in high school and was ok. Lost interest in playing and am now 56 and getting back into sax playing. I love these videos. Too bad this didn’t exist decades ago. Never would have stopped playing. Thanks Nigel for such great inspiration.
I'm in the same boat. Played in multiple school bands simultaneously. Took private lessons from an old timer saxophone player. Life happened and my horn found it's home in the closet in 1980. I picked it up in the mid 90's and could still play well. Picked it up for the first time since then last week. My fingers know what to do, but my embouchure is toast.
Somehow at 38 years of age I felt that I have to learn saxophone out of nowhere, I am regular to classes (once a week), what I am lacking is focus, not sure how to get it :-)
I. Couldn't agree more well said I'm guilty of them all , my biggest hiccup is attempting to much , not focusing on 1 thing but a multitude of stuff , ie RUclips , loosing focus , trying to much ie new tunes skipping from one thing to another and sometimes after 2 hours not achieving any of my intended goals, yes every day I put two hours in , and it's not a chore , just waiting and working towards that big breakthrough . Whatever that may be , I'm never going to sound like sanborn or Kenny , may just end up sounding like paul I want it to be my big achievement , before I leave this world . Good topic Nigel cheers paul 💥🎷
THANK YOU SO MUCH]!! I BOUGHT MY TENOR SAX A WEEK AGO.. FORTUNATELLY..I WAS FOLLOWING SOME OF THESE CONCEPTS INTUITIVELLY (I VE BEEN AN ADVANCED GUITAR PLAYER FOR OVER 30 YEARS) BUT, DEFINITEVELLY. YOU PUT LIGHT ON MY PATH..THANKS SO MUCH!
You are so spot on about this Nigel ! I am guilty of mistake #1 mostly. I've been focusing on to many different things during my practice time instead of focusing on what's important. I think I'm going to keep the computer turned off for an hour instead of turning it on and trying to learn to many songs at once. Thank you sir for the great advice !
Great! I majored in piano in college. My teacher spent so much time and Energy helping me learn how to Move a finger. Simple. But like Embouchure it is the basis of all Future progress.
.....it reminds me the exact philosophy in Indian classical music which over the years teaches to focus on one's practice without staring the other celestial matters....like yogi....the only goal to achieve the exact 'sa'.......
Ah, thank you very much for this set of advice. I'm (today) now 75 y.o. and only got serious 9 years into retirement (2009). I have a great tenor sax (Selmer Mk VI #847xx) but bad habits. My sound is very much admired. But, I think it is only due to the "old style" embouchure I adapted back in my 20s (~1963-64). Now, my sound is very smooth but I can't count Cut-time worth a damn. At this age, it's hard to learn new habits. BUT, I shall endeavor to follow your series of lessons religiously. Wish me luck. You have inspired me to follow a clearer plan with each practice. Btw, my long tone record is 56 seconds. My lungs are good. But, my playing technique, intonation, counting are all lacking. Boo-hoo. Thanks, again, for an eye-(and ear-)opening video.
I’m in the same boat also. Picking up my sax again after 25 years! Some of t does come back, but more slowly. Mr McGill has great tips, thank I’ll start here and work outward. I’m retired now, so I certainly have the time! Good luck everyone !
great advice! the first 3 apply to just about any instrument: focus, practice, and don't complicate things! i'm hoping to learn the sax soon but that's the stuff that matters for piano and guitar too
I just bought my Sax and I live in an apartment. I’ve got to find another place to practice, as my apt neighbors aren’t very understanding🥴 Guess I need to buy a boat, go waaaaay out on the lake and practice there instead 🤷♂️
Great words of wisdom here, which I think apply to every instrument! I am a double bassist who majored in jazz studies, and used to practice religiously 4-5 hours a day, six days a week. I had a major mental breakdown after I graduated, and developed a serious problem with alcohol. I got back in to music after moving back home, but most of the outfits I play with don't know the first thing about jazz, and the music scene down here is so un-challenging that I've developed the somewhat unhealthy mentality of "I don't even need to practice for this s*ht" (and the sad truth is, I don't, I can busk pretty much every gig). Not quite sure why I reeled all that off, just feeling a bit lost at the moment. Anyway, really enjoyed your vid mate, great stuff :)
im not sure what its like in your state, but where i live you can find jazz enthusiasts in colleges, mainly music ones. Also, if youve got the money, id recommend moving to one of the greater jazz scenes (new orleans, boston, here in Florida we've got a good latin scene if you vibe with that. new orleans is generally better with blues and classic jazz, boston has a pretty good swing one. Chicago is also really good, but these are more traditional. Some modern scenes are florida, specifically the Miami-Dade area, Las Vegas, and internationally Paris, the Baltic States, and Germany have all expressed interest in it) Also, express to them you're just not feeling it, ask to compose your own part if it helps. I don't know a whole ton about the scene (I'm a highschooler who switched to jazz from classical), but i hope you find this helpful :]
showed this vid to my 12 year old son who is starting his second year of sax. he's doing very well, and this inspired him to go have a more productive practice session today. thanks!
