Wow, this is post No. 8 for your own video uploads…keep em coming guys!
If you’re new here and are wondering how to do it, just record your own video, upload it to Youtube or any other popular video site then put the video’s URL in the comment box here with any other info you want regarding what you did, your equipment etc. You won’t see the embedded video right away because we have to make that happen in the back-end admin section.
Breath of heaven on my new soprano. The intonation is not perfect on the high notes but i am happy for the short time playing this horn.
Kevin, i like your version on alto a lot but i do agree that the song needs the upper octave.
Maybe i can manage playing to your recording as a duet.
Merry christmas to you all and have a happy new year!
(Sequoia lemon soprano, with JodyJazz NY HR 7, Vandoren Java #2)
Hello everybody , My name is Wayne Wojnarowski I Recorded this piece of me goofing around because I’m so frustrated with anything I try to do with this computer. It never works or everything is failing, or shutting down I GIVE UP !!!! I just got it this past summer, go to you tube type in win20160117152708
Johnnie if you see this what do you think? Michael Bishop and myself are trying to get a collaborative effort together but seeing as I’m such a DINOSAUR
I will persevere hey sxpoet this ones for you ! you too Jake and Mike and everyone else!!!!!! Mike email me brother!
Dirk, I do agree that the upper octave is much better than my version. Your tone on the soprano is very good, and you played the song well. One comment I would offer is that to me you shorted the duration of some of the sustained notes. Takes a bit more breath but just a good sustain with a fade off of the volume at the end would really make those notes “sing”… thanks for the upload!
Nice one on the Soprano Dirk 🙂 That song in particular sounds great on the Soprano. I plan on getting one later this coming year sometime after I get my new Trevor James Saxophones in the weeks coming up 🙂 I’ve been told that it’s more difficult on the Soprano to get a good tone on the upper register than any other Sax. but the rewards are worth the effort for sure. I think I would be so cool for you and Kevin to do that song as a duet together for sure–that would be awesome to see the Soprano and Alto together on a video. I think you’re the only one who has uploaded here to the blog with the Soprano so far–way cool! I had asked Kevin to do a duet with me before I had to come out here to New Mexico–we’ll get to it sometime this coming year. I’m back home Tuesday night……SO ready to be back home.
Thanks for sharing this video Dirk–that’s a nice sax you got there.
http://youtu.be/H91xiARSwt0
Gotta have this classic Christmas Hymn in the mix of Christmas music we all enjoy this time of year. Tried to make a backing track with my Digital Recorder, but had a number of technical issues. Just about gave up on it. The video freezes at 1:04, but the audio still continues. Couldn’t fix it without having to redo the videos. Would probably miss the holiday before getting it all redone, so uploaded it in it’s current state.
Still learning multi-track recording. I played/recorded the guitar track first, then bass guitar, then sax, and violin last. Fortunately this song was simple enough for me to play the needed parts on the various instruments. Disappointed that the final result was a bust on the video… Merry Christmas to all! Keep wearin’ out those reeds!
Sorry, sent the wrong URL. I tried to fix it one last time with no luck…
Thanks for the uploads! That was a nice rendition Dirk. I’ve never tried playing a soprano sax. Your tone is smooth!
Kevin, that was amazing. I love the vibrato you put into your playing. That is something I am still working on. I am using the tips you posted in one of the forums. Nice violin playing as well! They meshed well together. Def a major Christmas hit for sure!
Merry Christmas to all!!
At last some uploads – gets very dull when no one uploads!
Would be nice to hear some of Johnny’s xmas songs uploaded – after all the effort he puts into creating them
for us! I can’t do any of them – down to my own timing
issues but working on it!
Dirk – well played!
Merry xmas guys – key uploading!
Thank you guys!
Kevin, thank you for the german song 🙂
Feels like beeing home here. I hope you can fix your song, because i like to hear you on violin.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
A little Blue Christmas on the Bari!
Doing fine on that horn Jake. I hope you keep it up cause in this little amount of time you’re starting to get it sounding like a bari!If you can (without getting nailed by neighbors) spend some time blowing extra hard into it to get it sounding even bigger.
That Bari goes so well with you Jake 🙂 A super-cool lookin’ Sax for sure. I would imagine you could play some real funky type of music on it too! I would like to eventually get one. After I pay for my Trevor James Saxophones in the upcoming weeks then I plan on a Soprano later in the year. My new Theo Wanne Durga MP for the Alto has been shipped out to me and it’s marked as “in transit” on the shipping right now,it should arrive sometime this coming week.
Wow, you’ve already shown a lot of improvement from your last video on your Bari, sounds like your holding those notes in the lower register much better. What kind of Mouthpiece/reed are you using on the Bari right now? Did it come with one?
This sax does take a lot of air and diaphragm pressure to keep from squawking for sure. No it didn’t come with any mp. I bought a rico graphonite with rico 2.5 reeds. Not sure it that is my setup tho. I want to get a little more open metal piece similar to my tenor mp.
Those long tones surely do help out in holding those lower notes! Can’t wait to hear that new Durga!!
I would imagine not just Long Tones, but working on Subtones would be a super exercise on your Bari too. It’s way harder to play those notes in the lower register softly than loudly, requires so much more from our diaphragm like you mentioned—if it’s even possible with a beast of a Saxophone like your Bari! I would imagine that it would really help you when it comes to playing your Tenor and how much your tone would Improve because of your Bari. Johnny’s exercise of Subtones is what made the difference for me to play in the Altissimo range too. Man, that Bari with an open Mouthpiece would be fantastic like you’re thinking–I’ve seen some great deals on Bari MPs. I wonder what an MP like a Claude Lakey would be like on that thing–if Claude Lakey makes them for Bari that is. What ever you do, you definately should set it up with playing some funky, bluesy, rockin’ music in mind for sure. When you get more comfortable with it and I get my pro-model Trevor James Saxophones in the upcoming next weeks, we definately got to do another duet together with you on your Bari and me this time on the Tenor.
