More Members Saxophone Videos!
Post your saxophone music video URL in the comment box below to get your own video up on this blog page.
Let me start this section off with a video of the King Curtis version of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man”
This is a really popular instrumental tune that has been done by so many musicians… for me, this version is a favorite and one I’m going to do a transcription for saxophone music and play along backing track of very soon. Hope you enjoy it!
King Curtis playing Watermelon Man
Notice how he plays the head on the tenor then switches to soprano for the solo.
Check the blog for more pages featuring members saxophone videos.
Johnny: I have been playing Herbie Hancock’s music to this for some time. Don’t have the solo though. Will do it on Wednesday. No backing either. Tim
Which of his records do you have it on?
I’ve got it on “Taking Off” his first album for Bluenote as frontman. In fact, it’s the original recording of the tune, which he wrote. It’s excellent – Dexter Gordon on tenor.
Way cool of a song for you to make available to get on your site here Johnny—I was looking for a video on youtube of King Curtis playing this one live and can’t find one. Is he playing this song as a duet with someone else? Not much time in the break between the Tenor and Soprano solo.
no that’s a studio version. A few years back there were some videos of King Curtis on youtube but some “A” hole from a record company had them all taken down.
this idea just took off that a rocket ship uh Johnny?…
…..something i did about 5 years ago a 1940 buescher stencil..a Drake 6* Mp and a 2 1/2 reed..
Hi friends,
here is my first video. Sorry the sound is terrible, cause i recorded with my laptop.
I´m from Germany Munich, so i try to do my best to play Saxophon as well.
Good rocking
Richard
Richard, you’re off to a great start. I don’t know if it was intentional but you are getting some decent growls already!
I believe your head may be pointing slightly high at times…experiment by lowering your chin just a little and see if the air flows better.
The reason you lose some notes is that you are starving your sax from enough air, so blow harder and louder, especially when you start to lose the note as it gets too thin…more air is going to fix this.
Thank you for your clue.
i will try. but sometimes i lost my air and i dont know why.
A few months back, someone tried messing with my youtube account (as I had mentioned before) and I removed some of my saxophone videos–wasn’t going to have anyone mess with my tiny little bit of “history” but I have them all on my cpu. When I did Johnny’s Greenslevees we talked about uploading them again, as the blog is a real treat to help us progress–Johnny and other members can see what we’re doing right and wrong. So what I did–and what I’ll do over time–is to reupload them like I’m doing here, but play the song again as a new upload and combine it with the old one as a “before & after” type of comparison to see what kind of progress is being made. The first take is the video of the original upload that I did back in September, that was 5 months ago, oh my goodness time flies! The 2nd take is what I did today. I haven’t looked at the sheet music for this song at all since I first uploaded it and I played this today on a spur of the moment, so I was happy to be able to retain it in my memory and play it today.
There are some of us who have finished Johnny’s ebook on How to Play the Saxophone who may feel that his songs on the music selection are too difficult for us, which is what I thought too. Johnny doesn’t leave anyone out, and there are songs on his selection that are no difficult to play than “Over the Rainbow” at the end of his book. “What a Wonderful World” is a simple, beautiful tune. On the Improvisation section in his lessons link, you can go there and learn how to make your own blues tunes with less than 5 notes.
GREAT JOB Richard feurer! Keep your uploads coming.
Yes, big difference Michael! I’m curious about the reed here…
Your tone is heading in the right direction, it’s getting bigger and brighter, but that reed sounds like it’s too difficult to control. Might be too stiff or might be a size too hard for you.
very nice improvement michael. I can notice a huge difference. So much more subtle and pleasing to the ears. Your transition from the notes is so much smoother! Keep up the work. Its is nice to look back and see our improvement thru these videos. Keeps me motivated. It is often hard to tell that we are making progress without looking back! Awesome site Johnny has here to help us along!! Thanks johnny!!!!
Hey guys, I dont have a video made as of yet. But would it be ok to upload a song from my reverbnation page and get some feedback on my tone? I will work on getting some videos on here. I really appreciate all of the wisdom and help on here. I recorded this with a studio cut Legere reed (strength 2.75), an rpc 110 mouthpiece, and a Jupiter 889 artist Tenor. (Silver Laquer).
http://www.reverbnation.com/tjgeorgeandstiritupministries/song/19754439-love-is-the-answer
TJ, Hey I liked your song choice, and you played it well! Your fingering and playing in sync to the back track were very good. And a good job of recording too. Anxious to hear Johnny’s comment on your tone- but I would say you have alot of Positive things going on with how you’re progressing in that respect! Anxious to hear more!
Good one TJ!
There’s some good stuff going on there. I think your blowing needs more consistency… sometimes you fall out of tune with the band, while other times you are blending in nicely so listen to where you fall a little flat and work to avoid that.
Your next step or main focus should be on trying to get a bigger tone. I think it’a a little thin overall so your set up could improve to possibly a more open mp. Sometimes when we do that we also need to cut back slightly on reed strength. Do you have any cane reeds to see if there’s a difference?
Besides the equipment stuff, work on opening up your throat/oral cavity and try to blow more air (this can be more difficult on a narrow set up)… check out the video in this blog section from about a week ago on improving thin and flat high notes, it deals with this and you will get something pout of it. All that said, you’re well on your way, keep at it and try to step it up a notch TJ.
I hadn’t warmed up or anything at all here and my reed was very dry–I usually will warm up for about 15-20 minutes before doing anything to get the mind, fingers, diaphragm, etc. going; but here I just got up and played to have some quick fun. I’m using the same 2.5 reed when we had our private lesson, I just didn’t warm up or anything. But I’ll definately check it our for sure. Also,even before doing a 15-20 min warm up, I will put the MP on my hand and stick it in my mouth & suck on it to get a good seal (that “pop” noise to ensure we have a good seal). My Vandoreen reeds came in a set of 3 and I have been alternating them from one practice to the next. I have learned the hard way not to eat my favorite foods before practicing either LOL. Thanks!
The 2.5 reed I’m using here is the exact same one I used when I did Greensleeves; just didn’t do my normal warm-up routine here.