I 200% agree with these tips. Simple and common sense but it is so true ! The first tip on focus is may be one of the most challenged these days with all this great and tempting content for sax players on RUclips
The Focus think is actually helpfull for all instruments, I play the guitar for 2 years and i learned tons of beginings of songs but i actually know how to play a few songs only Tnx for this video :)
Keep it simple great advice I’ve been working on trying to get altissimo note and got so obsessed with it kind of lost my low and mid range and ended up with thin sound Keep it simple has reminded me what it’s all about A lovely melody and a nice warm tone Thank you
I agree Sir, only thing I disagree with is ones choice of gear. I believe if a person can afford it to invest in professional gear which hugely improves the overall quality of training. However your point is well taken if the approach is to consistently change mouthpieces, saxophones, ligatures etc; I personally have found your advice one of the most that make perfect sense. Keep it simple and commit to one thing at a time is the most helpful personally. Thx man
Absolutely essential advice! Can't thank you enough for saying exactly what I've been trying to get my daughter to understand. Apparently, as long as it's not her mother saying it, she'll listen. Oh, well🤷🏼♀️ as long as she's listening. Right?!?
Thanks heaps, great advice. I have such a habit of starting to learn something, but then without perfecting it, i move on to learning something else! In the end there's nothing complete. And a stupid question for you, probably no answer, but I practice every evening for about 45 minutes, and always at same time. Reason being that I feel paranoid regarding my neighbors hearing me make a racket.. and that's even with rag in the bell. For some reason I reckon I would play so much more and at different times, except for that constant awareness of who hearing me. Anybody else out there feel same?? Thanks again for your lesson.
You know what, that's done the trick for me! When I seen your msg, my mind immediately went to the sound of bagpipes, and I thought...the Sax can only be soothing in comparison:-). Thanks!
Your not alone in this friend. I know how dreadful I sound as a beginner and have no wish to irritate anyone but this instrument fascinates me. I have a tiny walk in closet in my apt. and only my neighbor downstairs and we have discussed best hours. Lucky I know.
P. Marro Sounds like you've found something that works:-). You'll get fed up in there though at some point:-). It's like me using t-shirt stuck in the bell to muffle sound. More and more now, I just remove it and play naturally. Sax sounds so much sharper, and I can play those low notes that get strangled because of using muffler. I guess I'm lucky in one sense that I live above a shop, therefore only the neighbors left and right I worry about. But if you living in bock of flats, very different scenario. How long you been playing?
I am sure it does ! It is common sense but the result of years of work for sure. I also agree on regularity, it is key for improvement. I believe up to 3 times a week you maintain your level. Every day practice helps us really improve your level. 🎷👍
About that fifth item. Back when I was first struggling to convert from Trumpet to Sax my teacher had me try several mouthpieces. At the time I was using a generic mouthpiece. That day we found that the C* almost magically fixed my sound problems. Ten plus years and thousands of hours later I am still using a C* mouthpiece on ever horn I have. I am not quite sure how to explain this but my teacher was also a hybrid Trumpet/Sax player and that was a very good day in my playing history.
Thanks for this….I’ve only been playing for about 10 days and the only thing I am not doing correctly is my embouchure. Sometimes I nail and other times not so well. But I do practice everyday for at least an hour, just on G scale and the first verse of a simple tune. I also have 1 lesson a week. This is a good video because at least I can go back to my tutor and ask him to spend one lesson going through my embouchure. 👍🏿
Leslie Evans was a fantastic sax teacher. He taught me from 1955 age 11 to 1958, He lived in Colney Hatch Lane north London and he was a very nice man.
I am just a hobby saxophone player. I do agree and am taking on board the 5 tips. Keep it simple and don't blame your lousy work on your instrument. You express yourself through your instrument, and not the other way round. Thank you for the tips.
Hey Nigel, probably the biggest benefit I get from sax school is focus. I was all over the place bit of this some of that must try this and that. You helped me to focus and, I am playing better than I ever thought I could. Thanks.
I agree with you, especially on focusing on one thing at a time and learning that before moving on. I have played a few instruments in the past 22 years from Keyboard, Irish whistles and flutes and accordion so I have learned what you have said, especially not getting distracted and losing focus when you do practice. I have started three weeks ago to learn to play the Alto saxophone and got myself a beginner one which came with the saxophone body, neck, standard mouthpiece, pad saver, basic metal ligature, neck strap, a box of Rico #2 reeds and a carrying case. When you say its not about the gear, that is mostly true except I found that it would be good to upgrade the mouthpiece to something a little better at the start if you only have a basic plastic one. I replaced my saxophones basic one with a Yamaha 4C and a Rovner dark ligature and I found I got a better tone from it and found it easier to play than with the mouthpiece that came with my sax and didn't have to pass as much air through it to get a sound. I also got some mouthpiece pads and cork grease and replaced the neck strap to a Rico padded strap as the basic one that came with my saxophone wasn't that good and didn't feel nice around my neck and got some extra reeds.
