Improv

[jake]

Just messing around with my tenor and E pentatonic scale (chorus D). By no means is this perfect, few sour notes in there. I also ranged from LOW B to Altissimo B.
I am finding that my tuning is becoming pretty spot on. I am loving the results from this Guardala FatBOY!! Great MP here!!

If you listen you will here a common theme in this tune. I played around with this basic theme and then built off it to come up with other ideas, and then reverted back to the theme of the song. I find improv to be a part of my lesson plan. Work on scale for a little bit and then change to a different scale on other days. So much to learn! Just having fun in the process.

I recorded this to my iphone and sent it to sound cloud. This is the recording from my phone, no other editing went into it. My setup is a Yamaha YTS-61 tenor, Guardala Fatboy MP, Fibracell 2.5 reeds! Loving this setup, the best for me that I have found!!

[Mark Kiziuk]

Not too bad! I feel your saxophone plus setup and you are a great combination! Way to go Jake!

[Dazza]

Hey Jake. I have the reed brand blues again and finding the batch of ZZ’s 2’s I have to choose from now that my favoutite has worn out are not playing well. I was toying with the idea of the fibracell. What is your experience with the relative strength compared to cane reeds. ie; is a 2.5 fibracell the same as a 2 Rico Royal for instance? Do you need to step up or down to go to the fibracell.

[Anonymous]

Nice one Jake! I love to listen to these original improvs / noodling.

I think if you keep at this theme for a while a tune will emerge sooner or later.

[jake]

Hey Dazza I was having the same issues. I prefer these fibracell over all of my canes reeds. I’ve tried zz, reds, greens, rigotti golds, plasticovers, to name a few.
The fibracell reeds seem pretty comparable in strength to the canes in my opinion. They are giving me a great buzziness I like. That seems to be one of the downsides of these reeds people review. They don’t like the buzziness they generate. There perfect for me. Since they are synthetic you have an immediate response. They are always ready to go. I do find after you play with them for a little they warm right up nicely. They are giving me the best response in my altissimos as well. I would def give me a try. They are about 15 bucks a piece but they do last.
I’ve also tried legere synthetic reeds. I didn’t really care for them as much. They are plastic and have a strange feeling to me. The fibracelS feel like a cane reed when in my mouth The legere aren’t as buzzy sounding as the fibracells. The legere are stiffer than the cane and fibracell of similar size. I can’t comment on it but have read that the legere soften up with time.
Hope this helps.

[jake]

Another thing Dazza. As far As your zz #2 it may be time for you to increase your reed size. You have been playing a lil bit now. Hard to say. I have piles of reeds at the house but the only way to know is to personally try them all. Can get expensive lol.

[jake]

Thanks Jeff. This noodling is a great exercise for improv. Start easy. I used an E pentatonic scale for my tenor (only 5 notes). I went on YouTube and found a backing track in D that sounded a little fun and peppy and just started playing along. Tried little ideas. Some def sounded better than others. I worked on going into different ocTaves, and different ways to express my notes. I wish I woulda growled more. Lol. After we get comfortable with these scales the expression should be a little easier as we won’t even be thinking bout the notes any more. Lol.
This is also great for the chord changes in the backing tracks. When they change I can hear what notes sound better than others. I still have work to do there It is def developing my ears better. After you get comfy with this scale try another!!!

[charlie steven]

I see no problem with it and sound good. But I see more potential from you, just a little but practice and improvement. If you want some Improvisation workshops and shows that will sure motivates you, try http://smartleesecreative.com/, a lot more ideas that you can learn from it.

[Author]

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