Man! I absolutely love your video style. It’s so professional yet very compatible with humor. It’s like I could turn on a TV and watch this as a show and be hype for the next weekly episode. Very informative and hilarious!!
Totally with you on that @Saxologic Nathan! Every time I watch one of your videos I pick up something I never thought of or didn’t know Wally. I get asked about the neighbours thing all the time as well and I never thought of all the stuff you came out with. Genius. Looks like your subs are really shooting up as well, which is awesome, you deserve it. Maybe one day we’ll be bona fide sax celebs like Nathan? We can dream. 😉 Hey, maybe what I need is a montage like you...🤔 PS you’re a real pussy cat on RUclips, but then you say something and it makes me think that I bet you’re strict with students. Sometimes I feel a bit scared thinking about being one of your students, cos I’m such a slacker! 😂 Jamie 😊
I got a full case sax mute for playing in my apartment. It's not for everyone and comes with it's own problems, but works as advertised and now I can practice any time.
Thanks for adding humor into the obnoxiously seriousness of being a professional mucisian. What did you get your doctorate in? Please dont sound like kenny g on soprano.
@@trobson9952 Funny thing: There are virtually NO "professional" saxophonists. Music Teachers? Sure! You'd be surprised how many NY pros (who take themselves SOOO seriously) are living off family money or have day jobs. I LOVE teaching saxophone, and don't mind admitting it's not 1955 and jazz saxophonist isn't really a job. My Doctorate is in Saxophone Performance with a minor in Jazz studies - huge waste of time and money.
Thanks Wally. Because my practice times are very irregular (due to work & neighbors) and usually shorter than I would like, I generally focus on one area (or sometimes 2) rather all 3.
2:23 no need to give yourself small goals if you are forward thinking, I don’t keep myself motivated by accomplishing goals, I have the next dozen things I’ll work on planned, I am excited for all of them so I grind hard so I can move onto the next thing I find interesting (which is all of them)
Love this!!! And yes metronome work is SO important, I improved so much more in a shorter period of time by just taking sections super slow and working it up to tempo with a metronome!
Dr Wally, most of the things you suggest to eradicate barriers are great and they are what I practice, dedicated space, targets, metronome, music stand with my practice materials etc etc. I also have a little ritual that sort of preps my mind, I always take out my reed, a little rub with the reed geek to make the lay silky smooth (Three light rubs is enough), moisten the reed in my mouth, lick the lay so its wet and the mount the reed on my M/P, checking its perfectly aligned, do a pop test and......im ready, set metronome up, (on phone in airplane mode!!) At the end of a session, I wipe my reed and place in box I then swab clean m/p, then crook, pull through sax (all three times), crook placed back on sax in stand, neck strap hanging on crook. Turn on phone......where has that 90 mins gone. also agree with 'saxlogiic', just watching one of your videos makes me want to practice, you are a real inspiration, witty, articulate, engaging (is that enough for $10 ;-))
Dr. Wallace, "Brilliant! Starve them for screen time!" You have an awesome teaching style with just the right mix of seriousness and sarcastic humor, and on top of that an excellent pedagogy. You have made me want to actually learn to play the sax.
Another video, another winner from Dr.Wally Wallace. Great stuff. I never dared defying my neighbours which is why it took me so many years to start learning the sax. Thankfully two years ago we moved to a detached house, so that has opened me a world of possibilities. I´m still limited at 1 hour sessions because of my daughter being a toddler, but that´s a matter of time too. As for the planning, I always think what I´m going to do beforehand but never take note. I do take note of what I´ve accomplished every day. That way I always win :D
That's a smart strategy! Glad you can practice now, I remember the toddler years! Now I'm constantly interrupted with "Daaaaad, can I have a snack - my ipad battery is low - he hit me - the dog pooped...." it never ends.
Dr. Wally, about the acoustics comment, I feel that really relates to people who don't want to bother their neighbors. For example if you are playing in a room with wood flooring it will be quite reverberant, while carpet will not be. If you have a closet big enough to play in, play your overtones and other altissimo and mouthpiece exercises in there to not bother your neighbors, or in my case my wife. Playing right into clothing in a closet will really muffle your sound and save your neighbors/spouses/roommates ears from overtones, then you can play ballads and other beautiful music in that more reverberant space.
You aret the only doctor i can' t wait to see. I'm not a very organized Person. I try to play every day and do some technique, sound and melody Training. And i think i make good progress. And this ist what keeps me motivated. I luckily have everything prepared in my Office so it just takes me a few minutes to start.