Cheers for your comments - sounds like you’re getting a nice setup there. Now that you’re comfortable though and happy with the sound, it’s best to focus on building your technique and embouchure strength. Have fun.
I've been playing flute for awhile and am happy with my embouchure. Thinking about giving the alto a go. I heard that it could be a slight advantage when starting with the sax having already developing somewhat of a embouchure. Eric Dolphy is one of my inspirations.
i say do it!! I switched from euphonium and trombone to sax, and i was worried about embouchure too, but i caught on easily (though i struggle with too tight of an embochure at times). if you can focus, you can play anything :]
Your best teacher I've found here. I'm a beginner and I will be following you. Thank you. Oh and I almost bought a different mouth piece but canceled it after watching this.Thanks again!
I am also guilty of all the things you have mentioned here Nigel but one thing I’d like to add is the battle with the mind, that monkey mind telling us that we can’t do it especially when practice isn’t going the way we’d like it. So I put my sax down and come back the next day and funny enough I have a great practice session. Thanks 👍
I'm recently returning to playing the Sax. Its been 9 years, and I played for about 4. These rules made me think back to the methods my Instructor had for teaching us. Thank you for helping me on my journey of self-relearning???? If thats a thing lol
Thanks for mentioning the last one. All these talks and questions about gear are so annoying when you are a beginner. I had always feeling that people focus on it much more than on the technique.
Great advice! I am so glad you included a discussion NOT to keep changing your gear! I wish you would have mentioned learning to keep STEADY TIME as one of the focus points.
I think it really helps if you have a mouthpiece that is going o produce the type of sound and response that you have in your mind, which means you can just blow it an the sound will be in the ballpark for you. Once your tone is developed I think it will come through on any mouthpiece (with varying ease). It was Sanborn and Brecker's tones that made me want to play, so a low-baffle, wide chamber mouthpiece would have been nowhere near it. I got a Sakshama MB2 and I love it. Yes I do make a lot of noise. Never had any complaints though. Must be good neighbors around me.
Great tips, many many thanks. Daily practice tops it, what a difference it’s made to my play compared to when I started 15 years ago (stopped 11 since and took the sax again last June) taking a 1h lesson/week and no other practice. I change gear though as it really helps building and firming my embouchure, going from a 1.8mm (Meyer 6M) to a 1.9mm (Selmer Soloist D) to a 2mm (Theo Wanne GAIA 2) mouthpieces, varying my ligatures and reed strengths (mainly V21 3 and VanDoren 3S or 3M) to suit them. After 10-20’ warm up, I also like to work 15-30´on 3-5 pieces of music simultaneously as I found it prevents me getting bored, too bad for the focus. Keep It So Simple always!
I could not agree more with developing a good habit and keeping it simply sweet. I'll have to find time and practice hard to improve my embouchure. Great.
When is a good moment to upgrade from student sax to intermediate/pro sax? I started playing like 15 years ago, and still playing on my original student sax, still sounds pretty good for the age, but I do feel a better sax would greatly help improve my sound at this point 😅
I bought myself a Yamaha YAS-280 which turned up today and also today I bought an E-Sax Whisper mute so I don’t annoy the neighbours... I have never played before but wanting to learn Ibiza House and Funk
This video was great! I play bass Clarinet and Bass Clarinet really aren’t in jazz band. So for my school’s jazz band i’m playing tenor and this video helped a lot.
1er conseil : parfaitement logique et plein de bon sens 2ième : très juste aussi , bien entendu ! Et ne pas oublier qu'il existe TOUJOURS un meilleur bec que le nôtre . Mais rien ne sert de courir après l'Eldorado .......ce n'est qu'une grosse perte de temps . Moralité : la voie de la simplicité est toujours la meilleure et , finalement , c'est elle qui fait progresser le plus vite . Belle mise au point Nigel !
Played my first two notes today, Only had my Sax 12 hours, lol , its a bit like a bad workman always blames his tools So I will take onboard your wise words and start on the right foot , Thanks
i certainly don't have a problem with number two... i keep on having to stop myself from playing to work on homework (it's probably the novelty of it since i just got it)
This is plain and simple good common sense advice..........but so easily forgotten. Thanks for this one Nigel, I’m off to focus on keeping things simple with good emboucher technique as part of my continuing practice habit on the basic gear I’ve got 😉😎 see I paid attention 👍🏼👍🏼
About the last tip, maybe the saxophonist can play something really well with a sax that has an F or F sharp key, but not so well on one that doesn't. However, I know the point you are trying to get across, and it is a valuable lesson never the less.