Most of the uploads you’ll see me do this year will have some kind of Improvisation on it, and some of the videos will be entirely Improvised with different Blues & Rock backing tracks. For the past 3 months, Killer Blues, musical theory, etc.. is all I’ve been doing and it’s really hitting home with me for sure 🙂 I didn’t have any time to learn new songs……in the next few days after spending much-needed time with my wife/kids (didn’t see them for 3 months) I’m starting to work on the Green Onions in Fm and Gm–what I’ll start uploading sometime around next weekend is some stuff of Johnny’s that I already had learned.
Jake, Great song choice for the Bari, you’re off to an awesome start with that sax. All aspects of your playing are really coming together. Your confidence and the way you connect the notes, start/stop them, intonation, tone… it’s all good, and getting better with each performance.
Jake, i like that deep sound! Cool growl in the middle.
I think it is hard to play because of the huge amount of air needed to sound god, right?
it does take more air. i really notice it as i get to the low notes. once i’m down to the low e and d it get noticeable. really need to keep that diaphragm support to maintain an even tone. i love how each sax has its own characteristics. overall my tenor is the favorite but it is nice having a variety. if i don’t play a lot on the bari, the sheer practice with it is improving my tenor playing for sure!!
http://youtu.be/IvA4iQ1vfkU
A Happy & Prosperous New Year
To Everyone…
Thanks Johnny for creating the “Daily Practice Routine”
in 2014 – without it i wouldn’t have got top marks “SOUNDWISE” for the 2 pieces i played in my grade 2 sax exam back in December!!
Cheers sxpoet
Sorry about being away since September guys–Is the first of 3 songs from Johnny’s music selection that I haven’t been able to upload due to circumstances.
This is being played on a line of Saxophones called “LJ Hutchen” that was given to me. I’ve never even heard of this company and don’t know anything about them and was afraid that it maybe one of those China-made Saxophones. It plays surprisingly well, especially in the lower register! I recently did a little research online and discovered that these Saxophones are made in the USA. I won’t take it over a Selmer, Yamaha, etc.. but if you’re just getting going on learning the Saxophone and are looking at buying a decent Sax at a entry-level price, then this is a great option for you.
I’m playing this on my Theo Wanne Durga MP and the difference in playing with the Theo Wanne and without it is like Night/Day on this entry-level student model Sax. I got my Pro-Model Trevor James Saxophones coming in a few weeks around the corner……I can’t even begin to imagine what this MP is going to be like paired with a Trevor James—and I’m not complaining about it either! This was the 1 of 3 songs from Johnny’s music selection, I’ll upload the 2nd one sometime next week. It’s nice to be back home.
Hi Michael, wow, you’ve been working hard! there’s positives here; seems like you’ve memorized the tune and you’re feeling very comfortable with the solo section. Not sure about your reed, is it synthetic? sounds like it but if not might be a little stiff. The other big thing is intonation…not a note here and there, but your sax is not tuned up with the audio track. get an A 440 and play with your mp in and out of the cork until you’re in tune, then play with the track. You might have to push the or pull the mp a bit before you’re perfectly in tune. Sounds like you’re on the flat side so it’s most likely pushing it in.
James, Nicely played. Good song choice! I always anticipate hearing some sax player performing this song this time of year. Happy New Year!
Thanks Johnny–you bring up to very good points here that I knew you were going to mention: the reeds and the cork LOL For 3 months I was in a very dry climate and now I’m back home in a very humid climate for a week and I noticed the change in weather definately affected them–a few I had to toss because they got warped along the edges. They’re still Cane reeds but I’m on my way to the music shop.
On this Sax/cork, the Theo Wanne MP slid right up towards the back almost as if the diameter of the MP is too big or something, even though it’s an Alto Sax MP. Thanks for the A 440 tip–I’ll take care of that too in a day or so….at the very least my bro-in-law can see I appreciate what he gave me. I told him he didn’t have to do this because he knows what I’m about to do but said he didn’t know what else to get LOL I never expected anything.
I forgot to mention that I’m also taking the neck of the Saxophone today to the repair guys so that they can replace the cork.
Thanks Kevin. God Bless!
Michael, A few things about your performance/participation that really stand out are your memorization skills, the amount of songs that you are “in the works” on, and the passion and hard work that you put in to learn your instrument(s).
We use this site for enjoyment, sharing our learning experiences, and to learn as much as we can. Your advancements in your music theory, note fingering, being able to sound notes from the lowest up into the altissimo register, and beginning to incorporate embellishments are all advancements to show for your first few years of learning. So hat’s off to you!
On the critique side of things- having exchanged dialogue with you now for a few years, I feel more compelled to give you candid feedback rather than just a “well done” on the things you’re doing well.
We all learn about having aspects about our technique if not corrected early on can result in a Bad Habit that can impede our progress and result in difficult corrective measures. There is one thing in particular that is a key basic cornerstone for anyone learning the sax (IMO), and that is to be able to play a solid/full sounding sustained note that is imperceptibly unwavering in it’s pitch/quality/etc.. (unless embellishing with a controlled vibrato). At the start of your song Samba Pa Ti @ 11-12sec that sustained note is pretty typical of the remainder of the song, and it’s not so pleasing to the ears. Going back into the previous uploads, that sound has become the norm for your tone, and my concern is for you to overcome that early on and not have to battle that after your embrochure and ears have become set in their ways…
My thoughts are that your oral cavity is not open enough, and it is as if your mouth were articulating the word- “Whew” as you end a sustained note. Based on the instability of the tone and that sound of the reed squeaking an unwanted higher harmonic, the remedy has to be diligent working with long tones and a Tuner. I use a phone ap tuner- Pano Tuner on my Android phone that is very sensitive and works unbelievably well. I start my recorder with headphones on, play the long tone and watch the tuner, keeping the reference band in the “green” to the best of my ability. The middle range of the notes aren’t so hard but the upper range and lowest notes are difficult for me to keep in the green.
If this aspect of your sound is not your focus early on in your learning then all your other accomplishments will be for not. Yeah it’s fun trying to tackle the harder songs, glissandos, altissimo notes, etc.. But there’s an entry level of hard stuff that has to be the foundation for all that will follow- getting your tone to be full, resonant and in tune which means doing the hard time on long tones and scales, working those lungs till your dizzy and your embrochure goes limp.