Hey Kevin and Johnny. Thank you guys so much for the feedback. I had a feeling I was not blowing like I should and yes I can hear the parts where the tone is falling flat now and I understand what your talking about so thank you and thanks again for the video on tone…..very helpful.
Here’s my take on Johnny’s Unchained Melody. Gotta a couple squeaks in there but overall think its coming along! Def a work in progress!!
Nice one Jake!
What’s your setup again?
Open up more. When you lose those high notes it’s cause your sax needs more air.
It’s there sometimes and other times not, so focus on being more consistant with the air supply.
Turn the backing tracks up in your room and let it out really loud!
Believe me, this will help you… as long as your set up is where it should be.
I just got a new custom mp. Its made from a guy in new york city. Its a metal .105 opening made similar to a guardala king model. I’m using a 2.5 java reed from vandoren. Sometimes when I blow into the sax at the high notes, it seems to close off on me, also my reeds tend to feel pretty wet, not sure if that plays into it as well. I wonder if I need something more open? My Berg .120 doesn’t do that on me but I don’t give it enough air. I think the openess of the berg is a little bit for me that is why I downsized the tip opening with the new one I just got.
Bravo Jake! Your “work-in-progress” definitely shows your due diligence in practice and improvement!
Good performance! You always exhibit a flare for making your videos entertaining.
I think the mouthpiece choice is working for you, tone is filling out more…
The recording quality sounded good too. You’ll have to tell us about your setup.
Nice one Jake–you’re the first one to post some of that great new music Johnny just released. I know what you mean about those reeds getting too wet–I’ve been using Juno cane reeds on the Tenor and initially these reeds are great but after heavy use they start to get too soft, because of getting wet from using them. It’s tough to get a smooth tone once that happens. I was going to upload “Fly Me to the Moon” but I need to replace these reeds first; I’ll do that next week.
Nice to see your uploads!
Curious if any will recognize this song and the sax composer who wrote it. This type of smooth jazz genre appeals to me, though I must say I’m certainly getting hooked on the Rock-n-Roll sax genre. It’s good to be able to enjoy the diversity of all the styles of music the sax is capable of being used for.
This song stays more in the upper range of the Tenor Sax so it was a good practice to try to get those upper notes to fill out. Not quite there yet, but I’m starting to hear them improve. It’ll hopefully help in the coming months when I can move to a MP with a bit larger tip opening.
The one thing my recording setup lacks is a good means to EQ the final output. This take and mic setting seems a bit “bright” to me. Like to know what others think.
So can anyone- “Name That Tune”…
Sorry but I can’t name that tune. Haha. Your
Tone is so smooth. You play those high notes
Well. It doesn’t even seem that you are up there
I’m still working to achieve that. As far as my
Setup goes I followed your lead. Thanks.
I took to eBay and got myself a zoom recorder
And a condenser mic. I record Johnny’s backing
Track into it and then I can record myself
It really help because once I put the headphones
On I’m really focused and connected to the music
It feels as tho I’m in a different world. It’s just amazing
To hear like that. Thanks do much for your
Valuable info for that. If anyone hasn’t seen Kevin’s
Post look back and check it out. I think it was near
The end of blog page 2.
Thanks for the comments Michael. It’s good to
Know that my wet reeds aren’t just me. Once they
Get too wet. I’m done. I have too switch them out
I lose my ability to hit various notes. It feels as
If the reed closes up on me. Once I put a new
Dryer one on the problem is fixed. So strange
Guys, by setup I meant reed and mouthpiece combination, sorry bout that. Of course in this regard setup can also mean your recording gear etc.
Anyway, I think a wet reed is better than a dry one! I’ve never experiences a reed getting too wet to play. If this is happening, are you also experiencing a lot of saliva in your mouthpiece too? This can be a common problem and I’ve heard others complain about. Usually it’s early beginners who just aren’t controlling that from not getting too overboard. With focus we can slow down that saliva river!
Thanks Jake, Michael,
This song named- “For You”(from his For You album) is written and recorded by Kirk Whalum. Kirk got one of his biggest breaks when he was asked to tour with Whitney Houston and play the sax solo on “I will always love you”. He plays a Keilworth Tenor, and is also well known on the jazz scene…
Hey Jake, on your recording I’m not hearing any reverb effects added to your sax track. Were you using any? On the Zoom recorder I use the effect- “Small Hall”(#25)
Kevin: Not adding any reverb to it. When I hit the clean button, I get an array of various effects. I just used one called standard. That effect is pretty mild and keeps the sound close to the sax’s actual sound as if it didn’t have an effect at all. Didn’t know if I would get a better critique from my video without the extras on it. There is so much to this zoom, I am just using some basic stuff. Haven’t really gotten into what this thing can really do!!
Hi Kevin ! sounds great !
Hi Kevin every time I log in to the blog I can hear that u are getting around the sax with no effort at all the sound is nice & the tone is great. The interface you have set up sounds great also.i bought a profire 2626 but I. Struggling to set it up I’m not great with this kind of stuff got the interface set up but can’t seem to get the setting sorted from garage band . Can’t find tutorials on YouTube bit frustrated.Thanks Lou
Nice one Kevin, very smooth 🙂 I sure recognize the tune and it’s on the tip of my tongue. Jake had shared a link with me about some recording equipment that you use; I’ll be looking in the Spring to get a modest recording station going; I put a post about in the the Forum that I’m wanting to get a good USB mic, check it out when you get the chance.
That smooth-jazz style of music sure sounds good on your Tenor; I would love to hear you play some of that Rock-N-Roll sax music you’re getting addicted to for sure!
This is my first recording of greensleeves – sxpoe i ran out of puff .
Ya, that was the quickie version! Good effort though. In general you fall behind a bit off the beat…while you’re already moving, try moving to the 3/4 time. So, every time the beat hits the one count, that’s when you rock to the left (or right) this in beat rockin may help you keep with the count better. Keep playing it cause it seems like a good workout for you!
