I Asked Eric Marienthal How He Got So Good
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- Опубликовано: 24 июн 2023
- #bettersax #saxophone #ericmarienthal
Jay Metcalf interviews one of the all time great saxophonists, Eric Marienthal.
Eric's Marienthal's Website ericmarienthal.com
Eric Marienthal's online course artistworks.com/jazz-saxophon...
Books Eric Mentioned:
Marcel Mule Exercises Journaliers amzn.to/4307Tcn
Marcel Mule 18 Etudes amzn.to/3CNhdFW
Jean Marie Londeix Mechanical exercises amzn.to/3CNvVMR
Eric's Book:
Eric Marienthal Comprehensive Jazz Studies & Exercises for All Instruments amzn.to/3r33GHy
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I played with Eric in Phil Wilson's Dues band at Berklee 1978-79. He was this maybe 17 year old kid from California, that had this wonderful unique sound. There were great players in that band that were always asking him why he even came to Berklee, because he was already pretty amazing. I’ll never forget that he always was extremely modest, and claimed he needed many, many more hours “woodshedding”.
Great! Thanks for sharing this.
I had a similar experience with Seamus Blake in a college big band.
Thank you Mr Marienthal for making your 192 page book free as a PDF online. You’re the pinnacle of a philanthropist.
Please where can I get this PDF
Thanks 🙏
I'd also like to know how to view the free pdf book. Thank you.
The video does NOT contain information on how to get the book. Jsyk.
One of the nicest musicians I've met. My good friend played in the College of the Sequoias jazz band in Visalia, and Eric was there as a guest artist. After the show he invited us to to Bakersfield College to watch the Gordan Goodwin Big Band and said come on back stage. The director of the band, his wife, my friend and I all hung out backstage, had some food and chatted up a few of the band members. Besides being my favorite sax player, just a great human being! I think this is your best interview so far!
I had the honour of meeting Eric on a Smooth Jazz cruise after a show and we walked to the elevator after I was completely blown away by his earlier performances. He was not only very polite and incredibly modest but very genuine and approachable. He was the musical director for the entire time at sea. As we headed to the next hall, I noticed how many bags he had and how much of a rush he was in (in part because he made time for me). He had his alto and tenor saxes with him.
I offered to help him with his bags and he politely declined. I insisted and he most graciously and politely declined again. I felt a bit snubbed but chose not to take it personally. I later learned, from experiences of my own, that no matter how nice, helpful and sincere I was being to him, he made the right call! Why trust a complete stranger with the your prized tools of your craft? I own 3 saxes and get cagey letting even my wife carry any of them in their protective cases!
Love Eric and his music. Loved this interview. Looking forward to the next one. I took so much away from this one. Thanks Jay!
Jay is smitten here. And understandably so. Just fantastic to see two unusually accomplished practitioners of their respective crafts share so openly a genuine love for the art of music and saxophone playing. More, please!
Jay, you got me into playing saxophone and i cant thank you enough for it.
Glad to hear it! You're welcome.
It’s always a good feeling when somebody tells you that the inspiration for their involvement with a musical instrument was motivated by you. I’ve only heard that a few times, but it definitely does make you feel good! 😉👨🏻
Jay … wow … these interviews you do with living legends of jazz are an incredible kindness you do to saxophonists and other musicians. Here you are with a successful set of lessons, great gear, and sound advice, and then you got out and solicit these artists and give them the freedom to pass along these gold nuggets of wisdom. Thank you once again for this. Imagine if more people had live interviews with Trane, Miles, Grover, Cannonball, Brecker, and put them up for the public to see? This is a beautiful legacy for us to see these folks while they are still with us to share this knowledge. Thanks to you and the super talented Marienthal for sharing your wisdom with us saxophone mortals. This is like Desmond interviewing Bird. By the way, one of the most elusive interviews out there is the legendary saxophonist Marc Russo (the original Grammy winning saxophonist for the Yellowjackets and the current sax virtuoso for the Doobie Brothers). Saw him live a couple of weeks ago and realized that someone needs to sit down with this guy before he is gone (like the legendary Alto Reed who passed last year). There are so many living legends still with us who we can learn so much from from jazz, pop, rock, funk and more. Thanks again for sharing this.