Again forgive me if these words have in any way caused offense, I only want to see someone with so much passion to learn become a success. Record your sessions of doing long tones. You’ll find there are some notes that are easier to make sound full so for me I played those a bit more than the others early on to gain some gratification and develop the “feel”, then kept working/listening and making corrections until other notes started to fill out.
With so much lost practice time throughout 2014, I myself need to get back to diligent practice on long tones as I get back into a routine. I still don’t like the tone on about 20-30% of my notes, and a pro would likely comment that most of my notes need improvement, particularly intonation.
So if this dialogue was inappropriate for this blog, I will withhold any future candid critique. Hope others will offer their comments to whether my critique was appropriate or otherwise…
Kevin thats a very thoughtful analogy i think your candor is what this blog is all about.
thanks Kevin–insights are always welcomed for sure! Much appreciated, that’s how we learn and grow 🙂 The problem with wavering has to do with the neck of this Sax itself. This is a student model of Alto Sax given to me–I too noticed a little wavering–almost imperceptibly as you mentioned (good ear!). The cork is “toast” on the neck–this alone effects the intonation–and the Octave key on top of the neck isn’t properly sealing as it should ( I recently found this when taking a closer look at it after doing this video) and so it’s loosing a little air. It’s a little imperceptible as you mentioned–I even asked my wife to listen and see if she noticed anything off about it, but she didn’t. In any case, off to the shop the neck goes this week…I’ll do the 2nd of Johnny’s songs when I get it back and it’s fixed. I’m playing with this student model of LJ Hutchen for just a few weeks until my new Trevor James arrives. I just sold my Vito yesterday because now I have the $ to pair up a Theo Wanne for the Tenor too 🙂
In terms of scales, long tones, sub tones, chromatic scales, and the fundamentals of the Sax….I practice those every single time I pull out the saxophone–Minor scales, major Scales, pentatonic Scales, blues Scales-Improvising with them. That is not to mention Major Chords, Minor Chords, Dominant 7 chords, Augmented and Dimished chords from the low range of the Saxophone all the way up into the Altissimo range. This is the bread and butter of my practice and I spend much FAR more time on these things than songs. It composes about 80% of my practice. Over the last 3 months I haven’t even learned any new songs–I had this song learned since before going out west. I don’t feel I’m playing anything beyond my abilities.
Michael, It would seem our perceptions of music- how it’s played, how it sounds, and what each of us are hearing are too different for my input to have any merit to you. That’s always the risk one takes when trying to be helpful, only to find that the help was not useful, and that the parties were not on the “same page”.
Keep up the hard work as I know you will. Glad to have you back participating…
Every day i practice the Sax i have the same routine,
i spend the 1st half hour doing “Johnny’s Daily Practice Routine”.
I put the reed on the mouthpiece, and play the mouthpiece only. If i can’t play a scale on the mouthpiece properly, i chuck the reed. If i can’t get the top notes of the scale, i adjust the reed until i can, and if i still can’t play the top note of the scale, i chuck the reed. This proves to me that i’ve got a working reed!
Then i put the mouthpiece on the saxophone neck and connect it to the saxophone.
The next thing i do is loosen up all the keys, checking for sticky pads.
The next thing i do is get out my TUNER, and adjust the mouthpiece so that it sounds in tune!!
I then play the c scale up and down for a few minutes to
warm up the reed, saxophone etc.
Then i get out my TUNER again , and adjust the mouthpiece so that it sounds in tune!! I find its better
to tune up the mouthpiece once everything has warmed up!!!!
Then i start Johnny’s “daily sax routine”, by the time i’ve done that, the saxophone i warmed up properly and i’m good to go!
The other thing is, if there’s something wrong with my Saxophone – i don’t play it full stop until it’s fixed, as i
find it too frustrating. I played guitar in a church band once a month for several years, and if there was something wrong with my guitar i didn’t go along and play.
If my playing isn’t up to scratch, then it’s my fault, i don’t blame the instrument. If there is something wrong with my instrument then i will say so before playing it.
In terms of doing a sax exam and instrument that isn’t working properly or out of tune would be suicidal – my instructor wouldn’t let me go into an exam as it would be doomed to failure. Likewise he wouldn’t let me go in with the wrong setup for the exam.
I know this sounds really HARSH but its the way it is, a
working instrument & having it in tune are the 2 most important things. Why else do orchestra’s tune up before
a performance?
Kevin, your critique was good, helpful and correct, from my point of view.
Anybody here can hear my mistakes! I do a lot of them, especially on intonation, sustaining a note and vibrato. My last video with the soprano hurts my ears on the high notes, because my intonation was not good.
I am not angry about anyone telling me that, because that helps me getting better.
One thing i have mentioned on recording a song is, that the sound on the video/soundfile is not exactly the same that one can here beside me. So maybe there are some recording issues in some videos.
In one of my further comments i have told that it might be better to choose songs that are not so fast and complicated. I try to do this by myself and this helps me to improve my tone, which is the more important than speed and effects.
Just my 50 cents. Keep up the hard work, all of you!
Michael, i think you should practice slower songs too, but i understand the fun while playing the harder ones.
Your effort in playing is very good, especially for the short time you are with it.
(Sorry for my english, it is hard not to think in german all the time.)
@Michael – i just listened to your upload today!
I know for a fact you were just doing a demo to show
everyone what your new mouthpiece sounds like!
Just playing a full chromatic scale would have done
the trick.
I can definitely say even being out of tune, your new
mouthpiece is a million times better sounding than your
previous ones!!!
When i read Johnny’s comment about you not being in tune
i didn’t bother listening to your upload & just responded to
the importance of being in tune in my previous comments.
But then i saw my instructor recently and i recall him telling
me when you get a new mouthpiece, in tune or not in tune,
it takes at least a week to 2 weeks before your embouchure
will adjust to it in terms of your inner ear.
The 1st day you play a specific note, a week later you play
that same note, your inner ear will or will not hear the same
overtones you heard when you 1st played that note.
So out of curiosity i thought i’d better listen to your upload!
I would be interested to hear the same piece played again
a week later – i’m not interested in how you will play it. or what mistakes you might make, i wan’t to hear the notes
again in terms of the overtone sounds!
cheers sxpoet
Pink Panther cover on my 60s Conn tenor. Sorry you can’t see me well, camera was at wrong angle. Let me know how it is!