So cool to see you upload here to the blog sxpoe; you picked a really fun song too. These simple songs are great; we may tend to think of super-high screaming notes with lots of flutter tonguing, sax solos where we see guys and gals hitting all the keys like lightning, etc.. But some of the best songs out there are the simplest ones to play. Look at Johnny’s sax version of Elvis’s song “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” an ever-so popular song by Elvis that SO MANY people love and it’s a very simple song to play. Good effort, keep going 🙂
yeah its real challenging i’m doing this to keep the grey cells active – thats my main motivation. The 1st 2 months was spent on working on the embouchure and technique ie getting used to where all the keys are on the sax. The last month started working on timing – quavers, semi-quavers using a metronome. So my timing is to say the least atrocious. later on i plan to bring in the dynamics and articulation. Its a real juggling act – but its good fun. I have found your exercises in scales very useful!! My tutor was asking me the other week what type of sax music i was most interested in, in terms of him recomending me a future mouthpiece & ligature.
thanks for the support guys – i should have recorded that song 2 months ago (Only just worked out how to record it with a camcorder – getting the backing track the right distance away etc) that would have been painful to watch! like driving behind a learner juddering along the road! I want to record it again in a few months time & hope there is a difference. But i’ll always remember the first day i played the Sax. I took my 2 daughters along to the music teacher for flute/clarinet lessons, only 1 daughter had to drop out, so the music instructor asked me if i’d like a taster lesson on the Sax, and said he’d lend me his spare Sax for a couple of weeks.
Anyway like a fool i said yeah why not – there a cool looking instrument , no harm in trying it yolo. So in half an hour he got me playing D to B and a simple nursery rhyme. So i took his Sax home , got it out & spent 10 minutes and i could only play the middle B and the rest of the was just screeching! I was staring to sweat, turning grey in the face, i don’t believe it i was playing these 6 notes quite easy half an hour ago. Then the door flies open and the youngest daughter fed up with the racket shouts “DAD you’ve got the mouthpiece on upside down”. I told the music teacher – he said he had a little lad who 4 weeks to stop turning up with the mouthpiece on upside down!
sxpoe: You’re no fool for picking up a saxophone and starting to learn to play it. To the contrary………that makes you way, way cool!
Thanks Michael Saxaphones are truly awesome instruments – and it is a real pleasure to hear them played, they are second to the human voice!
Hi! How can I find your saxophone sheets?
Oh, there is a problem with that page all of a sudden…I will check it out.
you can see the page now:
https://howtoplaysaxophone.org/saxophone-music
Hi Johnny
your sheet music and backing tracks are great.
Howard
thanks Howard, it takes some time to get it all together but I’m enjoying getting the saxophone song list longer and increasing peoples (and mine) repertoire.
Why don’t you rock on and get your own video up here?!
It’s been 9 months for me of learning how to play the Saxophone and as student players, it’s important for us to have goals as we progress in our playing. My goal this year is to know, inside-and-out, Johnny’s ebook that I’m working on right now “How to Play Killer Blues”–I’m starting to flutter tongue now 🙂 and to be able to play some of the songs on his music selection. So here’s the first one I picked to play. I chose to play along with the backtrack where the sheet music shows to rest, just because it’s more fun to play than not to play LOL.
This song is also a good way to show how my high F# is coming along. I’ll be uploading “Mack the Knife” next month, just nobody expect me to hit those Altissimo notes like Johnny does when he plays it (not right now anyway).
The Mic that plugs into the USB port on the cpu is not the greatest in the world, it doesn’t capture AT ALL just how loud I’m playing and my family is complaining about it 🙂 but it’s certainly better than relying on the webcam mic like before. For blog uploads, we don’t need anything elaborate. But in time to come I am wanting to set up a modest home recording studio; think I saw some great info Johnny had somewhere about how to get up and going? Everyone is really positive here on Johnny’s site, thanks for your insights!
Wow, I think that’s the first tenor video for you Michael? You’re covering the full range now so way to go! It’s a beast but you’re staring to tame it…keep going.
Focus on using your tongue to ensure proper stopping of the notes. When we let them fade off they become flat because of less air support. I know you’re blowing pretty loud but you can go louder in that upper range.. it needs more air up there. If you practice louder, eventually you’ll learn to control it so it stays in tune while the volumes comes down….this is the trick and it’s not simple and quick to learn.
Nice. Gotta really put forth the effort when playing the tenor versus that alto!! What mp/reed combo are you using? I know you said a 2.5 reed. The sound did tend to sound a little bright in the upper register, you have a nice deep tone startin with those low notes tho! As I have heard in about all of post postings, “AIR..AIR..AIR” The tenor needs air. I wonder if you had more air flowing into the tenor if your sound would mellow out a little in the higher notes (they are a different breed!)? I am by no means an expert tho. I have made the jump from a 2.5 to a 3 reed (for the tenor) and wow, what a difference. I can’t believe how much more pressure is needed while playing the #3. I am sure with time we can adjust to it but I find I put so much into playing the sax with the thicker reed and I lose control of other aspects like intonation and holding my embrochure correctly. You should try some vandoren java reds. I have hear the 2.5 reeds are a little thicker than the traditional 2.5’s of a standard reed. The v16’s from vandoren are slightly thicker than that as well. These are subtle changes that can be made without jumping up a half step. Also, as Johnny said, unfortuantley we cant try only one. All reed are not created equal. There can be variations in the same package of reeds. I feel that is one of the hard parts about finding our own unique sound. When I order stuff I am taking a chance and hoping that it works out. Nothing is a done deal! Same goes with mouthpieces. Atleast places like music 123 and wwbw offer return policies so there is always that avenue to try mouthpieces with minimal lose if its not right for you. Man when I started playing the sax a little over a year ago I never envisioned all of these variations. I thought pick it up and just learn the notes. hahaha, WRONG. It is an amazing learning process tho and I can tell from our videos that we are moving in the correct direction. Again, thanks to Johnny for the tremondous support he is offering us!!!!!!
hey good show Michael!! Your timings loads better than mine!! Its great to hear different people play .. everyone has their own style.. cool!