Love your tutorials Dr. Wally. I am a smooth jazz saxophonist and recording artist. Even though I have been playing for over 40 years, I refer to your tutorials for reference and to remind myself what I need to be doing. In this particular tutorial, you nailed it. Your channel is good for new as well as veteran players. I am going to add a tab to my new music website to cover highly recommended websites for saxophone study. I would like to add a link to the Saxophone Academy to promote your channel. Thanks. Fantastic job.
I’ll certainly use this to help make my daily 30 minutes of practice more effective! I just bought a new YAS-875 so I’d really just been noodling on it and having fun, but now I’m prepared to get more regimented with my practice sessions
Apparently in Rocky IV there was an epic sax battle between Rocky and Drago in the training montage that had to get cut out because Sylvester Stallone burst his lip trying to play an altissimo G. True story.
Goddam I love a good 80s boxing montage. Drago in the "futuristic" gym, almost makes me want to exercise.....almost. Hey Jeni! You see that the Bosstones have a new album? Ska is back my friend!
@@drwallysax I've seen Rocky IV more times than I really should have. Drago was cheating with those injections! Yeah, I've heard a bit of the Bosstones album! There's loads of ska going on these days. Fourth wave! I've been working on a new ska song that I should have done in the next week or so, too!
I'm looking forward to your video on Overtones!! Great video and tips. Sometimes as a new saxophone player (about one year in) you feel like you're on an island when it comes to the practice structure.
It can certainly be overwhelming! Just remember - you can't do everything, but if you do a few things well every day, you'll make incredible progress! Happy practicing, David!
Showed my wife your Soprano biceps curls, then the “look” into the camera... priceless! After we stopped laughing, we agreed I need to be more dedicated, like you. I told her, “You see! That’s part of improving 10% on my saxophone skills!” 😂
I love your videos Dr Wally and i'm really proud to be a member of the academy. Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and doing it with humor too. Greetings from Argentina! Now I'm going to practice because March assignment is the goal ;)
Guys you should really try the Windy City Woodwinds Mouthpieces. I have been playing the Clasic Jazz one and plays awesome. 👍 thank Dr for sharing all your Knowledge. Will try soon the 56.
Great advice as always Dr Wally in a really enjoyable video! When I get bored during practice I usually use a few tricks. So in terms of scales, instead of a metronome I sometimes use backing tracks (with chords of the specific scale) at various speeds. Or just close my eyes and imagine I'm performing in front of an audience - a bit stressful, though :D. Long tones practice: playing songs with long tones. I don't know whether my teacher would approve - haven't told him yet, but I enjoy it and it seems to work!
Great content Doc as usual! I am a member of your academy and thank for being selfless to share your knowledge. Can you share what is the your approach to TRANSCRIPTION!!!!
I played professionally for about 20 years, and I wish I had slowed down my practicing/warm ups and concentrated on playing more melodically, instead of just playing fast. My technique was good, but my improv was inconsistent, in my opinion!
Amazing how a player can be useful without playing his horn 👏👏👏. This is so useful, thanks 🙏🙏🙏! Someone would almost be inclined to get kids to get the maximum benefit of your excellent tips 🙃. Did you change mouthpiece by the way?
Hey, I live in Athens ga. Was Hendershots a place when you were here? Their third Thursday of the month jazz jams are the stuff of legends, and kept me sane while I was in x ray school here!
@@drwallysax respect. It's still going. Come on back to Athens on a third Thursday of the month. That house band, Unstarched, can play any tune you call. You. Will. Have. Fun!
Daft as it sounds, this definitely took some of the guilt off me for dodging out of the eltude this month (so far) to work on a piece I really want to get down instead (Life Will Change by J-Music Ensemble). Always good to get a reminder not to take things TOO seriously, and not to judge ourselves against the skill of others... something I do far too much. Still going to avoid overtones for a bit longer though... I backed off them to get my tone solid after I noticed my tone starting to slip after I started practising said overtones. Given I'm finally liking my tone on my alto... I'm a bit reluctant to tackle overtones again if that means I'll undo all that hard work ^^;;
I noticed the same thing. Just started self learning the sax this year and am now an expert in how to play terrible sax perfectly. 😆 Came across the Doc’s video on overtones soon after starting and the one thing I remember him saying is not to spend copious amounts of time on them. But of course the student knows more than the teacher, 🙄 so I ignored it and was determined to master overtones in one session or at least within the week (failed it). Right from the beginning I had no problems achieving my low notes, but spending the amount of time on overtones I was each day it wasn’t long before an octave would consistently come out instead of the fundamental. So back to the drawing board, listen to Doc Wally and made an adjustment to my overtones practice. Now each time I practice overtones I remember to slur back to the fundamental note. This was imperative for me. Before I was failing to do that because it was too hard and I paid the price for it. Don’t just go practice as Doc Wally says. Listen to him and then go practice. 😊 👍🏼
It's a word, but you take out that "Wanna-be" right NOW! If you play, you're a saxophonist!! If you're enjoying the hobby, you are MY KIND of saxophonists. You're my student now - no more negative self talk Bruce! NOW GO PRACTICE! (after you drink some coffee, of course). :)
Thank You, Dr. Wally, for another very informative SAX Video. (I must confess: I love Your kind of humor!) Question: When You do things like on 3:45, does the fundamental rule "if the metronome isn't ticking, You're not practicing" still apply? May it be that this is practicing (not playing) even when the metronome rests?