Nigel, if the mistakes you've highlighted were crimes, I'd be in jail for life! I'm going to try extra hard to commit to better practice habits. I'm guilty of all of them but especially the FOCUS and working on my EMBOUCHURE. Thanks for all you do to help us "criminals" to get better despite ourselves!
First video I've seen from you, I'm thinking about starting up with the sax, and on top of the knowledge in this video which should help me out a lot, you're also incredibly likeable which helps when take in information. New subscriber right here!
Practice safe sax everybody
was gonna like but it's at 69 likes
There's always that one guy who makes a sex/sax pun...
To keep it safe always try the “Phone Sax” Dial 1-800-SAX-PHONE
do they have any condoms for sax? lol..
In church, plays low Bb.
Me: Sorry, my sax farted...
I'm 78....I've been listening to jazz for 60 years...... never played the alto sax. Now I have one. This guy makes sense; in fact THE only sense for a beginner like me. So far, I can play three notes; A, B, C and D.....a satisfactory start. I WILL master the alto, thanks to sensible videos like this.This is Day One..........I'll report back on my progress in 365 days.
hey, it's been two years! how's it going?
How is it going man ? Can't wait to buy a sax next week and embark on my sax journey.
Awesome. I’m 66 just started Sax and also determined. Love it. Played flute for years but this is really fun
Hey Firebrand55, how are you getting on? I hope you are well and that you some good tunes now.
@@rosalindbarbier7670 The good news is.....is.....IS.....that my Yamaha sax has doubled in value....the not-worth-mentioning-news is that I haven't really progressed; but....I can play a few simple jazz riffs, interrupted only by my desire to hear the real thing in my extensive jazz collections!
As a beginner, this was some of the best 8 minutes I've seen on RUclips! Thank you 👍👍
Awesome. Thanks Craig!
Make sure to practice and never quit wink 😉
Great advice. I played clarinet and sax in high school and was ok. Lost interest in playing and am now 56 and getting back into sax playing. I love these videos. Too bad this didn’t exist decades ago. Never would have stopped playing. Thanks Nigel for such great inspiration.
I’m so glad the videos are helping Mark!
I'm in the same boat. Played in multiple school bands simultaneously. Took private lessons from an old timer saxophone player. Life happened and my horn found it's home in the closet in 1980. I picked it up in the mid 90's and could still play well. Picked it up for the first time since then last week. My fingers know what to do, but my embouchure is toast.
Focus...what's that?Yes Nigel, I'm guilty of jumping from one thing to another all the time.I even wondered if I have ADHD.I'll try harder...honest.
+Lawrence Fairbairn I think we're all a little guilty of not enough focus Lawrence. But, realising it means we can get better right?
How do you think I got to this video, jumping from one video to the next
Somehow at 38 years of age I felt that I have to learn saxophone out of nowhere, I am regular to classes (once a week), what I am lacking is focus, not sure how to get it :-)
Damn, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with that ADHD stuff. I am rededicating myself to serious practice.
😂😂😂same here
I could not agree more; especially, keeping it simple and not assuming changing the gear will make a miracle.
I. Couldn't agree more well said I'm guilty of them all , my biggest hiccup is attempting to much , not focusing on 1 thing but a multitude of stuff , ie RUclips , loosing focus , trying to much ie new tunes skipping from one thing to another and sometimes after 2 hours not achieving any of my intended goals, yes every day I put two hours in , and it's not a chore , just waiting and working towards that big breakthrough . Whatever that may be , I'm never going to sound like sanborn or Kenny , may just end up sounding like paul I want it to be my big achievement , before I leave this world . Good topic Nigel cheers paul 💥🎷
Thanks Paul. Great to hear this helped you.
For God's sakes, dude, PLEASE learn to punctuate and SPELL! I got dizzy ready your garble. Fuck's sake.
Stephen Robertson your dumb
THANK YOU SO MUCH]!!
I BOUGHT MY TENOR SAX A WEEK AGO..
FORTUNATELLY..I WAS FOLLOWING SOME OF THESE CONCEPTS INTUITIVELLY (I VE BEEN AN ADVANCED GUITAR PLAYER FOR OVER 30 YEARS)
BUT, DEFINITEVELLY. YOU PUT LIGHT ON MY PATH..THANKS SO MUCH!
You are so spot on about this Nigel ! I am guilty of mistake #1 mostly. I've been focusing on to many different things during my practice time instead of focusing on what's important. I think I'm going to keep the computer turned off for an hour instead of turning it on and trying to learn to many songs at once. Thank you sir for the great advice !
Great! I majored in piano in college.
My teacher spent so much time and
Energy helping me learn how to
Move a finger. Simple. But like
Embouchure it is the basis of all
Future progress.
Definitely agree Bill. Thanks for your comments.