After learning the sax for 1 year, i did my
Grade 2 Sax exam in Dec 2014 out of
curiosity to see how i compared with
other musicians (friends of mine) who
have much higher grades than me.
I was surprised to see the amount of
work you have to put in – at least 1
hour a day if you wan’t to pass!
It took me 3 months to play
3 very short pieces of music properly
to a passable standard with my skill
set.
The exam involved playing 2 pieces
with a piano player, 1 piece solo & 1
sight reading piece you’ve never seen.
Then the examiner plays several piano
pieces and asks you to clap in time,
asks you what time the piece is in,
asks you the difference between 2
pieces he plays & where the differences
are, then he plays several phrases & you
have to echo the pieces by singing at
the same speed, volume & pitch.
Then you have to play some random
scales & arpeggios requested by the
instructor from memory. So you can’t
cheat yourself to get a pass.
I’ve listened to a lot of friends of mine
with different sax grades, All the grade 5
players play very good, and are just
good enough to start playing in gigs.
The grade 8 players all teach the Sax &
play their own solo gigs or band sessions.
What impressed me with the grade 2
exam that lasted about 10 mins.
In those 10 mins i got back a certificate,
and piece of paper showing all the marks
i got for each thing i did & what the max
marks were available. As well as that i got
back comments for each thing i did, to
backup why i got those marks!
In those 10 mins that examiner relayed
to me all my weak areas (he was exactly
right, i couldn’t pull the wool over his
eyes) & he praised me in areas that i did
well in.
interestingly, the comments i got for the 3
pieces i played, were totaly different in
style to the comments i’ve read in the
blogs & forums. The examiner knew all
the pieces inside out, and probably heard
them played hundreds of times.
He didn’t expose every single fault in a
piece and where it occured, he relayed to
me overall weak areas that i needed to
improve on. In my case it was the
dynamics that were a bit weak. There
were also comments on performance
of pieces played in terms of confidence.
On 1 piece i also got praise for additions
that i had made to the piece in terms of
expression and may have unconsciously
improvised slightly!
@jonathan Hurst – you’re a better player than me, i’ve
tried pink panther and i can’t play it yet, it’s not an easy piece by far, and not one for beginners in terms of ‘sight reading’. I find Pink Panther hard to play in terms of
dynamics & creating that aura of suspense.
Well played mate – definite pass in my book!
I can get you the notes if you want them. Which sax do you play? Anyone else give me input on my video?
Jonathan, I would liked to have heard a bit more of you playing in the video, so we would have had a bit more to give an impression of your playing.
Using James comment about- creating an aura of suspense- to me you would need to articulate(tongue) more of the notes individually to get that going. You chose to slur several lengthy note phrases. So that would be one bit of input.
Also another common thread you’ll read in these blogs- play a bit louder with more assertiveness. Sounded a bit shy!
Jonathan, i also would like to hear more. What i can say is that your tone was good. It sounded round and smooth and the falloff (glissando) was good.
The video showed that you neck was a bit loose. My Tenor has the same problem (not that loose, but not as tight as on my alto) and this can cause problems with intonation.
Looking forward to hear more.
Jonathan – i’ve got the notes for Pink
Panther in one of my music books thanks.
I play a yamaha intermediate Alto Sax.
I hope to upgrade to a pro model when
i get my grade 5 & grade 5 theory, which
would be another 3 years for my skill set,
as i’ve only barely passed grade 2.
About yourself – how long have you been playing?
I have been playing for about 4 years now, so not too much. I just got third chair saxophone the other day in my band. I appreciate the advice everyone, I will post more in the future.
Kevin: Your insights are most helpful to me as always and are most appreciated and it ALWAYS has merit with me 🙂 I was just trying to say that the intonation being off is due to the Sax/neck itself. Got hit with the flu, doing better now.
Jonathan, sorry but I am not fully seeing your video, maybe the current connection I’m getting, will check it later. The bit that did play was ok. You are on the right track. What I do is listen to the original and copy Plas Johnson’s phrasing. Take it one small phrase at a time. You are playing it thoroughly but it’s all in the phrasing and it could be tightened up there.
As for playing in tune, I had been planning a lesson on that for a while and now I have it on this blog so everyone please check it out. Personally, I had a lot of trouble really getting in tune as I was starting out just as I hear all other beginning students struggle with this.
I did a search for this topic and all I found was guys telling us how to push the mp in and out. Well guys, that’s a good start but it doesn’t guarantee successful intonation as you know!
It’s this “wavering” which I demonstrate that is the true “essence” of being able to finally get there. Once you can get in that zone and work it you’ll start to notice that your intonation will improve. Please try it, I notice just about everyone playing out of tune, not just here but everywhere!
I see people’s comments on Youtube about cheap horns, reeds and bad mouthpieces, necks etc but don’t worry so much about gear. Most of you have good or good enough gear. Work on the technique in this new lesson video I made… it’s valuable stuff so do take advantage of it!
Uploading yourself playing specific exercises is also a good idea, not just songs. Record yourself working with a tuner, playing a chromatic scale, playing long tones with 3 distinct volume levels, smooth scales up and down…. these are the most basic but most important things. This way you can be helped in that one specific technique. If you think you’re playing it perfectly then GREAT, upload it and myself and others will tell you, but if you’re not, take the advice, work on it some more and make a noticeable improvement. You may eventually have the most valuable ting right here, a before and after video to prove all the good effort you put into it.
You can do all this without uploading and track your own progress but most people just don’t do it. Also uploading is a commitment and involves others making you accountable. That’s what it’s really all about.
The most helpful person (IHO) is Professor NitPicker!
He’s the Guy that has your music sheet in front of him,
and listens to you play it.
When you’ve finished playing he tells you every bit that
needs working on and writes it down on the sheet!
He then demo’s any difficult parts you struggled on.
He then gets feed back from you to ensure you
understand what you are doing wrong and you
know how to correct it!
Then he gets you to replay the weak areas (maybe up to
7 times in a row).
Then he gets you to play the piece again, to see if it
has sunk in.