Thank you! Yes, it’s wonderful to be able to do this.
Marc Russo is incredible. One of my favourite alto players. Check out the YJ album The Spin, if you can find it
I completely agree with Eric's stance on taking his favorite horn rather than leaving it at home. I recently got myself a beautiful new professional quality horn and I've played it indoors, outdoors, and traveled with it. I plan on taking good care of it and keeping it for the rest of my life, but I didn't buy it just to look at it in the case. It's meant to be played.
Yep!
I am now training myself NOT to save my favorite instruments for when I am dead and gone. (lol)
Excellent conversational "interview" 👌
I met Eric at the 2016 Jazz festival in Portugal!! Not only did he give an amazing concert but met all the fans afterwards!! A very talented and modest person, he spoke to everyone at each persons level and always offered great advice!! One of my musical heroes since the 1980’s i was in awe to have met him, and to speak to him was on my bucket list!! Thanks for this podcast, and thanks Eric for being the person and superstar you are!!👏👏👏
Eric has been an inspiration to me for ever since the 80s as we are about the same age. I started on classical clarinet then when I turned 16 my parents bought me my first tenor sax. It wasn 't until I was in my 20s and I was able to play to study privately with Steve Lederer in Toronto and he said this to me, "You go out to the woodshed and shed and shed then close the shed door and go play the music. I am 69 years old now and still teaching and to hear Eric, who is one of the greatest sax players in the world pretty much say the same thing was inspirational. Play classical studies because it is all there, then start to edit some things out and change the groove and you are suddenly improvizing. The style comes out of the culture and you must listen and become very aware of the fine details of that style. If you have practiced enough you are like a great athlete. You are in shape, now what sport are you playing? That is what Steve Lederer meant. I tried to do that as much as possible and I encourage everyone to take what Eric says very seriously. Thank you Eric for your inspiration and leadership in passing on your incredible skill and passion. Yiou too Jay keep up the great work. Cheers!
Great interview Jay! I am an engineer that plays sax for pleasure. I enjoy my job but I deeply envy yours. I can see you telling your family: “I’m going to work now” then you close your studio door and start this interview. How much fun!
Ha yes it is a bit like that. I do love my job!
Thank you so much Jay, I'm a 65yr old now trying to play a alto saxophone and this interview is mind blowing, I suffer with dyslexia and reading but you you TUBES podcasts are unbelievable ...thanks Paul in London
This was one of my favorite episodes. Eric seems like a really great guy.
Many years ago, when I heard saxophone playing by Eric Marienthal, to me it was obvious that man was not an ordinary cat; the way he played suggested he must have had some serious study method. I was searching for his book, songbook, whatever - if he had any. And fortunately, he did write a book - the one mentioned in the video. For many years now, it has been my do-all, play-all book for the woodwinds. (Although the range is suited for the saxophone, the structure and exercises can work for any other woodwind instrument). Incredibly versatile, rewarding and challenging. No one who studies it seriously can go wrong.
I saw Eric with Chick back in the mid-90s at Lawrence University. Got a chance to speak with him briefly and he was kind, gracious, and just a class act.
Yes, great guy.
Amazing to see Eric Marienthal shearing his thoughts and ideas with us. I am enrolled in his course at artistworks, and it is indescribable to see him analysing your playing and suggestions for improvement so clear and constructive. I am still straggling with Eric’s Secret warm up…. for Eric it takes only 20 minutes… for me more than and hour.. But it incredible the improvement on your sound following Eric indications….
