How do I improve my sax sound? Use this weird tip.

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  • Опубликовано: 23 июл 2014
  • If it's good enough for Sonny Rollins then it's good enough for me.
    Gear (but does it really matter?):
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    Hair (the most important gear of all): Bb Texture by Bumble and Bumble - amzn.to/2byJROm
    To book Skype lessons, please email me at JeffSchneiderMusic@gmail.com.
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    www.JeffSchneiderMusic.com
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Комментарии • 300

  • @christopherpreciado7578
    @christopherpreciado7578 8 лет назад +542

    "Mine has happy faces on it. It's not necessary. But, it never hurts."

  • @benedictnothing
    @benedictnothing 8 лет назад +509

    Nice! I'll try this when it's not 3 o'clock in the morning.

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад +23

      +Benedict Nothing haha for real!

    • @Oz521
      @Oz521 5 лет назад +2

      I swear it's 3:37am where I live and I've never been so shook. Hope your Sax playing has gotten better as I've just started. Lol

    • @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
      @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 5 лет назад +1

      I'm a drummer. We dgaf, lol
      jk

    • @coolboyclick7486
      @coolboyclick7486 5 лет назад +1

      It’s so ironic I’m watching this video at 3:48 am lol 🙏🏿😂😂😂

    • @TheMasterpieceArtist
      @TheMasterpieceArtist 4 года назад +1

      @@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 dude how the fuck does anyone practice drums and saxophones that shit is way too loud to play for a long a time. when i started playing guitar i couldnt even play acoustic so i had to buy an electric

  • @user-ty8me4hm1w
    @user-ty8me4hm1w 8 лет назад +782

    Music teachers hate him! Find out how to improve your sound with this one simple trick!

  • @BryanAsael
    @BryanAsael 7 лет назад +266

    name one of your videos "How to improve your sax life"

  • @marselmusic
    @marselmusic 6 лет назад +48

    _"If you feel you are going to pass out, then_ *s i t d o w n*_"_

  • @davidolahmusic
    @davidolahmusic 8 лет назад +112

    You really changed my saxophone life with this exercise :)
    First i started to practise it with the pen - kind of rumbling your system, ha? O:) :D But later I started to use the octave key. I saw this exercise on youtube sometime ago but there was not that pencil. They just said to play the lower octave note with the octave key pressed so I wanted to play it but I just can not. So therefore I am so thankful to you of that pencil trick.
    It is really psychological and muscle memory thing - when we hold the octave key we are prehearing that high note so it is hard to play it without the octave key at first time.
    This is so benefical for embouchure, breathing and overall sound. I just love it the most. I think this and mouthpiece buzzying are the best sound exercises for saxophone. These two things really open the sound so well. I can not stresse enough how you helped me with it and how great it is.
    I also recommend to pracitse it daily for 5 minutes and you will hear a huge sound progress :)

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад +11

      Thanks for your comment, David. I'm so glad to hear this exercise was helpful to you! Best of luck with your music!

    • @Jorvaskrr
      @Jorvaskrr 5 лет назад +5

      I think this exercise really helps you find the answer to how much mouthpiece you should take in.After doing this for about a week,I had to push my mouthpiece in more because I was too flat.Now,there's only about 5-10% visible of the cork on the neck.I feel like it gave me a big sound and helped me control everything a little bit better.

  • @SamChaneyProductions
    @SamChaneyProductions 5 лет назад +14

    This is so cool, I've practiced getting high notes with the octave key closed but never getting low notes with it open, seems like it will greatly improve my breath support and tone!

  • @andrejbingas9103
    @andrejbingas9103 4 года назад +26

    I recommend holding the octave key as well, because when you get to lower tones different hole opens for the 2nd octave after G and it is harder to get the lower tone with octave key than with just a pencil. Awesome tip anyways in 2019 still works :D.