Then he says go home, practice, come back in a
weeks time and play it again.
For really difficult pieces – he advises to use a slower
backing track, so you can notice the changes you make.
(IMHO) Professor NitPicker is the person you need
mostly when you are LEARNING a new piece.
The alternative to Professor NitPicker is to listen
to the piece played by a Pro, then record your piece.
Play it back afterwards looking at the sheet,
and mark areas that sound week. And go to work!
Then at some stage, you will be able to play the piece
to an acceptable standard. But you will notice when you
play it again , that whoops – you played a note too long,
too short, too loud, too soft, not tongued, not slurred,
not staccato etc.. Or you played a phrase too fast, too
slow, forgot to make it louder, softer, or forgot it was
in swing time etc.. Or forgot what Key the piece was in
and forgot to play the sharps, or the flats etc..
Or played the whole piece too fast ,or too slow, or
got the mood of the piece wrong and it wasn’t lively
enough etc..
These are all mistakes that are made all of the time,
and are not related to that one piece you played!
That’s important to realise and don’t let it cloud
your confidence when learning a new piece.
This is the reason why a lot of people don’t know
when they have learnt a piece and get discouraged
when they play it perfectly today and not in a few
days time.
(IMHO) to play a piece perfectly, play it 7 times in a row
with say less than 5 minor mistakes each time.
By the time you get to the 7th time, try being laid
back and play it without giving a care about whether
you make a mistake or not!
This is when you throw caution to the wind, let go
and have a real blast, everyone gets in the mood,
and you whole heartedly enjoy playing the piece,
and watch peoples faces when they see you having a good time!
At this stage you are ready to go public, youtube etc..
This is when you no longer need Professor NitPicker
as you now know the piece inside out.
Who is Professor Nitpicker – he’s the guy who knows
music theory inside out and can play an instrument
like a pro. He’s definitely not a learner!
Hey guys. Finally got the recording sound more audible and was able to upload a song. Done for a cousin who ended his life too soon recently. Let me know what you think.
well done Dazza!
When some plays a tribute to someone, its very
personal & expression goes up several notches.
Much improvement you have shown since the alto videos you posted Dazza. You are getting a decent tone out of your tenor. Nice looking sax you got there too? What did you end up getting? Also, what setup are you currently using?
Keep working on those longtones and Johnny’s daily practice routine to improve that tone even more and to smoothen up your transitions between your notes. Great job!
Dazza, good playing and good song choice for your unfortunate loss.
Tone and note playing was pretty solid( though pitch was slightly sharp throughout), especially your timing to the backing track. Good job learning the recording/uploading process. Balance and clarity was good! Just a bit more volume air delivery to the sax could help fill out the tone (IMO). Heard a few “growls” thrown in that may not have achieved the desired effect on this particular song, but you’re off to a good start learning that.
I’ve been to AU at least 3x on business going to Parkes, NSW (south of Dubbo), and to Katherine, NT. Memorable visits there for sure installing 40ft diameter Radio Telescopes for Parkes Observatory and for UTAS (Univ of Tasmania). People there were great host’s. But I still grabbed the dash as a passenger while riding in a right-side-steer vehicle going down the right side of the road. Even had to drive myself 20mi into town in a “UTE” (utility vehicle, manual tranny) for supplies- just had to find someone to follow on their bumper…
Good Playing to our new “Mate” down under!
Thanks guys for the feedback. The sax is a rental Jupiter for now. Not flash at all!. Bits of cork falling of the key cushions and the 2nd octave D sounds like I have jammed a sock in the bell. It just sounds muffled where as all the other notes play freely. Can’t work out what it is and neither can the shop I rented it from. Anyway, have my eye on a 80’s 61 Yamaha for $800. Sweet sound and although vintage, might be a great choice. I am enjoying the switch to tenor and just playing a Jupiter standard MP with Rico 21/2. Working well for now….
Dazza – i’ve had the same problem with my
2nd octave D, the C below it and the D above
it both sound clear, whereas the D always
sounds dull.
I checked it with my tuner, and i have to
adjust my embouchure everytime to bring
it more in tune. Intend to have it looked at
when i take my sax in for a service.
Nice job on Yesterday, Dazza. Sorry to hear about your young cousin.
I’d grab that YTS-61. $800 is a steal even if you have to put money into it for an overhaul. I have two of them. I paid $1200 for my first one last spring and it is in excellent playing condition. Lots of wear but I’m ok with that. I bought another one for $1200 in June and it cost me $500 in repairs. The body was bent, etc. and it needed lots of new pads. But now it’s in great condition. They have a bright, to me, sound and the keywork suits my medium-sized hands.
Both were manufactured in the late 60s or very early 70s. I added extra neck strap rings though because they were set up for playing while sitting down with the horn off to the right side. I play standing up and I had to swivel the neck nearly 30 degrees to suit me.
Thanks for the tip. The sax has been played by a player in a band for 20 years. He has converted to guitar. Can you believe that! I have read a lot about the 61 and haven’t read a bad word. Easily worth the gamble as it’s in playing condition and regularly serviced. Will blog when I have it
Cool. And of course there are the neck upgrades; kind of like mouthpiece GAS. I did swap out the neck on my YTS-23 with an M1 Custom neck. It has a slightly wider diameter and it made the 23 more free blowing and definitely improved the sound, imo. The 61, Yamaha’s first pro horn, came with the G1. Later pro horns had the G3, M1 Custom, V1, etc. I’ve resolved not to go down the neck GAS road although it can be tempting. My YTS-875 has the M1 Custom neck. This is a great horn with really smooth keywork but again, imo of course, doesn’t have the brightness of the 61. I find myself always reaching for the 61.
Hey Dazza, I think Kevin made some good points. I just have to say I listened to your video of Over the Rainbow and your alto is very nicely in tune. I know the tenor is newer for you but I also know you’ll get the tuning happening up to par with your alto. Hopefully you watched the recent video I put up; How To Tune Your Saxophone, there is a good tip on it. I think the position of your mp is off so once you find the sweet spot you’ll be most of the way there.
Thanks Johnny. I did feel myself in listening back that there were issues with tuning. I will check but I thought I was sounding ok on the tuner. Perhaps not blowing hard enough to stay in tune??