I'm currently having trouble with with octave key G, A, B and some of the palm key notes. They aren't as thin as when I started playing , but I find that even a small adjustment of the lower lip can make them go super sharp or slightly flat. And that's while playing long notes. Even when I find the right balance during those, they still go quite sharp while playing melodies...
I've got a weird question: Why is it that practice an assignment and nail it (at home) but when I perform it for my teacher, I screw up. In particular I've noticed that I go too fast and trip over my fingers or I suddenly forget how to read music lol. (PS I've completed two thirds of a music major degree and I've been playing seriously since 2015 😬).
great video, informative and fun :) i have a question: i have a dedicate teacher and got weekly assignments. Is it still good to enroll your program? i got an hour everyday to practise and wonder if that will work...
Hi, Dr. Wally... Warm tropical greetings from Brazil. I've been playing alto, soprano and tenor sax for decades. It's not my main job, but with the time passed by I could develop a very good tone in my horns and maturity in musical conception and improvisation, concerning easy to intermediate harmonized tunes. Now I want to go on and build up a greater, denser, technical foundation, to be able to improvise with higher level in more complex chords progressions as well... What do you suggest in my case? Any good road map for that?
Hi Anderson, my biggest suggestion is to listen to players you love, then analyze what THEY do over chords. Rather than reading patterns that use the b9 - listen to the way Charlie Parker uses it in context - then copy, repeat, and adapt! Learning language in context of the masters is (in my opinion) more fun and valuable than any theory book!
Great advice Dr. Wallace. But I have no discipline and get boarded with repetition. Life is too short for a lot of geeky stuff. That being said, I’m playing 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. Is there any hope for me?
Just recently set up separate practice areas for myself and my son. Sometimes our practice times overlap.... wasn't ideal in a number of ways. Got to have your own set up. What make/model soprano do you have?
Umm, my name is Garry and my ex-wife's name is Lynda. If I work on my tone do you think I can woo her back? I really do miss her telling me to shut up with that sax-o-majig thingy when I was blaring the house with my awesome technique practice. 😁. PS:Love your channel. 👌
Sorry to hear about Gary and Linda. Not really. Sure Gary has nice biceps, but Linda likes to take walks and she's sad you couldn't or didn't join her. Plus I hear she likes to listen to beautiful music, the kind that Dr. Wally is able to play. Plus he's fun.
Come'on Doc....you've never experienced.... fun. And please lighten up on the thinking, planning, practicing,..uh,,, thinking stuff. No one wants to get this good this fast!
@@drwallysax Doc, I've played with guys on project recordings and concerts,...I'm sure just as you have, from tv shows like Merv Griffin, Grads from Eastman, Berkely, Juilliard, studio guys, the movie industry, etc. I've always said i'd rather play with a bad player with a great attitude, ....than a great one with a lousy attitude. Two great players with great attitudes were Roger Pemberton from Merv Griffin show, lead Alto, and Bobby Lewis, trumpet, Warner Bros., and first call lead studio , Chicago. He did alot of lead work on the old Streisand flicks. That's why I subbed you. You are strictly pro, and most of my prof.s were egonuts, or astronauts. You are the 'real deal'. Keep up the great job. If I get to the Carolina's next year I'll look you up.
Man! I absolutely love your video style. It’s so professional yet very compatible with humor. It’s like I could turn on a TV and watch this as a show and be hype for the next weekly episode.
Very informative and hilarious!!
Awww man, that's kind Nathan! Means a lot coming from you - Your classical snob 2 with Ryan Devlin had me in absolute tears!!
Hey @saxologic you should try out Mr Wally Wallace New Mouthpiece from WindyCityWoodwinds. 👍
@@brayanfelix8502 He's got his own mouthpiece! The SYOS Saxlogic! (thanks for the recommendation, though)!