Thanks for the insights Johnny; the Pink Panther was my first Tenor Upload-it’s in Part 3 of Members’ videos-and there are 2 takes of it; with the first one you may recall that I had problems with the sheet music not printing out big enough and my wife had to write it out for me, but she accidentally left off a sharp on the key signature to show I needed to play G# throughout the song and I ended up playing a regular G on many of the notes throughout the scale. So I did a 2nd take on it and you had commented it was much better–and thanks for bringing that out because friends/family come over and they ALWAYS ask me to play the Pink Panther for them LOL.
I still have the tendency to tighten up the muscles in my neck, as you brought out I need to relax them in our lesson so that the airway is open to let the F# come out freely…..easier said than done LOL. The tendency is to blow hard and I have to remind myself it’s my diaphragm that controls the air support and relax the muscles in my neck so those high notes can pass out freely, I’m getting there.
I’m REALLY looking forward to your Altissimo course, as you can see I’m just about ready for it and it’s a bummer looking online to find fingering charts that don’t work; NONE of them work on my Tenor! I found 1 for Altissimo G on the Alto that is working. I have been told that some fingering positions will work for some saxophones and that same fingering won’t work on another Saxophones and there really isn’t an answer as to why that is the case, that’s kind of weird.
well, as for these fingering charts… who knows who wrote them and why. I have an altissimo fingering chart that works, period. It uses one fingering position. I have added a few of my own to this and now I have a complete fingering system that works with only one or two positions to try, with slight additions of the odd side key to fine-tune it. I’m putting it together right now, (altissimo course, as you know) along with video lessons explaining how and what you need to do to get there. It’s all a bit like a jigsaw puzzle; you can’t complete it without having all the pieces, so a fingering chart, even a good, one isn’t enough.
Here is my video I said I’d post. I just simply put a 12 bar blues backing track on, and freestyled it. Playing on my Selmer Reference 54 Tenor sax
Hey Jonathan, way to go. Now that you’ve heard it you know that you can improve on the balance between your audio track and your sax. It’s kinda hard to hear what’s happening musically in the background. Anyway, what specific scales are you using or working on for your improvisation?
Hey Johnny. Thanks for the advice…I just put that video together like that so you could get a sample of my playing. I practice the B flat concert, the E flat concert, A flat concert, C concert, and F concert. Those are the scales I practice everyday, along with the B flat thirds exercise. my paradiddle exercise, and my lip flex exercices. Im curious as to your thought on my overall tone.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for messaging me about your blog video; cool to see you here on Johnny’s site. Everyone is very positive here; use all of the learning resources Johnny has and it will take you’re playing to a whole new level. This is your first upload to the blog, isn’t it?
I could hear a backing track in the background but couldn’t make out exactly what it was, I would suggest cranking up the volume on it so we can hear rhythmically what your doing in this regard. Or, if you uploaded this with a mobile, for example, even just placing it right next to the speakers of your stereo will help to hear/record the backing track better for video. Where did you start learning to play the Saxophone at? Johnny’s got LOADS of lessons here on his “lessons” page. There’s also super information in his ebook “How to Play the Saxophone” that any player of any skill level is sure to benefit from. Nice to see you here on the blog and keep rockin’ 🙂
Jonathan, when you have a short moment of consistency you have a real tone there which is great for such a beginner. What is happening way too much is the weak air pressure you’re giving to your sax. When we don’t deliver a good amount of air things happen, like, thin and flat notes, and some wavering as well. As bad as all this sounds, you can improve your tone immensly by started to focus on breathing from your diaphragm, and get way more air into that big tenor because it needs it to make you sound good!
hey Jonathan you seem a very relaxed player and control for that tempo is quite good – i reckon in time you’ve got the makings of a good player . Just remember genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration !
Thanks to all of you! I will try and make another recording tomorrow. and it will be better! I appreciate it!
I started playing two years ago in 6th grade. Yes, Im still a teenager in middle school. Im in eighth grade, and I go first chair and that’s the only reason I ended up with the selmer in the first place! Im still working on it though 😉
Hey Jake; thanks for your insights–I’ve had to really be focusing on relaxing the muscles in my throat, as this can almost “choke” (is the way I think about it) the notes and causes them to fade/fall off, as Johnny has brought out was happening a little here. For me, I haven’t had a major problem delivering air into the Tenor (maybe all those years of bmx racing for me/healthy lungs is a benefit here LOL) It’s been more about relaxing the muscles in my neck and really focus on delivering air from the diaphragm. I’ve noticed a difference even since a week ago and that’s the great benefit of the blog; we can see/Johnny can see what we’re doing right and wrong. It’s a work in progress; it’s getting there for sure though.
Here I was using a No.6 Hard Rubber MP with a 2.5 Juno reed; I went to the music shop and got one 2.5 Vandoren Java (you must be telepathic LOL) and tried it with this rubber MP, I had no problems playing it and it did produce a deeper tone, but didn’t strike me as the kind of Reed that goes well with hard-rubber MPs. In trying a Java myself now, they seem to be more suited/compatible with the Metal style of MPs. I think I had read somewhere here on this site a story the Johnny related regarding his first experience with the Guardala/Java reed combo; he wasn’t a big fan of the Java reed either, but a No.3 Java was sent to him along with the Guardala and he’s been using that combintion every since then. Trying the Java reed myself, when I do get a Guardala–planning on it very soon, strikes me as the way to go; it just seems to be the kind of reed that goes better with those kinds of MPs (now that I have personally tried the Java) v.s. a hard-rubber MP that I was using on Fly Me to the Moon.
However, I did also try a 1/2 larger size of a Juno reed (from a 2.5 to a 3) and it is REALLY good with the No.6 hard rubber MP. In contrast to Java reeds that are more suited to a Guardala, the Junos are definately suited for hard-rubber MPs 😉 Thanks much Jake for your great insights…now it’s your turn to upload something else here to the blog 🙂
Jake, Michael, just some comments on what has evolved to be my strategy on MP’s and reeds. Based on comments and what I have learned to date a more open mouthpiece (larger tip opening) is what will result in a bigger, fuller (and louder) sound. So rather than put a thicker reed on a smaller tip opening MP my strategy is to try to play as large a tip opening MP I can, which results in me going to a thinner reed to begin with. I like the #2’s at this stage in my embrochure development. I use a #2 Vandoren ZZ on a Meyer MP with 0.085″ tip opening on my Alto, and a #2 Alexander NY on a 0.102″ tip opening MP on my Tenor.