That’s a link to my Youtube video.
I’m sure you’ve all heard “You Raise Me Up” By Josh Groban? It’s an amazing song. I made a sort of cool recording of it ;). This is my first time posting to this website so I’m really not sure how this works at all. But anyway, I’m 16, and I’ve been playing saxophone for about a year and a half or so. I’d love your feedback on this. I’m new to the recording thing so the video and audio are messed up in some spots but I still think it sounds pretty cool. 🙂
yes it sounds totally cool. you’re getting a beautiful sound for only a year and a half! good for you. I can hear a nice vibrato coming through and also some nice scoops. These are really good embelishments for you to be incorporating. As for playing with the recording part of it, I would trim the reverb a bit so you don’t sound like you’re playing in a well, but the balance is good…keep it up Aminn!
Amazing never saw a left handed sax before
Wow, that was amazing. I really can’t believe you’ve only been at it a year. You have an amazing tone going for you!! I really wish I started at 16. Hope you stick with it! Nice sounds man!
Well played Aminn – love the recording setup/studio you have at your disposal mate!
have to make do with an i-touch to record for the blogg, which distorts the recorded sound a bit – buts ok for the blog.
Aminn, definitely a good first video upload! The fundamental things that we all want to “nail” as new students to the sax- Tone, smooth note transitions, intonation, minimal “breaks”… you showed us that you are off to a solid start on those!
Watching your fingers, you have a flare for placing your fingers on the keys with some “expression”. It comes across musically and perhaps adds to your visual performance, but it does lengthen the “shortest distance between points A & B, and takes adjacent fingers off of their respective keys. It may be a habit you might want to watch so there is no hindrance for doing fast riffs in the future… Looking forward to your next upload!
Ha, I was trying to pretend to play on the video the best I could. I don’t have a problem playing fast. I’ve gotten multiple solos and solo awards and all that in jazz band last year after just starting. I do not consider myself a new student nor a beginner saxophone player. I guess that you have only see me play one song, but that isn’t really enough to see how good someone really is at playing. Hopefully I’ll be able to upload more so you can see all of my technical stuff too (improv, growl, slap tonguing) and all that other fun stuff. Thanks for all your feedback.
Wow I really like that sax. Proof Long tones work.
P Mauriat 66R
Nice timing Randy. I felt the first part was really good, even in tune but you lost it a bit on the 2nd part….I’m thinking tired embouchure? Do you feel that?
Hurray for the altissimo!
Well played Randy!!
Theres been a definite improvement in your
playing style, presentation and control.
Randy, very nice! Your tone is much better now.
I liked the embelishments a lot. In comparison to my version last year, your runs are much better!
Thanks guys. I have been playing a lot of long tones and
overtones.
http://youtu.be/Q15xD1HqgmU
Just got this mouthpiece today, and only played it for
half an hour – i can’t believe how loud it is!!!
It is the loudest mouthpiece i’ve got, louder than my metal guardala & my ebonite Kali.
After recording this i was slightly deaf in both ears,
It is definitely for a big room projection and not
for small rooms in my house.
Emily is a grade 3 piece i’m currently working on to play
in my grade 3 exam this November, it’s taken me a month to be able to play it from 66 bpm to 86 bpm, i need to get it up to 110bpm then i can keep in time with the backing track – so if you listen to it, i am in front and behind in lots of places, timing wise i’m not ready for the backing track at the proper speed, also a few notes went a bit flat – but overall just to want to demo my new mouthpiece.
Which unfortunately isn’t suited for a classical work like emily, so its back to the selmar solo for that, but this mouthpiece is going to be great for rock & jazz ie really bright sounding etc..
cool looking mouthpiece you got there sxpoet!
James, nice peace of music and for sure a nice MP! Sounds a bit hard to handle (a little snaring sound) but very cool. I didn’t know that Theo makes these colorful plastic MPs too.
I know that the loudness can be painfull. I have tried JodyJazz DV and Dukoff D8 and they are also way too loud for my room either, but the sound was cool and nasty.
Well played!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrvpvU2S9V0
Wasn’t gonna post quite yet but the blog seems a little slow so what the heck. Maybe it will inspire others to post. We shall see.
This is an oldie. My grandfathers favorite song. He has been gone 11 years now, hard to believe. This is a rendition of Johnny Rays’ “CRY”. I wrote it out by ear yesterday and gave it a whirl today.
I am on the fence about my tone. Does anyone think its too bright? I have about 5 different mouthpieces I am playing around with but I keep ending up at this King Styled mp, probably because it the easiest blowing mp I have and plays the notes effortlessly. I am using the Riggoti gold 2.5 reeds with this setup. I have a bunch of different reeds too but I seem to end back at this setup. Just looking for opinions on the sound and brightness? Thanks everyone.
Jake, nice one.
It is hard to say if it is too bright or not because i think it depends on you idea of your sound!
It sound a bit thin not too bright but this may be the result of your recording setup.
My recordings also don’t sound exactly like in the recording. The other thing is that we as the player here different things than the audience because all of the little thing happening in our mouth, our bones are only for us!
It is very easy to see/hear if we listen to videos comparing different sax models. Mostly we can not hear any difference bit the player talks about a bunch of things he mentions.
So if you are happy with your sound at the moment than it is fine!
Jake, nice one.
It is hard to say if it is too bright or not because i think it depends on you idea of your sound!
It sound a bit thin not too bright but this may be the result of your recording setup.
My recordings also don’t sound exactly like in the recording. The other thing is that we as the player here different things than the audience because all of the little thing happening in our mouth, our bones are only for us!
It is very easy to see/hear if we listen to videos comparing different sax models. Mostly we can not hear any difference bit the player talks about a bunch of things he mentions.
So if you are happy with your sound at the moment than it is fine!
oops chrome made a copy
Jake – just listened to your playing mate!
There is NOTHING wrong with your tone, unfortunately for me if i stop practising for a few days, i notice my tone starts to go downhill – which i one of the reasons i am grateful for Johnny creating his “Daily Sax Routine” which i use every day as a half hour warm up – i honestly believe that has built up my tone & keeps it where it is – just doing a bunch of songs for fun hasn’t worked for me in terms of tone building!