At 61 y/o I am finally picking up the Sax. Thanks for the tips; it's always good to start with a bit of knowledge and good habits from the start.
Brilliant. Great to hear the videos have helped you!
.....it reminds me the exact philosophy in Indian classical music which over the years teaches to focus on one's practice without staring the other celestial matters....like yogi....the only goal to achieve the exact 'sa'.......
Ah, thank you very much for this set of advice. I'm (today) now 75 y.o. and only got serious 9 years into retirement (2009).
I have a great tenor sax (Selmer Mk VI #847xx) but bad habits. My sound is very much admired. But, I think it is only due to the "old style" embouchure I adapted back in my 20s (~1963-64). Now, my sound is very smooth but I can't count Cut-time worth a damn. At this age, it's hard to learn new habits. BUT, I shall endeavor to follow your series of lessons religiously. Wish me luck.
You have inspired me to follow a clearer plan with each practice. Btw, my long tone record is 56 seconds. My lungs are good. But, my playing technique, intonation, counting are all lacking. Boo-hoo.
Thanks, again, for an eye-(and ear-)opening video.
Great advice for any instrument!
Cool, cheers!
Periodtt
Thank you!! Just bought a sax after not playing for 20 years I’m terrible but still remember some scales!!
I’m in the same boat also. Picking up my sax again after 25 years! Some of t does come back, but more slowly. Mr McGill has great tips, thank I’ll start here and work outward. I’m retired now, so I certainly have the time! Good luck everyone !
great advice! the first 3 apply to just about any instrument: focus, practice, and don't complicate things! i'm hoping to learn the sax soon but that's the stuff that matters for piano and guitar too
I just bought my Sax and I live in an apartment. I’ve got to find another place to practice, as my apt neighbors aren’t very understanding🥴 Guess I need to buy a boat, go waaaaay out on the lake and practice there instead 🤷♂️
That’s tricky. You need to practice playing quietly James.
I’m a beginner as well. I practice at a local park away from everyone.
Thank you McGill, I´m from Mexico and I´m really glad with this sax class, also I´m learning to speak english!!!
You'll be a Mexican with an Australian accent, I bet there's not many around! 😁
still working on it. sadly throat cancer messed up my breathing but still working on it, never give up
Great words of wisdom here, which I think apply to every instrument!
I am a double bassist who majored in jazz studies, and used to practice religiously 4-5 hours a day, six days a week. I had a major mental breakdown after I graduated, and developed a serious problem with alcohol. I got back in to music after moving back home, but most of the outfits I play with don't know the first thing about jazz, and the music scene down here is so un-challenging that I've developed the somewhat unhealthy mentality of "I don't even need to practice for this s*ht" (and the sad truth is, I don't, I can busk pretty much every gig).
Not quite sure why I reeled all that off, just feeling a bit lost at the moment. Anyway, really enjoyed your vid mate, great stuff :)
im not sure what its like in your state, but where i live you can find jazz enthusiasts in colleges, mainly music ones. Also, if youve got the money, id recommend moving to one of the greater jazz scenes (new orleans, boston, here in Florida we've got a good latin scene if you vibe with that. new orleans is generally better with blues and classic jazz, boston has a pretty good swing one. Chicago is also really good, but these are more traditional. Some modern scenes are florida, specifically the Miami-Dade area, Las Vegas, and internationally Paris, the Baltic States, and Germany have all expressed interest in it) Also, express to them you're just not feeling it, ask to compose your own part if it helps. I don't know a whole ton about the scene (I'm a highschooler who switched to jazz from classical), but i hope you find this helpful :]
showed this vid to my 12 year old son who is starting his second year of sax. he's doing very well, and this inspired him to go have a more productive practice session today. thanks!
I 200% agree with these tips. Simple and common sense but it is so true ! The first tip on focus is may be one of the most challenged these days with all this great and tempting content for sax players on RUclips
Hey thanks for your comments. Great to hear you agree. I hope it helps some folks.
Nigel you're an absolute gem, I wouldn't be gigging on sax without ya man.
+damodrummer1 Cheers!
now back to learning Take 5! Why oh why is it so damn awkward, hehe.
The Focus think is actually helpfull for all instruments,
I play the guitar for 2 years and i learned tons of beginings of songs but i actually know how to play a few songs only
Tnx for this video :)
You're such a nice human being. 😄
Keep it simple great advice I’ve been working on trying to get altissimo note and got so obsessed with it kind of lost my low and mid range and ended up with thin sound Keep it simple has reminded me what it’s all about A lovely melody and a nice warm tone Thank you
I agree Sir, only thing I disagree with is ones choice of gear. I believe if a person can afford it to invest in professional gear which hugely improves the overall quality of training. However your point is well taken if the approach is to consistently change mouthpieces, saxophones, ligatures etc; I personally have found your advice one of the most that make perfect sense. Keep it simple and commit to one thing at a time is the most helpful personally. Thx man
Your advice is very appropriate in all ways. Thanks again. Yes keeping things simple make your play better
Absolutely essential advice! Can't thank you enough for saying exactly what I've been trying to get my daughter to understand. Apparently, as long as it's not her mother saying it, she'll listen. Oh, well🤷🏼♀️ as long as she's listening. Right?!?
