'Call and Response' on the Saxophone?

[Michael]

Hey Johnny,

I spoke with my Sax Instructor a couple of hours ago–we resume lessons on March 20th, 1 month away 🙂 🙂 🙂 He was saying he plans on showing me how to use the exercises for Pentatonics, chords, etc.. were going to work on and use them in a ‘Call and Response’ situation–that it would help me to ‘stop overthinking your scales’ and help me to ‘Improvise on your toes’. What is he talking about with Call and Response on the Sax? He didn’t have much time to talk about it in depth over the phone today, gonna see what I can find out about this–sounds like pretty cool stuff.

[Anonymous]

yo Michael (is how sx poet calls Michael)

after a slight pause

Yo Sx poet (is how Michael Responds to sx poet)

that’s call and response.

Except you converse to each other in music

Sax instructor (musical call to Michael) – Da Da Dah

Michael (musical response to Sax instructor) – Dum De Diddly Dum

What they tend to do is use a musical scale (ex G basic blue),
then call and respond in musical phrase using keys in that scale.

[Michael]

So it’s like talking back and forth to each other? I like that 🙂 No, take that back….I love that 🙂 He has our lesson plan set out for the next few months, said we would start working with Call and Response after I complete his exercises with Pentatonics and Scales. He was saying too many people practice their scales by just going up and down the scale vs practicing their scales in a way that helps them to Improvise and make music, so we’ll see how it goes 🙂

My problem has been ‘stage freight’ and thinking about what I wanna do vs just letting it happen. He said these exercises would help be get more confident Improvising in front of other players. Before I got with the Blues Society, I had never been around other live musicians–it was always with just backing tracks. Johnny told me I need to think of the other players as my backing track. My goal is to get back to playing with them in time to come, so he’s going to help to play/Improvise with other players with confidence vs. just being a back up player like I was before.

[saxomonica]

wow Michael you have stage freight?? i used to have stage fright
thatsa hard road to ride, i hope ya get offa the train soon, loosen up, all will be good
anyways
most people are more worried about their own lives and dramas to give to much thought to others
just sayin’
suggest go to jam nights at your local pub, go busking,

put an ad in the paper to start a band

does you heart pump or what?

making music with other people is, well, making and playing music.
Fun
This is you, fun fun fun, coming through five by five, Roger Romeo, Over

[Anonymous]

Let me know what you learn in your ‘Call & Response’ lesson?

here’s a video with a guitar player

[john]

Michael, in the Premium Membership go to the Junior Walker Sotgun Improve lessons. I show you exactly how we build a solo using the call and response technique.

[Michael]

I’ll check that out for sure Johnny, thanks for the heads up 🙂 With me rebooting myself/getting myself back into playing shape, all’s I’ve been focusing on is what you teach in the Beginner’s Guide and the Daily Saxophone Routine for beginners, along with Altissimo and the Killer Blues course. There’s stuff in the premium membership I haven’t tried to re-tackle yet because I’m just taking it 1 step at a time.

[john]

it’s a good idea to take it slow as you say….just saying’ there’s those lessons there when you’re ready (in the Blues Sessions I think)

[Michael]

I started looking through them today–awesome stuff Johnny 🙂 Junior Walker! One of my favorite Sax players of all time–His entire solo Shotgun is based on the Call & Response 🙂 It doesn’t have to be very complicated either–I think this Call and Response is really going to help me out. With this stuff, seems like we don’t have to do much thinking at all; kind of just like we’re talking back and forth to each other through our Saxophones?

I like what you said in the intro Johnny about feeling mystified. For me, it’s been about being creative and confident in front of other live players. Like I was saying before, I haven’t had problems Improvising over a backing track, but I’ve had to ‘work things out’ by playing it through a few times to make sure the lick/riff was going to work. When I was with the Blues Society, I was okay playing back up but felt terrified to solo in front of others because of feeling ‘stuck’. Now I can see why my Sax Instructor said we’re going to work on this together….I can also see why he said I’m over-thinking my scales–don’t really need to think about too much with Call and Response.

I’m going to go ahead and start working on the first few lessons and go from there–great timing to make this post! 🙂

[john]

I think that technique is what everybody relies on to get it going. Sure, it can be easy to get terrified in public cause we got to be on.
if you’re able to get comfortable and confidant then that feeling will not only go away but turn into feelings that are totally opposite, like joy, happiness and satisfaction.
when you start a solo with the call & answer it cam be so easy and simple….just a couple notes to start, then a few more notes to respond.
start thinking about it that way.

[Author]

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