Likewise doing scales has done more for my technique than doing a bunch of songs for fun, mainly because scales cover the whole range of the instrument whereas some songs only cover the same area of notes on the instrument.
Dirk makes a VERY important point about a lot of recording set ups / Room acoustics – the combination CAN make an instrument sound more flat or distort the brightness. The general view is to assume the backing track is in tune and compare the sound of the sax to the
backing track to hear any intonation problems with the sax.
You’re way past the passed the beginner stage now which is why you are now fine tuning and zooming in on areas that you probably were not aware of before – which is a good thing as it shows you are making progress.
I would experiment for a month – just stick to the same mouthpiece you feel comfortable with and then pick up one of the others and see if there is a difference, like you say, if you feel you are going back to the same one – IMHO that’s the one!
Just borrowed this track this morn,
can’t play it for squat,
but i tried to improvise along…for fun
now you can see why i’m waiting for
Johnny’s improvisation course!
You don’t sound bad dude. We are all growing in the saxophone. Your tone is improving. I wish I improvised better to.
Thanks Randy – theres been a vast improvement in tone since last August – when i started Johnny’s “Daily Saxophone Practise”.
Thanks for taking time out to comment, any feedback whether it be positive or negative is better than no feed back at all.
No feed-back doesn’t ecourage any of us to make the effort to put things on the blog imho.
Nice videos here guys–everyone showing lots of improvements! Sorry I haven’t been here on the blog lately–we’re in the process of moving to a new house…really looking forward to the open space. Thanks for the autographed picture Johnny! Gonna look nice hanging on the wall in the room set aside for playing/practicing.
This song is really challenging.
Randy- thats a difficult song to play i can’t play it at all.
It was very well played, i listened to it several times,
the only problem is with the tuning? some of the high notes
sounded a bit flat? Other than that it was very well played mate! Johnny’s the man to let you know!
yes Randy it’s a challenging one! I have to work it out for a while every time I need to perform it. You’re doing very well with the 5/.4 rhythm etc. the thing is tuning…when I first heard it I thought you were playing a wrong note but I can see you are fingering the right note it;s just too flat.
really is appearant on the C (first note of the 3rd bar). it’s so flat it sounds like a B. bring that mp up quite bit.
Great effort Randy–that’s my all-time favorite song on the Alto Sax. That 5/4 time is really tricky; good for you to have a go at it!
In addition to the tuning like Sxpoet brings out, if you keep your fingers closer to the keys, it will help you to play those notes in the 5/4 time needed for this song because it’s less distance that our little fingers have to travel to play the notes. Johnny has talked about this a lot and it’s something that many of us have had to work really hard to make sure that we keep our fingers close to the keys. Johnny’s exercises on Chromatic Scales can really be a huge help in this regard.
Thanks for your hard work Randy–it’s fun/encouraging to see that you love play the Sax—and that alone makes you way cool!
you guys are awesome and encouraging. Take five is not an easy song. I wish I had heard the tuning problem. watching the video, my hands move to much.
Doing great Randy—keep up the great work. I share your feelings about the tuning; that happened to me a few weeks ago due to something I overlooked on my part and the Sax itself, but we live and learn. That’s the great thing about video and recording ourselves as we can see these things and sometimes that what it takes.
I wonder who ever came up with that saying that the Saxophone is “easy” to learn to play? I sometimes wish I could meet whoever “invented” that statement……nothing could be further from the truth.
Thanks Mike. The saxophone has many different aspects to master. We just keep practicing. This web site rocks for improving.
spend some time with that tuning lesson. I posted it up here on the blog not too long ago.
Thanks Johnny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMw8OcN4fbE
Just wrote this out by ear this morning. This recording is straight thru my ipod. 1st off I notice a crunch to my sound, this is due to some spit build up under the reed I guess, not intentional. My highs are starting to fill in. Boy they do take some work. Wish they sounded as good as the lows.
very good jake!!
interesting what you say,
to me your lows actually sound better than your highs. Just goes to show how we all hear differently.
i hate to be a pain, but to me your high notes sound a small bit flat. But your flow of the low notes is very very seductive! i would try easing back a bit on the high notes?
If its all down to spit – no problem o!
Overall well played – i would actually listen to your piece several times, theres feeling in there!
I think the lows sound better too. i agree, my high notes are flat. This is 1 of my downfalls. Once I get above that high D, my notes thin out and become flat. I am constantly working on long tones and various other exercises Johnny suggests here on his website. Maybe its time for a new sax??
i wish i could suggest something Jake, because your low notes are really beautiful!
I get the feeling you’re trying too hard on the high notes? probably tensing up evertime you are about to play them? i’m sure johnny could suggest something?
Try approaching the high notes a different way? Try and play them as loud and badly as possible, and then work from there? I say this from watching the beatles in one of their sessions, where they would sing in the worst possible drunken singing voice you could imagine to loosen up their throats!
Honestly don’t know what to say.
Jake – just curious, if you push your mouthpiece in a good half inch, then play the high notes do they still sound flat or do they get more in tune or too sharp sounding?
Just wondering when your high notes go in tune, do your low notes go the opposite way?
If you get the high notes in tune, and the low notes are slightly out of tune – it might be easier to embouchure up the low notes than the high notes?
Or could it be worth getting the Sax checked over?
got my mouthpiece in as far as it can go. notes are in tune when i play with a tuner. i def can feel myself tense up when those high notes come along. I rewatched Johnnys video last night about the high thin notes. I know i gotta work on opening my throat up more. i bet when i tense up, everything is closing up, i need to do the opposite, relax and open up.
jake your sound and tone is a work in progress as is mine and everyone else here , but i would just like to say there is a coherence and flow creeping in to your playing that i have not heard before now thats real progress!,
Jake – that’s good pal, i hate it myself,when i can’t figure out what’s wrong.
Just got one further question – are you tensing your fingers a lot when playing some sections of Music?
If you are – my instructor had a real GO at me for doing that! He made me let my arms go limp and replay the same piece of music several times & touch the keys with just enough pressure to play the notes. Its harder to do than i though – took me a couple of weeks to re-adjust.