Hey Kevin. My Berg metal MP is .120 opening. I think majority of my problem is trying to open up more (throat/mouth). I feel as if I am giving the sax tons of air. I will keep practicing away! I feel as tho it is improving. As we improve, I think the improvements are more sublte (takes more time) as compared to the improvements we see in the very beginning!
My reed still tends to get pretty wet, gotta get my salivation under control. I find that after every song or so I give my reed a quick wipe down with my thumb (without taking it off mp) and this seems to help out! I have a couple of custom metal mouthpieces on the way and can’t wait to get them and try em out!
hey thanks Kevin for that input
my first Blues on a Saxophone …not Bluesharp 😉
Very cool, smokey blues tone! You’re nailin’ it. I’m sure many here would like to know about your set up?
cheers
Johnny
WOW. that was amazing! Nice tone and amazing control up and down!! Your low notes have a ton of character! Sounds like you been playing for a while? How long you been at it? Yea, like Johnny said, whats your setup??
Yes Very Cool, thank’s for bringing the Blues to the Blog! Very engaging performance and use of many cool embellishments. Musically it was top notch and recorded well. I would like to have seen the musician(s) though…
http://youtu.be/nvEh-jzrjOU
hi i’ve made up, played & recorded something on the guitar (work in progress). Next i want to play something on Sax and add the guitar recording as a backing track. I like some ideas as to how i would lift the theme from the guitar music to derive a sax theme …
Hi,
i just play for 7 month right now, when i was 28 i had a Alto but then i stopped playing saxophone at all because i started to play bluesharmonica….
A friend give me back the love for the Sax….
I´m playing a Selmer Ref54 that i bought on ebay….crasy i know… but it was a nice price and wow I love this Sax….
At this time there was a Berg Larsen mouthpiece 110 ….but now i also play a
VANDOREN TENOR SAX MOUTHPIECE V16 Metal SM823 T75 …but i changed the opening into 113…
I´m playing it on the video for my new grandchild..
Reed is a 3 Vandoren Jazz…
Best regards Ralf
PS Sorry for my english
Beautiful! That’s a great Selmer model sax too… one of their best.
sorry …….Thanks for the nice comments…
To play Bluesharmonica and Sax is wounderful, because there are alot of techniques the same and now i can play also the high register on the Tenorsax …. not like a pro but it´s ok… i think 🙂
best regards Ralf
hey Ralf thats a lovely sound from your selmar!! i nearly bought a mark VI on monday literaly had to drag myself away from – the wife would have killed me!! lol
I understand….:-\
but the price for my rev was to great…will never give it away.i just changed into 3 1/2 reeds for mode breath in the tone…wow…thats cool. I like Ben Webster…B-)
Yes, Webster is one of my very faves too! #.5 that’s a pretty heavy reed…did you try a 3 yet?
Hi,
a 3 i’m playing in the Video vor my grandchild, it’s very
Focus Sound i think, only in the last phrase i try to play a Webster like Sound. Just tryed 3 1/2 with my Vandoren MP
Thats gives me that breathing Sound i like.
With less MP i can copy it with a 3 but i like to have more MP in mouth for more Dynamik….for Rock i like the 3 more.
until now. I dont konw to do it better for this Moment…
Hi,
the first in this vid it´s nice to try , becaues it´s a C Bluesscale… Webster …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5IaMdhVBFo
will be my next Video ,, anybody knows the name of the first Song ? ..to find a playback… Whant to play it with SAX and Harp….thanks…
G Bluesscale
no, sorry I don’t know it. very nice groove…easy to play though.
Jeeep,
it´´s easy to play and a nice lesson for Bluesscale i think…! Perhaps a Peterson song….
Oscar Peterson ” Putin “
Hey guys, I haven’t been able to post any kind of video here on the blog for a little bit–sorry about that 🙁 Here’s that famous Saxophone song that everyone loves so much, and Johnny provides a free backing track/sheet music here for us to use. Couple of important notes:
1. The Allergies are FIERCE here in the south right now, and you’ll notice a slight pause when hitting the high F in the solo–I’ve been dealing with coughing/congestion. All the growling that this song requires didn’t help me any either LOL.
2. I’m playing this song with a Dave Guardala Studio Model Mouthpiece–for this song I decided to try the Juno No.3 reed that I’ve been playing with before getting the Guardala. I’ve been doing some reed comparison. When I upload, tomorrow, the 2nd one of Johnny’s fantastic songs from his music selection, I will do it on a 2.5 Vandoreen Java Reed. I really appreciate/need your insights and feedback, as others are able to see/detect things that we can’t individually while were playing…..that’s a huge benefit of the blog. When I upload the 3rd of Johnny’s song that I’ve learned recently on Sunday, I’ll upload it with the reed that is “clicking” with me better. Thanks guys, share your thoughts with me please! 🙂 Cheers and good playing to everyone.
The only complaint I have is you forgot to yell “Tequila” at the end!
Wow Michael, I’m amazed, really. You’ve developed your growling and even got most of the solo down pat. It’s such a huge improvement from your last videos. You should be VERY proud in what you’ve accomplished in only ONE year!
Cool man.
I wanted to yell “Tequila” LOL but allergies are FEROCIOUS here right now. I can’t remember it being this dry here; Arkansas is a wet land; this is not normal for us. Perhaps you heard up there of the F4 Tornado that struck here in Arkansas…..where it first touched ground is only 10 miles from our house–no joke. No one here has ever seen a twister so destructive.
Thanks for encouragement Johnny, I’m just applying myself to what you have to teach and it works as you can see; provided a student player doesn’t cheat themselves and want to miss steps. In the solo I probably missed an 8th note due air supply but my eyes are on fire from allergies and I’m congested; I tried to block it out of my mind while playing. The congestion is why I paused for a moment before hitting that high F. You’ll notice those last few notes are a little run-in together; but again that’s due to my congestion. What is your thought on the sound/tone with the Juno reed paired with this Guardala? This studio model is just right for me. I know with the Java reed with this MP is pretty awesome to say the least….but that will come tomorrow.