  • @EliasB528
    @EliasB528 5 лет назад +16

    This trick works. I can hear it actively changing my sound when I practice.
    If you want to try this trick in expert mode, try doing a 3rds or 4ths scale pattern with the pencil.

  • @justinward3687
    @justinward3687 9 лет назад +14

    Thanks Jeff, that's a practical, useful and simply understood tip that really helps. Well done.

  • @StreangestdreaM
    @StreangestdreaM 8 лет назад +5

    You have a great sense of humor and your videos are amazingly simple and useful. Thanks a lot!!!

  • @onesyphorus
    @onesyphorus 6 месяцев назад

    i remember watching this video when i was 13 and just starting, and it still cracks me up - it helped me so much haha

  • @JeffSchneiderMusic
    @JeffSchneiderMusic  9 лет назад +51

    Abnel, it's a real exercise. According to Ralph Lalama, Sonny Rollins did indeed practice this.

    • @serseriherif9530
      @serseriherif9530 6 лет назад +1

      Jeff Schneider i've been practising this for a couple of months (i've gotten down to the low d!) and I'm getting increasingly cleaner notes with the pencil and afterwards all of the practised notes are super easy to play + sound fantastic. This excercice has been a game changer for me so thanks alot :)

    • @FriaGram
      @FriaGram 6 лет назад

      Interesting, is this more effective than practicing overtones?

    • @ianthebubbian6182
      @ianthebubbian6182 6 лет назад

      Thought you said "Ralph the Llama"

    • @marselmusic
      @marselmusic 6 лет назад

      Lol 😂😆👍🏾👍🏽👍🏾👍🏽👍🏾

  • @alexej737
    @alexej737 9 лет назад +3

    Thank you Jeff. Amazing !!!! It changed my sound at the first time. One step above ! Keep posting. Clear and understandable, even for frenchmen

  • @Waldvogel45
    @Waldvogel45 7 лет назад +42

    I haven't tried it ..but could you say what this does for the sound , i.e it opens the player's resonant cavity , or it reduces pressure on the reed , or allows more reed to vibrate , frees up the sub tones etc etc. I've been a would- be saxophonist for 5 decades and thanks to guys like you it's beginning to make sense. That's makes me a "late life crisis" fan of yours.

    • @hansbrackhaus8017
      @hansbrackhaus8017 Год назад +5

      It's for Throat/Larynx voicing training.
      The low notes and the high notes are the hardest on the sax, mostly because of the throat, which cannot be easily moved 'consciously' so many teachers don't even want you thinking about your throat, but your tongue instead, but the throat is the first step in the sound making process on the sax.
      This exercise 'forces' you to work as hard as possible to get those low notes, it's probably the hardest exercise you can do for low tones, especially if you also keep the octave key pushed down.
      If you do that, then it will be unlikely that you reliably go down past G.
      But that's not the point anyway, the point is to play the saxophone normally, without such 'challenge modes', and even if you cannot go past some note on this exercise, it's usually still enough to hit the low notes normally after doing this exercise regularily.

  • @HenrySaxVeras
    @HenrySaxVeras 8 лет назад +10

    This exercise is helping me day by day thanks a lot

  • @madyak
    @madyak 6 лет назад +1

    Spectacular exercise! It made a significant change in my beginnings of playing. Big thanks! I would recommend it to my mother if she would play sax.

  • @cerimccoy
    @cerimccoy 6 лет назад +3

    An oldie but a Goldie!

  • @benjijosh2018
    @benjijosh2018 Год назад

    Thank you sir for this, tried it yesterday and the effect is showing already 🙏🙏.. came back here to thank you 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙏

  • @samhoward1632
    @samhoward1632 7 лет назад

    I like your vibe, nice vid!

  • @streetgeezer
    @streetgeezer 8 лет назад +1

    Thank you so much for all your videos! You're great!

  • @Kaoov
    @Kaoov 5 лет назад

    dude, that actually works! thanks!