I know you are doing all the stuff that Johnny recommends – which is great, don’t stop.
But a good exercise for relaxing on the high notes, is to take one high note & play it for the count of 8.
But make sure you play it from relaxed & soft & then increase the loudness to the max loudness or where you hear the sound starting to go out of pitch – it’s worth a try.
Like a say your low notes are ace, you play better than me – it takes me months to get a song down properly, i’ve been working on 3 songs since January & i still can’t play them to exam standard (getting close!)
Jake, I wasn’t hearing the same result as James. My ears were thinking things were on the sharp side. My phone tuner app which responds very quickly showed that most of the notes were sharp when held near the laptop speaker. Some of the lower notes were in tune, but even a fair amount of those drifted in the sharp direction. The high notes as noted were worst, but according to the tuner were half way sharp to the next chromatic note above the one intended to be played.
Being sharp in the upper octave is also my struggle. I do as James mentioned- adjust my mouthpiece to favor the higher notes, and try to lip up the lower. I may be wrong on this, but to my ears, a lower pitched note slightly on the flat side is less noticeable than those higher pitches which need to be more dialed in. But my ears have been exposed to decades of machinery noise and the ringing from tennitis is becoming more of a problem.
Jake, i like that song! Your sound was very good.
For me the high notes are a bit sharp too! I also try to tune the horn to the upper register because lower notes are much easier to get in tune while playing.
When i listen to earlier recordings i did at home, i can hear the same problem.
I have started playing in an orchestra. Within the trainig sessions i have to pull out the mouthpiece after an hour of playing because the instrument is getting worm and for sure my lips are loosing tension. I do not hear that but the conductor mentioned it to me!
This sax does tend to run a little sharp in the upper register. So strange how we all hear differences. Thankful for this blog for sure. I’m sure my tensing up prior to playing in the upper register doesn’t help keeping in tune. I will experiment with the mouthpiece and back it off a little and give it another try to see if it is any better. I cannot advance it anymore as I am about all the way in with my mp. On a previous video I did Johnny told me I was flat compared to the band I was playing with. That’s why I cram the mp in so far. Interesting how you have the same issues and sacrifice the lows to make the highs better. Wouldn’t it be nice if when we blew an “A”, that we would get an “A”?? LOL. Gotta love the challenges this beast of an instrument presents. HAHA.
Thanks to everyone for your insights with my issues. I hope with dialogue helps others as well. I know I learn from reading this blog and the critiques from all your videos as well.
I recently discovered quite by accident, that one of my ears does actually hear the same generated pitch slightly flatter than the other ear, which i couldn’t believe – i only uncovered this when i started using Johnny’s method of tuning with a generated pitch and turned round.
I don’t know which ear is the dominant ear or if my brain combines both into one. I thought this only happened with eyesight.
Genuinely to me Jake low notes sound in tune, and the high notes sound to me like if he raised them by a semitone, they would sound more in tune. Very Odd. Well i learn something new everyday.
I’ve watched ‘x factor’ & ‘the voice’ & i can tell straight away when singers hit a wrong note – very odd indeed.
In terms of embouchure what i can’t understand is why some people can be in tune in one register and not in some of the other registers? Common sense would say if your embouchure is perfect in one register it should be perfect for all the registers and you shouldn’t have to adjust it in other registers. I can understand adjusting for certain notes – but not several notes in the range.
Which is why i wonder if its the sax?
puzzling?
Kevin – you are right about low notes, when i listen to contra bass , a lot of the low notes sound all the same like a exhaust pipe or someone grunting, where as extreme high notes are more distinct and stand apart! so i find it easier to notice out of tune higher up than lower down.
I just listened again to Jakes recording again and couldn’t believe it like you said the high notes are too sharp – you’re correct, shows what my hearing is like. Just to throw a spanner in the works, some people say some of the tuners on the market aren’t that reliable, i think they mean the ones on phone aps?
Kevin i have a the same problem with tinnitus same thing no hearing protection prolonged exposure to excessive levels of noise, this may be of use to you i had some custom ear plugs made a year or so ago product name elacin they have interchangeable attenuation filters i use 15db but you can get 20 db or 25db but for practice i find the 15 db great , comfy to wear wonderful for the altissimo work outs and best of all keeps the tinnitus from getting any worst.not particularly cheap about 160 pound sterling, but what price can you put on your hearing.
Paddy, Thanks for the hearing product recommendation. I will definitely check it out.
Here’s a short clip of the Rose, the high portion that I was having issues with. I pulled out my mp a bit and I can hear a major improvement. Thanks to everyone for the help. I put my ipod tuner at my computer speakers and the notes seem pretty spot on. I still have to work on my fullness tho. One step at a time.
Sorry about your guys ears. Sux having that exposure and getting old. LOL. I used to work in a drop hammer forging shop so I’m sure my hearing has issues as well! Got outta that business awhile ago while I had the chance. Again, thanks. Still looking for your thoughts.
Jake, I can hear some fuller tones on your lower end now simce a few months back, way to go. Your top end is still wavering but sounds linke you’re playing louder which I believe can help anyone to get a nicer tone. Can take a little longer up there though but you’re getting there.
Hey Jake–sorry I missed this upload of your’s! Shame on me LOL Nice to see you breaking out the Tenor. That’s a cool song to play on the Saxophone for sure. I know you have a few different MPs for your Tenor, which one are you using for this upload? For your reeds, are you using the Java Red or Greens and in what size? For myself on Tenor, I always found that I was able to get a brighter, more edgy tone on the 2.5 size, whereas for 3.0 it was fat/full sounding. I love the Javas…seems like with the Java reeds there’s always that one reed that plays so, so well and it lasts forever. How are things coming along with the your Bari Sax? That thing is a beast of a Saxophone!
We’re in the midst of moving into a new home; when we’re done I wanted to do another duet with you if that’s cool with you…I had a lot of fun on the first one we did and would like to re-do “And I love Her” to fix some of those sour notes in our back-up playing. The problem had to do with the minor intervals between some of the notes that we played once the song switched to it’s relative minor key. I wanted to make a private video to show you on the keyboard what we we did wrong and how we can fix it.