Totally with you on that @Saxologic Nathan! Every time I watch one of your videos I pick up something I never thought of or didn’t know Wally.
I get asked about the neighbours thing all the time as well and I never thought of all the stuff you came out with. Genius. Looks like your subs are really shooting up as well, which is awesome, you deserve it. Maybe one day we’ll be bona fide sax celebs like Nathan? We can dream. 😉
Hey, maybe what I need is a montage like you...🤔
PS you’re a real pussy cat on RUclips, but then you say something and it makes me think that I bet you’re strict with students. Sometimes I feel a bit scared thinking about being one of your students, cos I’m such a slacker! 😂 Jamie 😊
You have the best content out there by far. I love your teaching strategy of using comedy and efficiency. Keep up the amazing content!!!
That's very kind, Joaquin, thank you. I'll keep on making the silly videos!
I got a full case sax mute for playing in my apartment. It's not for everyone and comes with it's own problems, but works as advertised and now I can practice any time.
I was looking forward to seeing that 1980's "Revenge of the 🤓 Nerds" robot 🤖 in a sweet 80's montage. LOL
Boob-atron 5000 was in the shop 😟
Thanks for adding humor into the obnoxiously seriousness of being a professional mucisian. What did you get your doctorate in? Please dont sound like kenny g on soprano.
@@trobson9952 Funny thing: There are virtually NO "professional" saxophonists. Music Teachers? Sure! You'd be surprised how many NY pros (who take themselves SOOO seriously) are living off family money or have day jobs. I LOVE teaching saxophone, and don't mind admitting it's not 1955 and jazz saxophonist isn't really a job.
My Doctorate is in Saxophone Performance with a minor in Jazz studies - huge waste of time and money.
I love your Saxophone Academy intro!
Glad you like it!
Glad your back again. Missed you. PS: I always like your sharp dressed look - it’s refreshing.
Thanks, Paul! Good to be back - refreshed and with a notebook full of bad dad-jokes. Hope you're doing well!
Welcome back Dr. Wallace, I missed you so much! Your motivation is essential...
Thanks Lorenzo! Needed a digital vacation - but back posting on a regular basis now!
Thanks Wally. Because my practice times are very irregular (due to work & neighbors) and usually shorter than I would like, I generally focus on one area (or sometimes 2) rather all 3.
You don't have to do a ton in each category - but take a bit of time for each!
2:23 no need to give yourself small goals if you are forward thinking, I don’t keep myself motivated by accomplishing goals, I have the next dozen things I’ll work on planned, I am excited for all of them so I grind hard so I can move onto the next thing I find interesting (which is all of them)
Love this!!! And yes metronome work is SO important, I improved so much more in a shorter period of time by just taking sections super slow and working it up to tempo with a metronome!
We need metronome t-shirts, Abby!
Dr Wally, most of the things you suggest to eradicate barriers are great and they are what I practice, dedicated space, targets, metronome, music stand with my practice materials etc etc. I also have a little ritual that sort of preps my mind, I always take out my reed, a little rub with the reed geek to make the lay silky smooth (Three light rubs is enough), moisten the reed in my mouth, lick the lay so its wet and the mount the reed on my M/P, checking its perfectly aligned, do a pop test and......im ready, set metronome up, (on phone in airplane mode!!) At the end of a session, I wipe my reed and place in box I then swab clean m/p, then crook, pull through sax (all three times), crook placed back on sax in stand, neck strap hanging on crook. Turn on phone......where has that 90 mins gone. also agree with 'saxlogiic', just watching one of your videos makes me want to practice, you are a real inspiration, witty, articulate, engaging (is that enough for $10 ;-))
Ritual is important - great way to "anchor" our mindset to the activity. Pro athletes do it as well - Michael Phelps routine is nuts!
@@drwallysax what does he do with them ;-)
When I heard Gary... 🏃♂️ good thing I dont know a Linda...
I was hoping you weren't ill or something. Good to see you back.
Haaa!!! Lil' digital vacation - back at it my friend!
Dr. Wallace, "Brilliant! Starve them for screen time!" You have an awesome teaching style with just the right mix of seriousness and sarcastic humor, and on top of that an excellent pedagogy. You have made me want to actually learn to play the sax.
Thank you Craig, that made my day. Now, go learn the sax.
The outro is familiar yet refreshing with the added “...but enjoy it”. I needed to hear that.
Great advice as always, Dr. Wallace. Thank you.
You watched until the very end!!!! Thanks, Marco!
Montage was slick! The fact that it gave me the best laugh I've had in weeks, was greatly appreciated!