Oh that’s just crazy about the twister right next door!Living in western Canada I just couldn’t imagine that.
You obviously made the right choice with that Guardala mp. I’ assuming you got the Java reeds?
Like I said before, your sound is waaaayyyy better than even a few months ago.
If you really get into the altissimo course you will make even bigger strides over the next few months. I suggest you upload a couple tunes just so you can compare a little ways down the road.
I have the Java reeds-they came in yesterday-and they sound VERY good with the Studio MP. In what I call “Part 2 of my 3 part Reed Experimentation” LOL I’m uploading to the blog tomorrow WITH the Java v.s the Juno I used today. Having both videos here right next to each other will help me make a comparison and do part 3 of my little experiment on Sunday. I can do the same thing again, later down to road as you mentioned, to see how it’s coming along. Once I find which combination is working for me, then I’ll stick with it. From what I can tell (the way it sounds like to me when I’m playing anyway) is that the Juno sounds a little more “bright” when paired with this Studio and the Java gives the Studio MP a very fat & full sound. But that’s the benefit of the blog here, I can actually see what it really sounds like v.s. what I think it sounds like.
In terms of REALLY getting into the Altissimo course, that’s why I bought it 🙂 Just from the first exercises I’ve started to work heavily on, I have no doubt about my tone will be getting a lot better. Just taking the rest of this month to really, really work those chromatic scale exercises and Arpeggios to make sure they as slick as butter before going on. And I DID find which Bb fingering works best for me for playing “In the Mood” it’s pretty much perfectly in tune now; really happy about that for sure. It makes the transition MUCH easier to the other Arpeggios in this song v.s the Bb key I was using.
Part 2 of my experiment coming tomorrow…….:)
Wow Michael, nice gritty sound. Yea, big improvement!! Would like to hear again when your not so “stuffy” haha.
I have been playing on a custom made metal mouthpiece since February. Not sure that I’m loving the sound. After hearing this, I decided to try a Studio as well!! Just ordered it and will get it next week! Thanks for the demo. Can’t wait to try it out. Getting quite the collection of mp’s now. Prob have to start throwing some up on ebay to clear some out. LOL.
Glad the tornado missed ya! There was quite a bit of them down your way. Keep the vids coming!! It seems there has been a drought since the altissimo course went live!! Guess we are all busy working on those HIGH notes!! haha
Here comes another upload from me.
Pieces. unfortunatly poor quality still need to work on it..
JAKE: I would high recommend you get a good ligature with your Studio Guardala. The ligature that is included with the MP won’t let the reed vibrate for nothing, really important in getting that tone you’re after. The “Ultimate Ligature” Francois Louis Ligature that Amazon sells is the way to go. Make sure you get the model “SAB”; this is the one that fits the Guardala. Amazon is showing that it’s made for Altos metal MPs, but it’s not just for Alto MPs. This is the ligature that I’m using and it’s great–go back to the forum and check out the pics I posted of it.
Here’s PART 2 of my reed experimentation. This song of Johnny’s is being played with a Vandoreen Java 2.5 reed. Gone in this song is all the growling and trilling LOL so that alone will make it seem different. From what I can see, the Java reeds seem to give the Guardala Studio a full/deep tone v.s. edgy like I did in Tequila with the Juno reeds. Both are sound great, different styles and different sounds for different songs. Just no one expect me to hit those high-screaming Altissimo notes like Johnny does in this song……not yet anyway 🙂 I appreciate your insights guys!
JAKE: I would high recommend you get a good ligature with your Studio Guardala. The ligature that is included with the MP won’t let the reed vibrate for nothing, really important in getting that tone you’re after. The “Ultimate Ligature” Francois Louis Ligature that Amazon sells is the way to go. Make sure you get the model “SAB”; this is the one that fits the Guardala. Amazon is showing that it’s made for Altos metal MPs, but it’s not just for Alto MPs. This is the ligature that I’m using and it’s great–go back to the forum and check out the pics I posted of it.
Here’s PART 2 of my reed experimentation. This song of Johnny’s is being played with a Vandoreen Java 2.5 reed. Gone in this song is all the growling and trilling LOL so that alone will make it seem different. From what I can see, the Java reeds seem to give the Guardala Studio a full/deep tone v.s. edgy like I did in Tequila with the Juno reeds. Both are sound great, different styles and different sounds for different songs. Just no one expect me to hit those high-screaming Altissimo notes like Johnny does in this song……not yet anyway 🙂 I appreciate your insights guys!
Michael you Rock!! Can’t wait to hear the next one. I must record greensleves again, put it on the blog and compare the change. I have to confess i haven’t recorded anything since i last recorded in february. I have sax lessons every week, my instructor sets the pace that i learn at, so theres not much chance of me cheating myself. lol
Michael, as you work on chromatic scales, try incorporating them in your downfalls. Like when you slide down from the A, include all the chromatics in the fall instead of the way you did it there.
We’ll do Johnny; one of those things we come to realize we didn’t do when watching video, great benefit of the blog.
Thanks for bringing this out for me. What’s your take on the Java reed I played with here? The sound on this video, to me, seems to be “deeper” and not as “edgy” than the Juno. But then again I was playing differently, wasn’t doing any growling, trilling, etc. Part 3 of my reed experimentation coming tomorrow.
Sxpoe: Now it’s your turn to upload something 🙂 That’s the benefit of the member’s blog here; it’s a great way to see how things are coming along for us. Have you tried playing the other songs in Johnny’s ebook “How to Play the Saxophone”? “Falling in Love” by Elvis and “Over the Rainbow” are beautiful songs and simple to play. Some of the best songs out there are the most simple to play……now that I come to think about it; I never got around to uploading “Over the Rainbow” myself and I have planned to LOL. I’ll have to do it; it’s a great melody!
KLAUS: Good one and super cool song for sure! Nice to see you here on the blog again too 🙂 Looks like you had great fun with this one for sure. It’s on my list to do this year too. I’m curious about your Mouthpiece/Reed set up.