What is the warmup? Thanks
Absolutely love this interview, he’s one of my all time favorite players. I’ve been lucky to do a few classes with him. He is such a humble and nice guy.
You should do a review on his mouthpiece both tip openings. That would be nice to get an honest unbiased view.
Yes, would love to.
My husband, a jazz pianist, was at Berklee with Eric, and Eric played during graduation. Wow. Time flies. Great to see him. And thanks for the advice and info.
I had Erik as a student in one of my "Listening and Analysis" classes at Berklee in 1979 or 80. It was a type of general music appreciation class that did easy analysis of music in a wide variety of styles. We had books that asked questions about listening examples such as how far up did a tune modulate from one section to another.
Erik was one of 2 people in the class that recognized the modulation distance immediately.
My point is his natural eartraining ability and musical memory were very sharp from an early age.
This natural talent is the ground from which his improv and mastery of styles flows. It is a gift given to a few folks and can't really be taught ... especially the easy retention of relatively long phrases. He was too modest to discuss anything along these lines but I know it is a huge part of the mastery he has developed.
You might ask other masters about their approaches to retention / memorization and see if anyone has specifically developed their skills in this area by practicing ... and if so how did they practice.
I just discovered this video and could not wait to dive right in. I am a piano player instead of a sax guy but it does not matter. What Eric has to say applies to all musicians. I also attended Berklee and had a wonderful experience although I never pursued music as a profession. However, as a HUGE Elektric band fan, I know all about Eric and what an awesome musician he is. Years back I attended a Jeff Lorber Fusion show and was walking the halls of the theater before the show while texting on my cell phone. Suddenly, a guy walked by me and said, "nice shirt". I said thanks and only briefly looked up to see who said it. It took my brain about 5-10 seconds to register that it was Eric Marienthal. I said, "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" and went running after him. He made the comment because I was wearing a Chick Corea Elektric band shirt with Eric's face plastered right on it!! We laughed and talked a bit although it was tough for me to get my words out while talking to a legend like that. But, he was SUCH a nice and friendly guy, just like Chick was. It's so refreshing to have guys out there who are legends and are so respected that still have humility. He was just a "normal guy" to talk to. I will never forget my experience meeting this incredible person and I have immense respect for what he has achieved.
Thank you so much to both of you, Jay and Eric !!!❤
Amazing! I have one of his licks printed and sticked onto one of my bedroom walls, so it is the first thing I see when I wake up. For me he’s the Roger Federer of sax 🎷 Pure class and inspiration.
Such a great interview Jay! Eric is indeed one of my favorite saxophone players, and I had the pleasure to be one of his students in artist works. He is indeed an amazing educator. It’s great you had him on the show! Congrats!
BEST saxophone related channel.
Awesome interview! Eric Marienthal is one of the best saxophonists alive today, IMHO. He's up there with Sanborn, Potter and Brecker. His online course was the first one I've ever tried and it was very good.
Just listened to this interview with Eric for the 4th time since it first dropped-amazing. Picked up new stuff each time that either inspired me, challenged me to practice more and better or just increase my esteem for Eric if that’s even possible. Thanks, Jay, for bringing such valuable content forward.
This interview is gold! Eric Marienthal is such an excelent musician and yet remains so humble and down to earth...
Excellent interview of my long time fav alto pro. Thanks for doing this! Looking forward to the next one!
Thank you so much Jay! Incredibly well conducted interview with a giant of the saxophone, Eric! Some of the best saxophone content on the internet, absolute highlight for me.
This is the interview I hoped for since I discovered Eric's playing around age 14. Eric is, together with Michael Brecker around the same time, the inspiration and motivation which lead me to persue an own path and profsessional career around saxophone. Both Brecker and Eric appeared on Dave Weckl's early 90's albums, and the track of respectively "Garden Wall" and "Tee Funk" became the tune of life.