Also, D Major in 4ths. 👍🏻 One I must add to my practice list.
It's part of the March assignment Kerry! Get to work! Hows the weather down under?
Another video, another winner from Dr.Wally Wallace. Great stuff. I never dared defying my neighbours which is why it took me so many years to start learning the sax. Thankfully two years ago we moved to a detached house, so that has opened me a world of possibilities. I´m still limited at 1 hour sessions because of my daughter being a toddler, but that´s a matter of time too.
As for the planning, I always think what I´m going to do beforehand but never take note. I do take note of what I´ve accomplished every day. That way I always win :D
That's a smart strategy! Glad you can practice now, I remember the toddler years! Now I'm constantly interrupted with "Daaaaad, can I have a snack - my ipad battery is low - he hit me - the dog pooped...." it never ends.
Thank you Dr. Wallace. i can't find more motivating videos on the net than yours...
I really appreciate that, thank Mik!
Dr. Wally, about the acoustics comment, I feel that really relates to people who don't want to bother their neighbors. For example if you are playing in a room with wood flooring it will be quite reverberant, while carpet will not be. If you have a closet big enough to play in, play your overtones and other altissimo and mouthpiece exercises in there to not bother your neighbors, or in my case my wife. Playing right into clothing in a closet will really muffle your sound and save your neighbors/spouses/roommates ears from overtones, then you can play ballads and other beautiful music in that more reverberant space.
Wait, your wife doesn't love altissimo practice??
Damn you really called out Gary.
Gary is the worst.
Even Linda left Gary and she ain't no quitter, tells you everything you need to know about Gary.
Never brings cookies. Gary is the worst.
You aret the only doctor i can' t wait to see. I'm not a very organized Person. I try to play every day and do some technique, sound and melody Training. And i think i make good progress. And this ist what keeps me motivated. I luckily have everything prepared in my Office so it just takes me a few minutes to start.
Prepared office is the only reason I know 3 scales! Happy practicing my friend!
Was that a clip from Flashdance? What a feeling! Great informative videos. Thank you!
I was using welding equipment in a wet warehouse directly before....
@@drwallysax LOL! Great stuff. I'm 62 and still trying to figure the horn out! Keep 'em coming. Thank you.
Love your tutorials Dr. Wally. I am a smooth jazz saxophonist and recording artist. Even though I have been playing for over 40 years, I refer to your tutorials for reference and to remind myself what I need to be doing. In this particular tutorial, you nailed it. Your channel is good for new as well as veteran players. I am going to add a tab to my new music website to cover highly recommended websites for saxophone study. I would like to add a link to the Saxophone Academy to promote your channel. Thanks. Fantastic job.
That's incredibly kind, thanks Jacque! We can all use reminders and mentorship, myself included!
I’ll certainly use this to help make my daily 30 minutes of practice more effective! I just bought a new YAS-875 so I’d really just been noodling on it and having fun, but now I’m prepared to get more regimented with my practice sessions
Awesome - what a fantastic instrument! You can get tons done in 30 minutes. - you got dis Connnor!
You should make that intro a permanent feature in all of your videos from now on :) Insightful and funny as always, thanks Dr Wally :)
Thanks Paula! We should have a montage contest...
@@drwallysax You've already won with your wit and creativity, Dr Wally! :)
Whoa. Starve screen time. Excellent!
It works! Hope you're well, Sonho! Have a great weekend!
Apparently in Rocky IV there was an epic sax battle between Rocky and Drago in the training montage that had to get cut out because Sylvester Stallone burst his lip trying to play an altissimo G. True story.
Goddam I love a good 80s boxing montage. Drago in the "futuristic" gym, almost makes me want to exercise.....almost. Hey Jeni! You see that the Bosstones have a new album? Ska is back my friend!
@@drwallysax I've seen Rocky IV more times than I really should have. Drago was cheating with those injections! Yeah, I've heard a bit of the Bosstones album! There's loads of ska going on these days. Fourth wave! I've been working on a new ska song that I should have done in the next week or so, too!
I'm looking forward to your video on Overtones!! Great video and tips.
Sometimes as a new saxophone player (about one year in) you feel like you're on an island when it comes to the practice structure.
It can certainly be overwhelming! Just remember - you can't do everything, but if you do a few things well every day, you'll make incredible progress! Happy practicing, David!
Great teacher ! Bravo Dr. Wally
I can't believe you only have 16k subscribers wtf i love your content dude
Thanks my friend! We've got a small, but fun group of students!