  • @jeromejagroop5516
    @jeromejagroop5516 4 года назад

    Thank you for this! It helped me with some low notes!

  • @zubeirshaikhsaxophoneplaye3383
    @zubeirshaikhsaxophoneplaye3383 6 лет назад +1

    Vary helpful.... And fantastic exercise...... Thanks sir

  • @robertdevries1049
    @robertdevries1049 8 лет назад +4

    This technique helps a lot when my tone gets too closed. Can't believe I didn't hear about this method earlier...thx

  • @annabelle6964
    @annabelle6964 8 лет назад +2

    This tip works, and on top of that you're hilarious. 😂👏🏼

  • @truthfullytiggy5860
    @truthfullytiggy5860 6 лет назад

    You make it look so easy

  • @claragary
    @claragary 4 года назад

    Thanks man!!!

  • @CarlyWaarly
    @CarlyWaarly 9 лет назад +2

    Thanks for sharing Jeff!

  • @jlstudios7385
    @jlstudios7385 4 года назад +3

    At first glance I thought he was Brendon Urie also this video took my tone from suck to actually half decent so the improvement is massive

  • @comprendoo
    @comprendoo 4 года назад

    Thank you❤️🎷

  • @gabrielnekrutman7680
    @gabrielnekrutman7680 10 лет назад +1

    Great tip. Yeah my teacher Jeff Lange was gonna get me to get lessons from Ralph because he plays with both Lalama's, Dave and Ralph. But since I'm going to college now, I'll have to wait to take lessons from the great Llama!

  • @sam3730
    @sam3730 8 лет назад +1

    Thanks so much! Notice the difference already

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +Samuel Rechner So happy to hear that, Samuel. Thanks for watching!

  • @JorgeOstos
    @JorgeOstos 6 лет назад

    hhehhehe one of your first! You're the best mate

  • @Hello-et5mg
    @Hello-et5mg 8 лет назад +1

    Hey thanks alot! this really helped 👍

  • @isaiahd9947
    @isaiahd9947 4 года назад +1

    Lol when I first got my cheap alto the octave pin had a layer of rubber/plastic that made the octave key go up like in this video so I was so confused like I thought I was just that bad at alto. Took about a month to figure out.

  • @eatyourvegetables5930
    @eatyourvegetables5930 5 лет назад +2

    I cant do this with the pencil method but i play low notes perfectly when i manually hold the octave key

  • @phong123456ful
    @phong123456ful 8 лет назад

    thanks a lot for your tip!!! it's great....

  • @anikaribanani
    @anikaribanani 9 лет назад +73

    ...Then sit down..

  • @WillHsuMusic
    @WillHsuMusic 5 лет назад +6

    Interesting. I’ll try this out! I’m trying to develop sax skills but primarily am a contrabass flutist so hopefully that’s developed enough lung capacity to not pass out! 😂

  • @kosejumpscare
    @kosejumpscare 3 года назад

    amazing

  • @Keegalz
    @Keegalz 6 лет назад

    Lol I’ve been doing this without realizing it was something to actually practice XD

  • @alireza.habibi
    @alireza.habibi 8 лет назад +1

    very useful
    Thank you

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +Alireza Habibi Glad it's helpful, Alireza. Thanks for the comment!

  • @joeldowell5059
    @joeldowell5059 8 лет назад +2

    That is a cool trick.

  • @PabloVestory
    @PabloVestory 5 лет назад

    The easiest trick is that one one never thinks by himself, like this pencil, thank you very much for the insight!

  • @Logan-qi4nx
    @Logan-qi4nx 7 лет назад

    this is great. Really helps me remember where my teeth SHOULD be as my teacher tells me

  • @bridgeensemble2024
    @bridgeensemble2024 2 года назад

    Than you a lot

  • @GRDwashere
    @GRDwashere 6 лет назад +19

    "The one secret trick to improving your sound that professional teachers don't want you to know. Quick! watch and share before they have this video taken down!"