Michael, thanks for your comment. Yes, it’s a great song but still I need to improve on this one. Specially the timing and solo part. By the way I use a Yamaha 4C MP and Vandoren Jazz No 2 reed.
Klaus & Michael – love both of those songs, can’t play Klaus’s song yet and can only play the 1st page of Michael’s song! In terms of reeds Michael i like the reed you used in the 2nd song – perhaps we ought to take a vote on it? Overall you guys are doing very well. I need to sort out a better recording system – as i’ve only got an iTouch player & a camcorder for recording with! In terms of practising i’m a bit more tied down to practising for my sax lessons. But just to give you an idea – currently learning Summertime, Moon River, Fly me to the moon, As time goes by, Petite Fluer, Satin Doll, The girl from Ipanema, Mr Pc & Besame Mucho. Then on top of that i fit in Johnny’s Altissimo course, and i want to start Killers at some stage. So watch out and trying to catch you guys up! lol – only joking
Klaus and Michael. Wow! You guys are sounding great. I’m impressed! Jim
Sxpoe: A simple webcam with a modest mic that plugs into the USB port is all that’s needed for the blog. What did you like about the sound with the Java reed in Mack the Knife v.s. the Juno reed in Tequila? Both are Cane reeds–I’m not a synthetic reed fan. I’ll get to part 3 of my reed experiment sometime over the next few days as allergies have been KILLING me. They’re not as bad today as they were when I played those 2 songs. Also, today is a day to give to my wife–she the mother of my 4 kids, awesome lady 🙂
JOHNNY: My wife was asking me at some point in time if you would look at doing some of Otis Redding’s songs. I mentioned to her that I had talked about it on the forum before but it has to be worth your time financially. In any case, Otis Redding has some terrific stuff for sure. The 2 songs that I think about of his for the Saxophone is “Love Man” and “The Arms of Mine”. We’ve been married for 17 years, of course she wants me to play those 2 songs LOL
Michael when it comes to picking reeds the final choice is down to you, juno sounds great for tequela & the vandoren sounds great for the Mac!
When i get a new reed i check 3 things.
1) how fast it responds to getting a note out(try playing yankee doodle quickly) this helps me decide what tempo its best suited for.
2) what range the reed has by playing bottom to top, some reeds i find only play well in the mid range, while some are useless in the altissimo range.
3) feelings. When you play the reed can you feel how it is expressing itself, does it have a presence. I don’t find many reeds that fits this category but when you do it’l blow your mind and you wont want to put it down. Trust me you will know when you find one.
Then mark each reed, check it the next as may be the complete opposite!
Killing Me Softly
recorded with a Java 2 reed.
Nice sound and some nice additions but everything goes out of whack because you came in too early after the intro part. Check the music chart again and notice the 4 bars rest at the 1st box. You played right through this and then were out of sync for the rest of the way.
Moon River
recorded with a La Voz ms reed.
finaly uploaded 2 songs, have problems with my camcorder, so had to stick a boring picture on each one. Made loads of mistakes, timing issues etc etc.. lol
Nicely done. You are getting a very nice tone already. Your biggest concern for playing these songs at this point is the timing. Are you reading the music or playing from memory? Either way, listen more to the tracks and get the first beat of every bar down… maybe with a steady foot tap and try to feel that beat every time.
Thanks for the tips Johnny, i’ve got a long way to go yet.
Hey Sxpoe, COOL to see you upload to the blog again 🙂 It really helps when Johnny can actually see what where doing; it’s a huge help when he can watch us play.
Going along with Johnny’s point of feeling that beat in his songs; do you practice with a metronome? I would strongly recommend that you do so, if you’re not using a metronome at this time. On Johnny’s “Saxophone lessons” page he has a section there where he talks specifically about using a metronome and the benefits are immense to say the least. Working on the “Chromatic Scale” exercises in the Altissimo course, I’ve been doing these with the aide of a metronome. It’s a FANTASTIC learning tool to say the least. I’ve always enjoyed doing chromatics but wasn’t fully aware of the 1 or so rough spot that I had until I started Johnny’s Altissimo course and the metronome is a super tool to help out in many, many regards.. I’m not going to hurry and miss ANY step in the Altissimo course, I’m going to learn everything the right way and address something I find I need to work on v.s. overlooking it and moving on.
Another important point to think about that can really help you is Johnny’s lesson on “long tones” here on the “Saxophone Lessons” page, but do it with a TUNER. The tuner will show you instantly if there’s any swaying, even in the slightest bit, when playing any note; not just long-tone type of notes–unless you’ve been hit with Allergies and congestion too LOL–I’m feeling MUCH better and been taking Clariton and getting lots of rest, will upload part 3 of my reed experiment soon.
Keep those blog videos of your’s coming, it really helps each other/encourages each other 🙂
Had another go at Moon River, see what you are saying. Playing along to a metronome & playing along to a backing track are 2 different things when reading music. This time tried to get more in time with the beat – not perfect but getting better, but now know what to aim for when recording with backing tracks.
cheers Johnny
Yes I agree that’s better for sure. This song is in 3/4 time so get counting 1 2 3, 1 2 3
Foot tap on 1 and come in on the 1.
So, these notes / words that start the phrase all happen on the 1 – moon / river / wider / mile
You are still placing these somewhere in the middle or slightly off. Be more precise, even rigid until you are playing it right on.
Cool video Sxpoe 🙂 Making good progress! That’s a really neat backing track for MoonRiver 2. With a few more videos on this part of the blog and we’ll have to start a new member’s video blog Part 5.
Playing along with backing tracks and playing along with a metronome are 2 different things for sure….but a metronome is a great training tool that can teach us(or has taught me anyway LOL) not only to get fast fingers, but when used properly, to be able to “hone” in on a rhythm and learn to control the time element of our playing. We pay attention to the notes were playing yes, but we also have to learn to control the timing that we’re playing in. When were starting to learn to play, we can make the mistake of playing the right note at the wrong time, or the wrong note at the right time. Every note were playing has to be played at a precise time. If we can’t feel it; then we can’t play it. The metronome helps to develop our rhythmic ability.