Showed my wife your Soprano biceps curls, then the “look” into the camera... priceless! After we stopped laughing, we agreed I need to be more dedicated, like you. I told her, “You see! That’s part of improving 10% on my saxophone skills!” 😂
You make your wife watch my horrible videos!! I like you, Jose. Happy practicing my friend!
@@drwallysax yes, Dr Wally. When you’re married, sharing is definitely caring.
I love your videos Dr Wally and i'm really proud to be a member of the academy. Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and doing it with humor too. Greetings from Argentina! Now I'm going to practice because March assignment is the goal ;)
Well hello down there in Argentina and greetings from sunny North Carolina!
The dr is back
Back with bad jokes and questionable advice! Have a good week my friend!
Guys you should really try the Windy City Woodwinds Mouthpieces. I have been playing the Clasic Jazz one and plays awesome. 👍 thank Dr for sharing all your Knowledge. Will try soon the 56.
Thanks, Brayan, happy practicing my friend!
Good to see you're back! Thank you for answering all the questions, it helps a lot.
Also thank you for putting the fun in fundamentals 😁
Good to be back, and good to "see" you Oliver! Happy Tuesday my friend!
Excellent video as always! And too long since! We missed you!! And thank you for answering my question too!! Stay well, Dr. Wally! ♥️🙏🏻🙇🏻♂️
Thanks! You too Leo!
Thank you, Dr. Wallace.
You are very welcome
Your videos are great!Informative,entertaining,inspirational. Now,I'm going to go practice.
Thanks Michael - this made my morning! NOW GO PRACTICE. 😀
@@drwallysax yes sir!
Gary was that snail on Spongebob too..He even meowed out of tune.
Great advice as always Dr Wally in a really enjoyable video! When I get bored during practice I usually use a few tricks. So in terms of scales, instead of a metronome I sometimes use backing tracks (with chords of the specific scale) at various speeds. Or just close my eyes and imagine I'm performing in front of an audience - a bit stressful, though :D. Long tones practice: playing songs with long tones. I don't know whether my teacher would approve - haven't told him yet, but I enjoy it and it seems to work!
That's a very cool strategy, I like it!
Great content Doc as usual! I am a member of your academy and thank for being selfless to share your knowledge. Can you share what is the your approach to TRANSCRIPTION!!!!
not the next video - but the NEXT video. I got you, Thomas.
Thanks, as always! Glad you are back! I needed this!
Thanks, Julie! Hope you have a wonderful week. I'll be back next week - just needed a lil' digital vacation. happy practicing!
a much deserved vacation!
Yessssss sir your back.... thanks for giving me all this good insight
Hey Pollo!! Happy Tuesday!
Great approach and advice. Also, great suit!
Thank you kindly!
Great video I'm so glad I found your channel
Thanks, Jimidean Corncracker! Welcome to the Academy!
CANT ARGUER WITH ANYTHING YOU SAY NICE JOB
I starve them! For screen time... The delivery is hilarious.
I beat them....to the dinner table!
Did you make up the practice log sheet? Is it available for Excel? Or Word? Or Google Doc? Thanks
Too many things of this video are cool and helpful to list in this comment. Thank you! :)
Kiato, you are too kind. But I'll gladly take the compliment on this rainy Wednesday!
I played professionally for about 20 years, and I wish I had slowed down my practicing/warm ups and concentrated on playing more melodically, instead of just playing fast. My technique was good, but my improv was inconsistent, in my opinion!
Melody is king! Happy practicing!
Amazing how a player can be useful without playing his horn 👏👏👏.
This is so useful, thanks 🙏🙏🙏! Someone would almost be inclined to get kids to get the maximum benefit of your excellent tips 🙃.
Did you change mouthpiece by the way?
Thanks Kurt! The mouthpiece is the black version of the 56!
Best intro ever!!!!!
You're the best, Nicholas. YOU'RE the best. Have a great week my friend.
I wish you were my teacher !
Join my free course! I am your teacher :)
Hi. Thanks for all the great content. Any reason not to leave my horn set up in a stand (no young kids) and do you have a preference re stand?
Hey, I live in Athens ga. Was Hendershots a place when you were here? Their third Thursday of the month jazz jams are the stuff of legends, and kept me sane while I was in x ray school here!
Small world! I don't remember Hendershots? My band used to play the 40 Watt club back in the 90s!
@@drwallysax respect. It's still going. Come on back to Athens on a third Thursday of the month. That house band, Unstarched, can play any tune you call. You. Will. Have. Fun!
Daft as it sounds, this definitely took some of the guilt off me for dodging out of the eltude this month (so far) to work on a piece I really want to get down instead (Life Will Change by J-Music Ensemble). Always good to get a reminder not to take things TOO seriously, and not to judge ourselves against the skill of others... something I do far too much.