  • @davidheim2897
    @davidheim2897 8 лет назад +8

    Hey Jeff, looks like a pretty fun and innovative way to work on your sound, question: does this work for tenor as well? Any experience on that?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад +1

      It definitely works for tenor! Thanks for the comment, David.

  • @etheriusmoon1809
    @etheriusmoon1809 7 лет назад +1

    WUT
    WUT
    WUTTTTTTT OMG THIS works like magic!!!!! Like omg this improved my sound a lot!!!!!!!!!! 😱😱😱😱😱😄 tysm!!!!!!

  • @dwayneroccufort6871
    @dwayneroccufort6871 2 года назад

    Its interesting..would lyk to try hehe

  • @cristophernavarro1819
    @cristophernavarro1819 5 лет назад

    Can someone explain to me in what way this exercise helps? Just so I can use it better.

  • @chicofun4779
    @chicofun4779 7 лет назад

    nice!!

  • @leviweeks2452
    @leviweeks2452 7 лет назад

    playing bari for a year helped the same way

  • @comhghallgeraghty3541
    @comhghallgeraghty3541 6 лет назад

    Nice tone excercise but why cant I just hold the octive key down?

  • @lil_snug8032
    @lil_snug8032 8 лет назад +1

    cool tjx

  • @marselmusic
    @marselmusic 6 лет назад

    if you guys are wondering, _'Hey!? Can't I just play the same thing with my left thumb pressing the octave key?'_ bu its a smoother transition even after the g when u use a pencil because the other octave key opens up

  • @jayq196
    @jayq196 8 лет назад +12

    holy crap it worked so fast i sound great

  • @wooji5731
    @wooji5731 7 лет назад

    How long do you believe doing this exercise will take until you can achieve the goal? Right now im trying it and i can get shaky low As and Gs but the rest no😂 ill keep practicing it though:)

  • @albertolopez2697
    @albertolopez2697 7 лет назад

    Hello Jeff, regards from Dominican Republic. Look this exersice its working great on me on alto sax. But, I was wondering if I can use the same exercise on the tenor sax??, beacuse I really dont like my sound on the tenor. Thanks

  • @kevindeibert3369
    @kevindeibert3369 2 года назад

    Wow ! That was a pretty cool opening lick ! What was that ?

  • @renzosax
    @renzosax 8 лет назад +5

    also it is good the other way, playing the low A and trying to sound the high A

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад +2

      +renzo pividori Hi Renzo, yes, that is a useful exercise, as well. It is similar to practicing overtones. See if you play all the way up the horn without using the octave key.

  • @Savinfaith
    @Savinfaith 8 лет назад +1

    cool trick

  • @Johnwilkinsonofficial
    @Johnwilkinsonofficial 5 лет назад

    happy faces are key 😁🔑

  • @thatmf5181
    @thatmf5181 5 лет назад +1

    This is hard af lol

  • @mattjoseph_9332
    @mattjoseph_9332 6 лет назад

    Can this work for a Bass Clarinet?

  • @4dasorthebeast398
    @4dasorthebeast398 6 лет назад

    Nice

  • @survivnisha4874
    @survivnisha4874 Год назад

    nice mark 6

  • @archungus
    @archungus 3 года назад

    I've tried this glich and I thought it was pached with the 1.14 update but fortunately the problem was I wasn't using the happy face pencil if your going to use this glich use a happy face pencil and quickly save and quit and load back again!

  • @bllonc
    @bllonc 6 лет назад +3

    1:17 to the end at 0.2 speed of the video is the most funny and terrifying thing I have ever watched while high

  • @Eli-gn3km
    @Eli-gn3km 6 лет назад

    Bizarre, but intriguing

  • @hellqvisten
    @hellqvisten 8 лет назад +4

    When I do this on my tenor, it's really easy to make that A sound "good". Could that be an indication to get a harder reed?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  7 лет назад

      Not necessarily. If you like the way you sound and the amount of resistance allowed by your current setup, I say stick with what's working. Thanks for you comment, Erik!