As a brand new ‘mature’ player this is clear, non-fussy, informative and immensely helpful. I am determined to learn.
Great to hear that Lorraine! Glad it helped you.
I thought this would actually be helpful, but he just told me exactly what my band director tells me every day.
Skyla Henry same LMAO😂😂😏
Your band teacher knows! If this was not helpful, you need to consult a private instructor.
Meme Obsessed Emo Rat: maybe cuz it’s good advice. :)
Exactly 😂😂😂 this applies to every instrument
Well then ...must be something to it huh? There’s no magic, gotta put the time in!
Thanks for your encouragement and positiveness!
Great advice my friend. Now had 2 lessons with my Saxophone teacher. Going good so far
How are lessons going? Sticking with it?
Thanks heaps, great advice. I have such a habit of starting to learn something, but then without perfecting it, i move on to learning something else! In the end there's nothing complete. And a stupid question for you, probably no answer, but I practice every evening for about 45 minutes, and always at same time. Reason being that I feel paranoid regarding my neighbors hearing me make a racket.. and that's even with rag in the bell. For some reason I reckon I would play so much more and at different times, except for that constant awareness of who hearing me.
Anybody else out there feel same?? Thanks again for your lesson.
+keith plunkett Hey Keith, I think just about all us saxophone players are conscious of our neighbours. It's just one of those things.
I used to be the same until I heard my neighbor practicing his BAGPIPES!!
You know what, that's done the trick for me! When I seen your msg, my mind immediately went to the sound of bagpipes, and I thought...the Sax can only be soothing in comparison:-). Thanks!
Your not alone in this friend. I know how dreadful I sound as a beginner and have no wish to irritate anyone but this instrument fascinates me. I have a tiny walk in closet in my apt. and only my neighbor downstairs and we have discussed best hours. Lucky I know.
P. Marro Sounds like you've found something that works:-). You'll get fed up in there though at some point:-). It's like me using t-shirt stuck in the bell to muffle sound. More and more now, I just remove it and play naturally. Sax sounds so much sharper, and I can play those low notes that get strangled because of using muffler. I guess I'm lucky in one sense that I live above a shop, therefore only the neighbors left and right I worry about. But if you living in bock of flats, very different scenario. How long you been playing?
I am sure it does ! It is common sense but the result of years of work for sure. I also agree on regularity, it is key for improvement. I believe up to 3 times a week you maintain your level. Every day practice helps us really improve your level. 🎷👍
About that fifth item. Back when I was first struggling to convert from Trumpet to Sax my teacher had me try several mouthpieces. At the time I was using a generic mouthpiece. That day we found that the C* almost magically fixed my sound problems. Ten plus years and thousands of hours later I am still using a C* mouthpiece on ever horn I have. I am not quite sure how to explain this but my teacher was also a hybrid Trumpet/Sax player and that was a very good day in my playing history.
Thanks for this….I’ve only been playing for about 10 days and the only thing I am not doing correctly is my embouchure. Sometimes I nail and other times not so well. But I do practice everyday for at least an hour, just on G scale and the first verse of a simple tune. I also have 1 lesson a week. This is a good video because at least I can go back to my tutor and ask him to spend one lesson going through my embouchure. 👍🏿
Best thing I ever did was to get hold of some Leslie Evans tutorials thirty years ago. Absolutely brilliant teacher!
Leslie Evans was a fantastic sax teacher. He taught me from 1955 age 11 to 1958, He lived in Colney Hatch Lane north London and he was a very nice man.
I am just a hobby saxophone player. I do agree and am taking on board the 5 tips. Keep it simple and don't blame your lousy work on your instrument. You express yourself through your instrument, and not the other way round. Thank you for the tips.
Cheers, glad you found this helpful.
I'm guilty on all 5 counts. Thanks for putting me back on the right track.
No problem, glad the video was helpful!
Hey Nigel, probably the biggest benefit I get from sax school is focus. I was all over the place bit of this some of that must try this and that. You helped me to focus and, I am playing better than I ever thought I could. Thanks.
+Gerald Smith Great to hear that Gerry!
I agree with you, especially on focusing on one thing at a time and learning that before moving on. I have played a few instruments in the past 22 years from Keyboard, Irish whistles and flutes and accordion so I have learned what you have said, especially not getting distracted and losing focus when you do practice. I have started three weeks ago to learn to play the Alto saxophone and got myself a beginner one which came with the saxophone body, neck, standard mouthpiece, pad saver, basic metal ligature, neck strap, a box of Rico #2 reeds and a carrying case.