Still going to avoid overtones for a bit longer though... I backed off them to get my tone solid after I noticed my tone starting to slip after I started practising said overtones. Given I'm finally liking my tone on my alto... I'm a bit reluctant to tackle overtones again if that means I'll undo all that hard work ^^;;
Wise choice, my friend. It's an incredible hobby, and hobbies should be fun!
I noticed the same thing. Just started self learning the sax this year and am now an expert in how to play terrible sax perfectly. 😆 Came across the Doc’s video on overtones soon after starting and the one thing I remember him saying is not to spend copious amounts of time on them. But of course the student knows more than the teacher, 🙄 so I ignored it and was determined to master overtones in one session or at least within the week (failed it). Right from the beginning I had no problems achieving my low notes, but spending the amount of time on overtones I was each day it wasn’t long before an octave would consistently come out instead of the fundamental. So back to the drawing board, listen to Doc Wally and made an adjustment to my overtones practice. Now each time I practice overtones I remember to slur back to the fundamental note. This was imperative for me. Before I was failing to do that because it was too hard and I paid the price for it. Don’t just go practice as Doc Wally says. Listen to him and then go practice. 😊 👍🏼
DR! I really enjoy your videos.
Thank you for encouraging us, "wanna-be-Saxists" (is that a word?) :)
It's a word, but you take out that "Wanna-be" right NOW! If you play, you're a saxophonist!! If you're enjoying the hobby, you are MY KIND of saxophonists. You're my student now - no more negative self talk Bruce! NOW GO PRACTICE! (after you drink some coffee, of course). :)
@@drwallysax HAHAHA> Yes I am a Dr-Wally-Sax-guy now! Off to practice!
Thank You, Dr. Wally, for another very informative SAX Video.
(I must confess: I love Your kind of humor!)
Question: When You do things like on 3:45, does the fundamental rule "if the metronome isn't ticking, You're not practicing" still apply?
May it be that this is practicing (not playing) even when the metronome rests?
It does! My demo needs an asterisk: *metronome usage implied
Thanks !!!
Most welcome! Happy practicing!
Yay a new video!!
Happy Tuesday, Alan!
Great lesson 👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks! 😃
Thanks for the amazing lessons Dr Wally. Your tunes with the Sononauts are really good, do you have plans for any recordings on bandcamp or elsewhere?
We'll be releasing an album in the near(ish) future. That's very nice of you to ask - thanks Javier!
I'm currently having trouble with with octave key G, A, B and some of the palm key notes. They aren't as thin as when I started playing , but I find that even a small adjustment of the lower lip can make them go super sharp or slightly flat. And that's while playing long notes. Even when I find the right balance during those, they still go quite sharp while playing melodies...
Miiiigt be an issue with reed strength? Impossible for me to tell without seeing you play - but I'd recommend a stronger reed - see if that works!
I've got a weird question: Why is it that practice an assignment and nail it (at home) but when I perform it for my teacher, I screw up. In particular I've noticed that I go too fast and trip over my fingers or I suddenly forget how to read music lol. (PS I've completed two thirds of a music major degree and I've been playing seriously since 2015 😬).
Love your channel, too many ads on this video though.
How many ads did you get?
@@drwallysax I think it was 8, and they were front loaded. So the like 5 or 6 we’re in the first few minutes.
@@ComAndCollectedFastLane holy cow, that’s annoying. Sorry about that!
@@drwallysax thanks for replying, I thought you might care.
Haha nice montage
Thanks Gorfgarf!!! Hope you're well.
great video, informative and fun :) i have a question: i have a dedicate teacher and got weekly assignments. Is it still good to enroll your program? i got an hour everyday to practise and wonder if that will work...
You might like some of my exercises - (many saxophone teachers do). Give it a try - the fundamentals course is free, so no pressure!
Hi, Dr. Wally... Warm tropical greetings from Brazil. I've been playing alto, soprano and tenor sax for decades. It's not my main job, but with the time passed by I could develop a very good tone in my horns and maturity in musical conception and improvisation, concerning easy to intermediate harmonized tunes. Now I want to go on and build up a greater, denser, technical foundation, to be able to improvise with higher level in more complex chords progressions as well... What do you suggest in my case? Any good road map for that?
Hi Anderson, my biggest suggestion is to listen to players you love, then analyze what THEY do over chords. Rather than reading patterns that use the b9 - listen to the way Charlie Parker uses it in context - then copy, repeat, and adapt! Learning language in context of the masters is (in my opinion) more fun and valuable than any theory book!