    • @etsu
      @etsu 5 лет назад

      I use 2 1/2 hardness reeds

    • @hansbrackhaus8017
      @hansbrackhaus8017 Год назад

      No, it's an indication that you're doing things right, not that you're at some sort of limit.

  • @Craig2760
    @Craig2760 4 года назад

    Play long tones, master the overtones from low Bb to F then listen to Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Stanley Turrentine on tenor. Cannonball Adderley and Phil Woods on alto.

  • @pepijnbresters460
    @pepijnbresters460 Год назад

    Is it good to do it the other way around aswell?

  • @lunaticgriffin6512
    @lunaticgriffin6512 6 лет назад

    I have a bari sax what do i doo??

  • @BillCasbey
    @BillCasbey 8 лет назад

    yo. So when i do the A, it stutters back and forth like it vibrates between a high and low, but when i do anything lower it works just fine, you know anything?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      Totally normal, Bill. Just overblow even more until it's a solid note. Take a little more mouthpiece and really honk it out!

  • @jasorochi1169
    @jasorochi1169 7 лет назад

    Hello, Jeff. I'm a fellow Alto saxophonist and I just watched your video. I liked it and I thought about trying it myself. However, when I stick the pencil under my octive key and try to play low A, my sax made a high A note instead. Everything below low A flat was fine. Can u help me out? Please!

    • @maddizzle1744
      @maddizzle1744 7 лет назад

      Infernogaming 4568 adjust some things with your embouchure until you get it out

  • @TheUSvTrump
    @TheUSvTrump 6 лет назад +2

    I'm really not sure that this will work without the smiley faces on the pencil.

  • @slankan
    @slankan 7 лет назад +1

    I know this may sound unrelated, but do you think this exercise will help me play lower notes.( idk why but the notes below d i can play well, but the note d its self is very soft and if i try to play loudly, it will go up the octave)

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  7 лет назад

      +turkey rides ;) yes, this exercise will help you play notes in all of the registers on the horn. The exercise forces you to open your throat and fill up the instrument with as much air as possible, which is helpful for all notes.

    • @slankan
      @slankan 7 лет назад

      yes okay thx

  • @_omega420
    @_omega420 8 лет назад +5

    Is this exercise to help with overtones ? I know overtones add more (something) to your tone

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +Omega_Ronan This exercise can definitely help with overtones. Let me know how it goes!

  • @matk3068
    @matk3068 7 лет назад

    nice

  • @FranciscoAnes
    @FranciscoAnes 6 лет назад

    i tried it and it works... What i dont understand is exactly how does it translate to everyday playing.

  • @smokingmentol6138
    @smokingmentol6138 6 лет назад

    Can you recommend books to study jazz?

  • @teretere9038
    @teretere9038 3 года назад

    oh my playing saxophone needs to be fun >>>

  • @ryanclark7267
    @ryanclark7267 6 лет назад

    Will this work on tenor?

  • @eugeniaavilava584
    @eugeniaavilava584 Год назад

    Is this trick equivalent to mouthpiece exercise?

  • @00DirectorsCut00
    @00DirectorsCut00 7 лет назад +4

    I will take around 20 yrs to do the few seconds videos intro of this guy 😞

  • @karam1728
    @karam1728 8 лет назад

    hi, how could this practice improvethe sound of sax ?!! i mean where coud i find the real difrence?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +karam alraei The exercise helps open up your throat and mouth which opens up your sound and makes it bigger. Hope that helps!

  • @gonzo2739
    @gonzo2739 5 лет назад +2

    How do I do this with a bari sax?

    • @SwirlMedia
      @SwirlMedia 5 лет назад +1

      I thought the same thing.