I have transcribed plent of Eric, and what strikes me everytime again is his control of the sax which he referred to here, and the attitude of placing all his notes. There is just never any doubt, it is so well phrased and articulated with a full body of sound. This is the great backstory to how those elements are in his playing, tremendous talent yes, but also an incredible work attitude.
All the best Jay, thanks again!
/Jorre
P.S. I'm sharing that on our community page, such a great lesson/inspiration
Glad you enjoyed it so much. We all know you're a big EM fan!
@BetterSax Thank you so much for this interview! Eric Marienthal has always been one of my favorites. I especially love his recordings with the Chick Corea Elektrik Band. Thanks for talking about the gear. The stories Eric shared reveal the same desires and fears we all have.
I was a Berklee student at the same time, in the late 70s. I had the good fortune to study with Joe Viola for four years. I wish now that I could go back and do that again, as a more mature, balanced adult. But such is life.
What a master and a legend! years and years of inspiration from Eric - Thanks for this!!!
No doubt!
What a great player and a humble gentleman. I was fortunate to enjoy a brief chat with him at our hotel - Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival 2022.
Awesome interview. What a humble and loveable guy! Thanks for the treat
That was fantastic Jay! It's surprising and refreshing that Eric gets nervous or stressed on gigs. I never would have thought a person at his level would have those thoughts. Keep up the good work Jay!
This was amazing Jay. Thank you very much. I’m a 53 year old dad getting back into saxophone and clarinet after 25+ years of not playing.
Brother this is an AWESOME interview! So much of the journey of becoming a musician let alone a great musician is hearing the stories of the people that have achieved such a high level of success. Such as yourself and Marienthal. You have to reinforce the mind that it can be done. Marienthal's perspective of not focusing so much on sound but what feels comfortable to you is exactly what I've believed. But to hear it from the mouth of such a talented musician is what really solidifies the mind to go after it. I believe that I can be great because of material like this! It's such a motivator to keep pushing yourself to the limits. Practice, practice, practice!!! Again such an AWESOME interview and Marienthal was such a joy to listen to!
Great and informative interview Jay. Love to hear the insight from established and experienced players to find out their approach to learning. As a late starter to sax I feel there is so much to learn and so little time but it’s such a rewarding instrument to play. Please keep up the great instruction and advice.
Best Podcast ever! I love Eric...my biggest hero. Thank you for sharing! Eric is an amazing person, mentor and a legend! Thanks for this great video!
First, Eric is a wonderful human being. That's the first thing that strikes me about him. I love him so much. Thanks Jay, this' great conversation.
Fantastic interview, great insights. Great thanks to all involved!
Jay, Eric is one of my favourite players. This video is pure gold, I can't thank you enough.
Thank you very much for the wonderful interview with Eric! Eric Marienthal is the teacher I study with from his textbook and from his videos. I play on Erik's mouthpiece, and I consider this mouthpiece to be the best (for myself). Thank you very much again!
❤👍🎷🎷🎷🔥
Amazing interview, Jay & Eric. Thank you both.
Eric Marienthal is the reason why I played the saxophone and why I went to Berklee College of Music. I was awe inspired and he has this gift of giving a uniqe and special voice to the saxophone that captivated me as a kid many years ago. Thank you both for this wonderful interview, perfect companion as I make my lesson plans for my band students.
Great content Jay; what dedication! Thank for posting cheers
Excellent interview Jay - loved it! Also big thanks to Eric for sharing everything he did. I'll definitely be thinking about some takeaways in the coming days 🙏
Thanks Jay and Eric for an informative chat. Much appreciated. Nice to know also that CP just puts a reed on the mouthpiece and leaves it there till it's 'done'. I've been doing that for years now and it works for me.
And I have a couple of his albums too. Love Eric's music. Thank you so much for getting Eric in this interview. I really love his insights.
Wow what a treat! Thanks Jay and Eric for the amazing conversation. I had the opportunity to have a class with Eric during COVID. Great guy! Impossible to watch this video and don't want to go practice. 😊
Thank you Jay and Eric, really wonderful stuff!