When you say its not about the gear, that is mostly true except I found that it would be good to upgrade the mouthpiece to something a little better at the start if you only have a basic plastic one. I replaced my saxophones basic one with a Yamaha 4C and a Rovner dark ligature and I found I got a better tone from it and found it easier to play than with the mouthpiece that came with my sax and didn't have to pass as much air through it to get a sound. I also got some mouthpiece pads and cork grease and replaced the neck strap to a Rico padded strap as the basic one that came with my saxophone wasn't that good and didn't feel nice around my neck and got some extra reeds.
Cheers for your comments - sounds like you’re getting a nice setup there. Now that you’re comfortable though and happy with the sound, it’s best to focus on building your technique and embouchure strength. Have fun.
I've been playing flute for awhile and am happy with my embouchure. Thinking about giving the alto a go. I heard that it could be a slight advantage when starting with the sax having already developing somewhat of a embouchure. Eric Dolphy is one of my inspirations.
i say do it!! I switched from euphonium and trombone to sax, and i was worried about embouchure too, but i caught on easily (though i struggle with too tight of an embochure at times). if you can focus, you can play anything :]
Focus! *Info bubble advertising over 500+ lessons pops up*... .... ..... *Click*
+Hughbert Lol
It was really just a test to see if you're really paying attention
God bless you for this message
Thanks so much I agree and start to focus, start the simple music first, practice to improve my embouchure...
Your best teacher I've found here. I'm a beginner and I will be following you. Thank you. Oh and I almost bought a different mouth piece but canceled it after watching this.Thanks again!
Awesome Marc and thanks! I hope I can help you learn!
I am also guilty of all the things you have mentioned here Nigel but one thing I’d like to add is the battle with the mind, that monkey mind telling us that we can’t do it especially when practice isn’t going the way we’d like it. So I put my sax down and come back the next day and funny enough I have a great practice session.
Thanks 👍
Meaningful advice. Thank you Sir. I'm planning to get sax next week.
I'm recently returning to playing the Sax. Its been 9 years, and I played for about 4. These rules made me think back to the methods my Instructor had for teaching us. Thank you for helping me on my journey of self-relearning???? If thats a thing lol
Brilliant. I'm so glad this helped you.
Thanks for mentioning the last one. All these talks and questions about gear are so annoying when you are a beginner. I had always feeling that people focus on it much more than on the technique.
I used to think it was all about the gear but I have a Conn USA student model and I get a amazing sound out of it
Very lovely information
At age of 59 started form 5 months
As a musician who is moving from keyboards to sax, this was really eye opening
Great. Glad it was helpful Chris.
Great advice! I am so glad you included a discussion NOT to keep changing your gear! I wish you would have mentioned learning to keep STEADY TIME as one of the focus points.
Hi Mark, you;re right, time is such an important thing to focus on with your playing. Thanks for checking out my video.
I think it really helps if you have a mouthpiece that is going o produce the type of sound and response that you have in your mind, which means you can just blow it an the sound will be in the ballpark for you. Once your tone is developed I think it will come through on any mouthpiece (with varying ease). It was Sanborn and Brecker's tones that made me want to play, so a low-baffle, wide chamber mouthpiece would have been nowhere near it. I got a Sakshama MB2 and I love it.
Yes I do make a lot of noise. Never had any complaints though. Must be good neighbors around me.
Great tips, many many thanks. Daily practice tops it, what a difference it’s made to my play compared to when I started 15 years ago (stopped 11 since and took the sax again last June) taking a 1h lesson/week and no other practice. I change gear though as it really helps building and firming my embouchure, going from a 1.8mm (Meyer 6M) to a 1.9mm (Selmer Soloist D) to a 2mm (Theo Wanne GAIA 2) mouthpieces, varying my ligatures and reed strengths (mainly V21 3 and VanDoren 3S or 3M) to suit them. After 10-20’ warm up, I also like to work 15-30´on 3-5 pieces of music simultaneously as I found it prevents me getting bored, too bad for the focus. Keep It So Simple always!
+Thierry Martin Brilliant Thierry, sounds like you have a great plan there!
Great advice I think this is best I’ve heard yet thankyou
I could not agree more with developing a good habit and keeping it simply sweet. I'll have to find time and practice hard to improve my embouchure. Great.
Cheers Luke. Glad it was helpful.
Just came acros this video.Guilty on all charges.I will pick up my sax again,Thanks for your effort.
Glad it helped you!
I am a noob at Sax but I will practice really hard.
piyush patel are you good now?
downloaded your lessons. just waiting for my alto sax to come. great!
Excellent info, it's the only way to sound great, so take your time and enjoy the journey.
Cool. Thanks for checking out this lesson.
Great advice. I have to confess that I’ve failed in most of them. Thanks a lot for this motivational video.