  • @mcaprisun
    @mcaprisun 5 лет назад +4

    Anyone help?
    I play tenor sax and I have been playing since last year, I was never able to play below E but then whenever I moved up a reed size last year I still can’t go below Middle G, unless I slur but it still squeaks a little. Is the problem me or the instrument, How do I fix this?

    • @dudedudingson338
      @dudedudingson338 4 года назад

      what mouthpeice do you have on your sax?

    • @mcaprisun
      @mcaprisun 4 года назад

      Dude Dudingson i’m not sure. My saxophone is a Mendini Cecilio Tenor Sax and it came with the mouthpiece :’)

    • @dudedudingson338
      @dudedudingson338 4 года назад

      the mouthpeice that came with the ceceilios are really inconsistent. what size reed do you play on?

    • @mcaprisun
      @mcaprisun 4 года назад

      Dude Dudingson i play on size 3 vandoren reeds- i got my saxophone checked by a mechanic and he said it’s one of the cheapest worst ones you can get 😅😅

    • @dudedudingson338
      @dudedudingson338 4 года назад

      yeah its not the best horn but you can still get a good sound on it. I suggest getting a good mouthpeice based on what you play sax for. are you in a middle or high school ensemble?

  • @EddieHaskelll
    @EddieHaskelll 8 лет назад

    ...so kinda like "undertones" rather than overtones. It really does help. I am curious.. are we trying to get the notes in tune, or just get them to play and to heck with intonation?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +Eddy Haskel Don't worry about intonation on this one. It's more about opening up your throat, mouth space, and sound.

    • @EddieHaskelll
      @EddieHaskelll 8 лет назад

      ***** Thanks, Jeff. Works better with my YAS 23 alto than on my old PanAm/Conn 64M for some reason. Even easier on the tenor. Great exercise... however, my wife requests that I never again try this when she is home.... heh.

  • @cadellmartin5604
    @cadellmartin5604 7 лет назад

    What if you have a Bari sax

  • @MacedonianAlwaysGreek
    @MacedonianAlwaysGreek 8 лет назад +1

    Nice, I like your sound too. What reed and mouthpiece do you use?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад

      +Macedonian Always Greek Thanks! I play on a Pillinger mouthpiece and Hemke reeds.

    • @MacedonianAlwaysGreek
      @MacedonianAlwaysGreek 8 лет назад

      ***** Thank you, that's a good combination, really nice sound.

  • @KarlBonner1982
    @KarlBonner1982 4 года назад

    THE PENCIL EXERCISE (saxophone edition)!

  • @aech7150
    @aech7150 7 лет назад

    When I do this, it creates a sound that feels bad for blending with an ensemble. Is that normal?

    • @maddizzle1744
      @maddizzle1744 7 лет назад

      Aech Yeah, it's not supposed to be in tune

  • @leonardoll30
    @leonardoll30 8 лет назад +1

    Hello, Jeff. Thank you for the trick.
    How do you record your videos? Which equipement do you use?

    • @JeffSchneiderMusic
      @JeffSchneiderMusic  8 лет назад +2

      Hey Leonardo, It depends on the video. This one with the pencil looks like I recorded it on a potato. It was actually just my iPhone. These days I use a Canon G7x and a Rode NTK mic.

    • @leonardoll30
      @leonardoll30 8 лет назад

      Thank you.

  • @mcaprisun
    @mcaprisun 5 лет назад +3

    also what does this exercise do?

    • @zachattack4982
      @zachattack4982 4 года назад +1

      Teaches you good form on lower notes so when you actually play them legit it will sound better.

  • @wooji5731
    @wooji5731 7 лет назад

    Also what does it mean when your throat begins to hurt😂😂

  • @danielakinoshita
    @danielakinoshita 6 лет назад

    what about bari?

  • @johnnymcjohnnysteinstein4375
    @johnnymcjohnnysteinstein4375 2 года назад

    my corks are so worn out this is how i always have to play lol