Thanks Bettersax for posting this. EM is one of my saxophone heroes! He is so human and real and such a master! It was a pleasure to hear this interview
thank you!
Jay, I keep coming back to this. I can’t remember if I commented or not, but in case I did not….this is a fantastic interview. I have sent it to some friends because it is so positive and has some great little pearls of wisdom. Love Eric’s playing and have enjoyed getting to know him better through this interview. Great job! Great choice of subject to interview! Thanks for this!
This is one of my favorite interviews! Lots of great education! I approach things the same way.
I met Eric here in Manila 1995, I love this guy, very humble.. thanks so much Jay for this interview I enjoyed it so much.
Great interview! Nice to see someone so accomplished who is completely humble and unpretentious, and some very helpful information on practicing. Thanks
“The wand chooses the wizard as the saxophone chooses the saxophonist“ - that‘s totally my philosophy! 👍
36:00 I had to fast forward to get to the important part for us beginners. I don't even play the sax, although I love it. I'm one week into teaching myself the clarinet at 61 years old, so I wanted to learn how to practice.
Wow... Eric is a legend! Thanks Jay for sharing a such amazing content with us. 😊
What an amazing interview pure gold. Thank you!
Got his autograph last month in Milano, he was touring with Weckl, Kennedy and Mindeman.
Eric has been such a great inspiration to me as saxophonist in Nigeria. I was privilege to lay my hands on an old VHF tape that contains his tutorial " licks of the trade" some years back and that was a major turning point in my career. Thank you so much Eric. Thank you Jay for bringing in him on.❤
Thank you Jay for sharing this great interview ! It was very informative, with great stories . , It really looked like you guys hit it off, and that made for this great podcast . Keep up the great work , I hope you have more cool interviews like this Jay . Take care gentlemen .
Maestro Eric! What an interview, thank you Jay, amazing stuff!
Jay this is an amazing interview with a wealth of valuable information. Thank you so much
My pleasure!
Jay!
The quality of your videos.
Your honesty. Your openness. The editing.
The interviews with fellow musicians.
Everything......
It's magic! Don't stop doing what you're doing.
You're brilliant.
Thanks man 🙂👍
Thank you.
I love seeing how the greats are still human and need to practice :D. Great video Jay/Eric. Really awesome.
Wow!Thank you so much!❤🙏
Thank you for this wonderful video , it’s so different , you guys both are very profesional , and at the same time very humble. Thank you again .
you both seems like such wholesome dudes -So inspirational!
I just love this video, its so helpful knowing what the greats have been through, it help tremendously, thanks allot for this vid guys.
Thanks Jay I really enjoyed this video . Great inspiration to keep on practicing
My God! thank you Jay for giving us Erick marienthal in an open way. Amazing!!! 🙌🏽
My pleasure!!
Amazing interview packed with a lot of useful information …. Tnxs Jay
Absolutely great interview !
Thank you
Wow excellent! It was nice to hear Eric talk about Joe Viola. and about those book wich are the Marcel Mule books and the Scale book. Eric's book is excellent . Thank you for posting this. I studied with Joe Viola and those books were some of his favorites. Joe studied with Marcel Mule so he knew how to work them. The Feling was another book also the Ernest Lyon 32 studies and the Guy Lacour studies using the Messien Modes, and ofcurse Joe's 3 books plus all the Jazz tunes on the syllabus for Jazz studies. Again thank you and thank Eric for that great chat...
Great podcast Jay, really well put together, thank you. I'm looking forward to having Eric over for a masterclass in London in May 2024, exciting!