Great advice Dr. Wallace. But I have no discipline and get boarded with repetition. Life is too short for a lot of geeky stuff. That being said, I’m playing 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. Is there any hope for me?
There’s always hope, George!
If you’re having fun, you’re doing something right.
Great video as always, but what happened to Nigel??? Lol 😎
Nigel is my classical mentor. Next week, you'll meet Vincent the Voicing Monster. what am I doing with my life....
@@drwallysax Look forward to it 😀
Just recently set up separate practice areas for myself and my son. Sometimes our practice times overlap.... wasn't ideal in a number of ways. Got to have your own set up. What make/model soprano do you have?
Good plan. The soprano is a Yamaha 875.
Muy buena clase pero seria mejor traducida en español please desde chile
Yo no hablo español
Montage!
It's the only way to get work done
Umm, my name is Garry and my ex-wife's name is Lynda. If I work on my tone do you think I can woo her back? I really do miss her telling me to shut up with that sax-o-majig thingy when I was blaring the house with my awesome technique practice. 😁. PS:Love your channel. 👌
Ha! Small world....small....strange world. Happy Wednesday Garry!
The Resistance is real. The hardest part of running is putting on your running shoes (. . . and then the running, I guess).
They used to make us run in the Army. I didn't care for it. I suggested we try combat yoga or something else, they declined my suggestion :(
Such a sad story of Gary and Linda... At least we got a clue now why things didn't work out between the two of them.
You practice more per day than I practice per week lol
In fairness, it’s part of my career path. Some days I’m lucky to get 20 minutes!
Doc Wallace can you suggest any cool beginner ballads or etudes?
Hey Reilly, have you tried our free intermediate blues etudes?
@@drwallysax Not yet! I'll be sure to check them out. Thank you so much for your channel and content!
@@reillypiersimoni9920 most welcome!!
Hi very good 🙏👍❤️
Thanks my friend 😀
Breaking my hour up into 3-20 minute sections is 20 minutes too long when breaking in new reeds (per reed)?
Not really - I still do my tone exercises while breaking in reeds- 2 birds one stone!
Sorry to hear about Gary and Linda. Not really. Sure Gary has nice biceps, but Linda likes to take walks and she's sad you couldn't or didn't join her. Plus I hear she likes to listen to beautiful music, the kind that Dr. Wally is able to play. Plus he's fun.
Ha! happy Wednesday, Bob!
Hiiiii Dr.Wallace
Hey Glowie!! Happy Tuesday!
Happy Tuesday Dr.Wallace :)
It’s new Persian year on Saturday, I wish you the best ♥️
Great video for planning my practices in new year holiday :)
Thanks for great content
💪🏻
Saxo-strong
F in the chat for Gary
Gary deserves no respect.
You've had a soprano sax this whole time?!
Wait, is that what that thing is?
My neighbours are called Gary and Linda,,, come to think of it they've been very quiet recently 🤔
Gary always counts off Giant Steps too fast. Gary, you can't play it that fast. And your tone is bad. IT's BAD, GARY.
@@drwallysax 🤣
Come'on Doc....you've never experienced.... fun. And please lighten up on the thinking, planning, practicing,..uh,,, thinking stuff. No one wants to get this good this fast!
Turbo Tip #4: pour yourself a tall glass of wine and take it with you into the practice shed.
I am not getting enough sleep for wine-practice. I'd be asleep before overtones...
My name is Gary and I had a girl named Linda, lol., and I still don't have great technique!
And no, Linda's gone too.
Ha! Have you tried "vibing" other musicians at a jam session? The local "cats" in my town seem to think a poopy attitude is the winning secret?
@@drwallysax Doc, I've played with guys on project recordings and concerts,...I'm sure just as you have, from tv shows like Merv Griffin, Grads from Eastman, Berkely, Juilliard, studio guys, the movie industry, etc. I've always said i'd rather play with a bad player with a great attitude, ....than a great one with a lousy attitude. Two great players with great attitudes were Roger Pemberton from Merv Griffin show, lead Alto, and Bobby Lewis, trumpet, Warner Bros., and first call lead studio , Chicago. He did alot of lead work on the old Streisand flicks.
That's why I subbed you. You are strictly pro, and most of my prof.s were egonuts, or astronauts. You are the 'real deal'. Keep up the great job. If I get to the Carolina's next year I'll look you up.
ps hope to do a session w Jamey Aebersold in Louisville in June sometime. How old is he now? Guessin' 80's.
FIRST
Second
Poor poor Gary...
Gary had it coming, he's the kind of guy that walks around in the summertime saying "how about this heat?"