Thanks for the help Johnny. You guys are really helpful! A great website this!
i started with sax lessons mid November and one of the issues we’re working on now is the timing with backing tracks and playing sax duets. I’m a lot better in time with a metronome, its when you take the metronome away it gets harder, but thats down to practice. The other thing is my instructor is setting the learning pace, so we’re having a recap and going over what i’ve learn’t.
In terms of playing Moon River, he wouldn’t normally let his pupils do it until they’ve been playing for 2 years or passed their grade 2. He felt that i could start doing grade 2 level songs as an exercise in improving time keeping.
But have to get some more guitar practice on 3 songs for playing in a church band next month. Time keeping easier with guitar playing in a band – Base guitar & singing is so loud, its a metronome equivalent.
Pretend you’re a drummer and just play along with the tune by tapping your hands or feet. Just keep time listening to things like the snare, which in 4/4 time plays on every 2nd and 4th beat of every bar. In your Moon River song it’s 3/4 so snare on the 2 and 3 and down beat on the 1. Once you can keep time like the drummer you’ll be closer to singing along in time and then playing after that.
Thanks Johnny thats really helpful, going to go through it again with my sax teacher tomorrow. I greatly admire music teachers for their patience! and the blog & forums are great for picking up tips from fellow learners! (cheers michael)
Johnny’s “Cryin”
Warning: Watch your volume before you play this. I recorded it with my ipod and didn’t use my recorder at all, so the video is unedited. The sound is pretty loud, you may need to turn your speakers down before you play it.
Still working on a clean and full sounding F#!!! I can hear a little improvement but still more work to go!
I’m open to any other suggestion/critiques so I can improve as well!!
Thanks
Yes Jake getting there. I suggest more dynamics. Right now it’s all basically the same level all the way through so having even just 2 extremes will make your performance more dramatic. For example when starting the 2nd verse play as quietly as possible. The chorus that follows should be as loud as possible and up the octave. You can exagerate these dynamics because no matter how soft or loud you think you’re playing, it probably isn’t enough!
Johnny i had my Sax lesson today and we listened to various Jazz backing tracks. My sax teacher also advised me for Moon River to listen for the Piano Base as that comes in on the 1 beat.
Bottom line now is i need to get a louder sound system, as what i’ve got i can’t hear the base, and snare drums when i play the sax to help keep me in time.
Once again – you’ve been really helpful!
Jake – i like your tone! What Sax & setup were you using?
Hey Jake—you’ve made great strides with your tone from your last video. The notes your playing are coming out much more full/whole, great job there. As you continue to work on Johnny’s Altissimo course, you’re tone will get even better.
I would suggest too just to vary the dynamics here also. Keep going Jake!
Hey guys–I’m doing much better from these allergies that I’m recovering from, still have a little bit of a cough but not near as bad. Over-the-counter Clariton and rest helps.
Here was Part 3 of my reed experimentation. When Johnny plays this song, he hits a couple of high-screaming Altissimo notes that really add a lot to it. For now I just played a high F/growling and run-up to high F again at the end; gives it a cool effect(no where near as good as Altissimo) while at the same time staying in the Scale of this song. So looking forward to the day I can hit at will those high notes, really glad Johnny made an Altissimo course available for us 🙂 I just don’t think ANY recording equipment is going to capture just HOW LOUD this Guardala is when you’re really playing it, especially when you growl. Your entire head, ears and brain are vibrating LOL. Amazingly, the neighbors can’t hear it and we have the walls in the house to thank for that. On the other hand…..my wife sure can
Good stuff Michael. If you’re using a 3 reed I’m curious to hear what a 2.5 will sound like. Mostly because it seems a little harsh at time sa nd also like you’re working overly hard, especially up high. Nice to hear your growling is really coming out!
I was playing this on a size 3 Java reed and I was thinking exactly the same thing; that a 2.5 Java is better for me, The funny thing is that I did “Tequila” on a Size 3 Juno Cane reed and that combination felt like it was perfect for me and it showed in my tone and everything. Everything feels just right for me with the Juno reed and at this time it’s the Reed that I’m favoring for myself with the Studio Model of Guardala. But as time goes along and my tone continues to improve I’ll do some more experimenting as you suggested and take another look at it then. It almost feels like the Javas are made and constructed to be a little more “thicker” than the Juno Cane reeds. Thanks for your insights Johnny 🙂 it’s what I needed in my Juno or Java reed experimentation; great benefit of the blog for sure!
Next month in June it will be Alto Saxophone time and will be uploading a song of your’s I’ve been working on for a while.
Nice job keep up with that tempo Michael! That was a quick one and I’m sure needed some breath. The sound was a little harsh and stiff sounding. Was that a Juno reed you were using for this one? If it was I wonder if the Java would be a better choice for this song because of the quick short notes this song requires. I liked the Juno you used in Tequila but this tempo was a bit faster and you don’t have the time to finesse the notes as much as a slower paced song.
For sure that growl is coming along nicely as well. Amazing the strides we are making in a short amount of time! Keep up the practice and hard work!
sxpoe: I am using a custom made metal mouthpiece modeled after a Guardala MB. A guy from NY City did the work for me. I’m not sure if I’m 100% sold on it yet. After hearing the sound Michael is getting, I ordered a Guardala Studio to try out. Hopefully will get it tomorrow and get to try it out! I have using Java #3 reeds.
You are making nice progress in your videos as well. You have a nice sounding softness in your tone already! I can’t believe you have only been playing since November, truly amazing! It was also nice to hear some embellishments in there as well. At my 7-8 month mark I was happy hitting the notes let alone the extras that give the song feeling. LOL
Nice one Klauss, like Michaels Rock around the clock, very fast tempo to keep up with! You seemed to keep pace pretty well.
Hey Jake, I played this song with the Java, not the Junos. Take a look at the reply I left for Johnny after he left some valuable insights and you’ll see that I’m favoring the Junos for myself v.s the Java that I used to play Rock Around the Clock. But I’ll do another reed experiment again later as my tone continues to improve. The tempo of this song wasn’t he case for the rough sound, as the tempo of the Sax solo for Tequila was actually a little faster–at least some of it was LOL Looking forward to seeing your next upload.