Wow, you guy’s are greatness! What a lovely interview. Thanks to both👍 especially to the great Eric Marienthal🎉
Thanks for this episode, Jay! Eric has always been an inspiration to me ever since i heard "Eye Of The Beholder" on cassette back in the 80s. Since then, been listening to his work with the Electric Band as well as his solo albums. This interview is loaded with valuable insights and awesome playing demonstrations by Eric. [Flashback] I met Eric back in 2012 when Jeff Lorber did a concert in Manila at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I had my copy of Comprehensive Jazz Studies authographed by Eric. Cheers!
Great interview! Thank you!
Excellent interview! I rarely stick with any interview from start to finish but Eric is so engaging and has such a great way of conveying information I couldn't break away. Thanks!
I had to pause it to have dinner with my kids but then straight back to it.
This interview was amazing!! I loved hearing about Eric doing studio work. That’s the dream job of so many musicians. Unfortunately that kind of work has largely disappeared. I’ve been playing on Eric’s mouthpiece for a few years. It’s modeled somewhat on the Beechler piece he used to use. I had one of those Beechlers back in the 90s but fought with it in the lower register. Eric’s piece is very versatile and free blowing.
Great interview! Thnak you so much.
That is the very first podcast I have ever listened to ! What inspirational down to earth gentlemen you both are . Throughly enjoyed it . I'm at the very beginning of my saxophone journey ( learning for almost 6 months ) Practising is part of my everyday life now , and I have great neighbours who don't mind my daily 2 hour practise sessions . Luckily my strangled duck impression is getting less and less as time goes on . Thank you Jay .
That was absolutely brilliant and inspiring. Thanks Jay and Eric.
I met Eric and Jeff Lorber after his show in Seattle and he was the nicest guy ever. Great interview
Great collaboration!
Thank you Jay and Eric!
Great interview! So much helpful info along with the cool stories! -- It is amazing that he still has the Mark VI he got when he was teen! (I bought a Mark VI alto in the late 60's, but it got stolen in the 70's.)
Believe it or not, I did not know Eric Marienthal. That is an extremely interesting and enlightening video. Full of great ideas. One can feel that Eric certainly put the time into working the instrument and had fun with it. A very generous and inspiring person. Thank you !!
Wow! What an awesome interview! Thank you for this. 😎🎷
I met Eric in Opole, Poland, in 2000 or 2001 - I was 15 back then. This guy is the nicest person ever, and a killer player of course. Also, I know the book of Eric that you mention in your vlog. This book is a life-long exercise encyklopedia. It looks simple until you start working on it. Eric was a big inspiration in my early development times. Thank YOU ERIC!
Thank you for this Podcast recording. This was very useful and informative.
Glad it was helpful!
when you see Eric , you just want to HUG this man!❤
Great conversation. I'm older than either of you and an old rocker from Texas. I picked up an alto a year ago (Yamaha YAS280) and loved it so much I bought a Selmer Axos tenor. I'm still a "seat of the pants" player, stumbling along, playing by ear. One of the first tunes I grabbed onto was Cannonball's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", which is as you both know, a tune that is in an easy key for alto. Eric and Brad Rambur did a fun live version of it, and I've learned a bit from that too. Thanks for the tips...
I LIVE off inspiration. I love this💕💕
THASNK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING VIDEO, WITH MY BEST OF ALL THE TIMEs ERIC MARIENTHAL, THANK YOU
These stories are epic! Great interview….I was trained on trumpet but always wanted to play sax…when I got to law school I bought my first sax (soprano) and had to practice in my car since I lived in an apartment…when I joined the Navy I was stationed in Japan and would leave my sax at the office and stay after everyone went home and play for hours since I lived in a very small apartment in town…then I was stationed on an aircraft carrier and finally bought an alto sax (YAS-62)…my buddy was the Public Affairs Officer, so I had free access to the soundproof TV studio when it wasn’t in use and could play for hours…I did a lot of playing by ear since it was very difficult to find music and print it from the ship with the lack of internet…great stuff!!!
Eric/Jay - wow, what a great interview, full of knowledge and enthusiasm. I’m headed to the practice room. Neil
Loved this episode!