When is a good moment to upgrade from student sax to intermediate/pro sax? I started playing like 15 years ago, and still playing on my original student sax, still sounds pretty good for the age, but I do feel a better sax would greatly help improve my sound at this point 😅
wow my new go to sax u tube watch, not selling anything just great advise. Thankyou
Cheers Alan!
I bought myself a Yamaha YAS-280 which turned up today and also today I bought an E-Sax Whisper mute so I don’t annoy the neighbours... I have never played before but wanting to learn Ibiza House and Funk
thanks for taking the time to show me what i was always lacking . practice is very important
You’re welcome Peter. I’m glad it was helpful.
This video was great! I play bass Clarinet and Bass Clarinet really aren’t in jazz band. So for my school’s jazz band i’m playing tenor and this video helped a lot.
Great to hear that Maddy. Good luck with your tenor.
Thank you for that valuable advice.
1er conseil : parfaitement logique et plein de bon sens 2ième : très juste aussi , bien entendu ! Et ne pas oublier qu'il existe TOUJOURS un meilleur bec que le nôtre . Mais rien ne sert de courir après l'Eldorado .......ce n'est qu'une grosse perte de temps . Moralité : la voie de la simplicité est toujours la meilleure et , finalement , c'est elle qui fait progresser le plus vite . Belle mise au point Nigel !
Commonsense, down to earth advice....however, when I bought an Aizen mouthpiece 3 years ago, I noticed the difference right away!
Played my first two notes today, Only had my Sax 12 hours, lol , its a bit like a bad workman always blames his tools
So I will take onboard your wise words and start on the right foot , Thanks
Tomtresco The sax community welcomes you. Good luck my friend!
Thankyou for the great video. I have ben playing saxaphone for 30+ and still i learn something new. Thanks :D
I started playing today, I find IT har to keep the spesific note clean... But this video helped a lot
That keep It simple thing. It got me so hard😂😂😂
i certainly don't have a problem with number two... i keep on having to stop myself from playing to work on homework (it's probably the novelty of it since i just got it)
Well done - applies to any endeavor really.
This is plain and simple good common sense advice..........but so easily forgotten. Thanks for this one Nigel, I’m off to focus on keeping things simple with good emboucher technique as part of my continuing practice habit on the basic gear I’ve got 😉😎 see I paid attention 👍🏼👍🏼
Awesome Deano!
Thanks I learnt something from you
Brill!
Thank-you, good advice for self-taught players! 🤗👍🏻🎵🎷
Good sound advice...like it a lot. This has really inspired me and I will start right now with this regime. Thank you.
Thanks Andy, great to hear it helped.
About the last tip, maybe the saxophonist can play something really well with a sax that has an F or F sharp key, but not so well on one that doesn't. However, I know the point you are trying to get across, and it is a valuable lesson never the less.
Nigel, if the mistakes you've highlighted were crimes, I'd be in jail for life! I'm going to try extra hard to commit to better practice habits. I'm guilty of all of them but especially the FOCUS and working on my EMBOUCHURE. Thanks for all you do to help us "criminals" to get better despite ourselves!
Ha! Don’t worry we are all a little guilty of these things. Glad this lesson helped you.
Am going to practice this and see
Wonderful and fluent and clear and friendly presentation, Very Helpful, Thank you so much.
Thanks, hope it was helpful.
word! this applies to every piece of instrument a musician play. thank you!
I've been doing it wrongly all this time....thank you McGill for this video
Glad it helped you!
First video I've seen from you, I'm thinking about starting up with the sax, and on top of the knowledge in this video which should help me out a lot, you're also incredibly likeable which helps when take in information. New subscriber right here!
So do I.
well done your an excellent teacher
EXCELLENT advice - all of it!
great info, im guilty sure, extreme learner & impaitent.
Great advise, its so easy to over complicate things and get distracted by whats on the net...
Thanks Paul, glad it was helpful.
Good advice mate.Appriciated.
really good as always, thank you. still working on it.
Great Stuff Nigel - it all makes perfect sense and provides a simple process for us learners and improves to follow.Thanks!
+Les Milner Thanks Les, great to hear it was helpful. Thanks for checking it out.
Thank you for the encouragement. You're quite right on.
Very glad I listened too this! I'm on day 3 of learning and I'm already starting to do some of these things. Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome David. I’m glad it helped you.
Thank you so much i’m just beginning on the alto sax and I really needed this
Which saxophone do you really prefer the most, though?
Владимир Владимирович Путин I really like alto
@@proxvalid57 Yeah, me too! It has this really smooth sound which makes my heart drop, unlike the tenor.
Владимир Владимирович Путин yeah it’s really good for me it’s super smooth and I’m really short so my neck doesn’t stick up
Alto was my main sax for years but for the last 20 years tenor is my main sax - I play pretty equally on all though.