The Minor Scales for the Saxophone?

[Michael Bishop]

Hey Johnny, as I’ve been learning the Major Scales toward the end of your first ebook-working on the Eb/D# scale right now, and was wondering if there will ever come a time where Minor Scales should be learned too? I always start off my practice sessions with the Saxophone fingering charts, exercises here from you home page and then go to praticing the Major Scales that I’m learning right now. I’ve learned about 1/2 of the Major scales–practice them on the Metronome, up the scale, down the scale, Staccato style, Tenuto style, slurring them, being able to play them by Memory, etc. That’s pretty much my focus for the remainder of this year. I’m starting to feel the difference learning these scales is making for me v.s. not knowing them. My wife has told me that learning the Major Scales is a big step for me and when I start learning about Pentatonic Scales-(she has looked over your How to Play Killer Blues ebook and tells me how great it is and told me that Pentatonic Scales will really come into play) then I will see the benefit of having learned the Major Scales first–The good news is that the cpu that has the software I use for making videos is on it’s way back from HP, will upload to the blog in about a week or so. Thanks much! 😎

[john]

Yes, minor scales are next but you should have a better handle on the major scales and chords first. Everything else comes out from there, this is the thing that will give you a solid foundation that will enable you to relate evrything to and make it that much easier to understand.
You don’t know the major scales well enough until you’re flying through them by memory. so keep at it!

[Michael Bishop]

Thank you so much Johnny, hope I never seem like a pest or something to you –I’m more of a pest than ambitious, or am I? ;)–just have to understand that I had been wanting to play the Sax of over 17 years, as my wife will tell you and I’m really starting to get ahold of it and having great fun in the process. I’ve always had CDs of Richard Elliot, Dave Koz, Kenny G, etc. around the house and listened to them all the time. And it totally blew me away the day she brought the Alto home, which the kids actually caught on Camera my reaction THE EXACT MOMENT that she gave it to me. I’m saving that video clip to make when our next anniversary comes around in April (she brought the Alto home as an Anniversary gift, do I have a classy, wonderful woman or what?!?) and going to combine that video clip with a song for her and label the video something like “One year later” and will upload it here to the blog. It’s amazing what one year will do for you. By the way, I checked out your site http://www.JohnnyFerreira.com and subscribed to it from my e-mail address that I use as a soon-to-be health care provider—your song “Mexico” is real groovy! 🙂 I am bi-lingual and the Spanish Culture is in my roots/blood. I was raised around them. I’m actually from a small village in New Mexico, so just about anything with a Latin taste to it turns me on. Samba Pa Ti is probably my favorite song you have done, but I love all of them for sure! The time will come when I will learn to play those songs, you can count on it 🙂

One thing I was thinking of for the blog: It would be really cool to see something posted up there regarding Sax maintenance, just something that gives us an overview of things to keep an eye on when it comes to making sure your Sax is in good playing order. I’ve browsed around online and, like everything else, found just a little of this and a little of that. Nothing that really gives just a good, basic, general overview. Maybe doing it like you did your MouthPiece Segment; take your Sax to your repair man and have him give us a quick run down of things to watch on your Sax or something like that? I think just about everyone of us could benefit from it for sure. Watch for my next upload to the blog in 1-2 weeks.

[john]

No, not a pest at all, I enjoy watching people with an keen interest progress with their saxophone playing that’s why I set up this site.
The idea you mentioned is something that I have thought about cause I do have a sax shop with good guys who would probably do something like that for me but it’s just getting the time and doing it.

[Michael Bishop]

Well, can’t expect to not haul around this beast that we call the Saxophone and as good as you are not be busy 🙂 But when time allows, it just something else that would be great to have on this site that you made-as if were not already spoiled? 😉 What got me to thinking about Sax Maintenance was, from a beginner’s viewpoint, you’re just learning about these things and when I had my Alto Serviced he brought out things to me that I would never even had thought about. For example, something as simple as making sure the neck has enough cork on it. Without it your Sax is out of tune. As a beginner you just don’t think about things like that. But looking online, as important as that simple tip is, I haven’t found one single video that even talks about that! (At least I, myself, haven’t found one). You can see what I mean and how, as a beginner, we really NEED to know these things. From what I can see, I don’t know if even experienced Sax players ( I suspect anyway) know everything they should know about Sax maintenance. You can see it when they’re playing. While sometimes the problem is the embouchure, etc., chance are is that their Sax COULD be out of tune and they don’t even know that’s the problem. Thanks Johnny!

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