Plat That Funky Music

[Jazz Cat]

Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry, 1976) bringing the funk… 🙂

[Anonymous]

You’ve got the finger technique, you know how to play the song.
You need to work more on using your diaphragm to control your playing.
You get that diaphragm more involved with your playing, you will sound fantastic. When you use your diaphragm more to control the air speed and pressure, that takes that extra workload off your mouth and throat and allows your throat and mouth to easier control pitches being in tune.
What you will find then, is that you will find it easier to bring those pitches more in tune.

[Jazz Cat]

thanks; good tips — I need to improve high notes especially

[Anonymous]

Don’t just concentrate on high notes, work on the whole range of notes from bottom to top.

High notes in general are easier to notice out of tune by less sensitive ears (partials, harmonics more easier to differentiate).

if you aim for a consistant tone (not pitch) across the whole range of notes starting from Low Bb all the way up the sax, which is where the diaphragm comes into play, not your throat or mouth or face.

You make that tone more consistant, then all the all the different pitches will have less interference – that will allow your ears a better chance to notice when an individual note starts getting sharper or flatter by small increments while a tuner still says its in tune by up to 50 increments.

[john]

Lotsa fun JC!
sxpoet has brought up some good points.
in general more air required.
I would also say to stop your notes with your tongue rather than allow them to fade off into flat-land (yes, when you allow them to fade away like that they get flat right at their end)
I would also say to start putting more of you mp in your mouth. this wil;l; help you get a bigger tone.
lots of criticizing but we want to help.
the good news is that you have a lot going on and good foundation to improve upon with some focused practicing.
keep it up JC.
BTW, what’s that clip on you’re using? looks like one of the mics I have.

[Michael]

cool song! 🙂 Sxpoet and Johnny bring up some very good points, really can’t add much more than what they’re saying. The only other thing I was thinking of was to focus on maintaining an Open Oral Cavity because even if we supply lots of air into the sax from our diaphragm, we can still ‘choke’ the notes if our neck/oral cavity isn’t totally relaxed. But like Sxpoet said so well, this will become much easier to do if we’re using more of our diaphragms to supply the Sax with air. Great song choice Jazz Cat 🙂

[Bill Mecca]

In addition to what has been said, kick the bottom of the horn away from your body, that will help with the angle of the mpc. Adjust your strap so when you tilt the horn(by pushing the bell out) the mpc comes to your mouth. the angle you’re playing looks more like a clarinet embouchure. If it were more level your airstream would be more effiecient.

Long tones, Long tones, Long tones, crescendo and decrescendo, with a tuner.

Most of all, keep having fun.

[Jazz Cat]

great tips guys, thanks… good point Johnny re how to end notes + more mp; thanks, will do….thx re fade to flat tip if not tonguing end, I didn’t know that; much appreciated

agree Michael w/diaphragm, slowly getting there w/more air; right Bill re angle, I’m working on it (tenor’s heavy to hold out; I’m outta shape) — watching Sonny Stitt on tenor is a good example..

the clip-on mic is:
Audio technica pro-35
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K67VG0/
(I clipped it on wrong this time though)

using w/Focusrite Scarlett Solo Compact USB Audio Interface
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTXU2DG

they work great together, input into laptop to record using

Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 10
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MIMIYI/

[Jazz Cat]

good point sxpoet re intonation; I’ll start using my snark tuner more; it’s clipped on to music stand, while doing long tone practice high g – f# to work on embouchure; high notes are my nemesis on tenor (though oddly i have no problem on alto up to f#); thx for the insights

[Dazza]

Hey JC. I bought myself a Jazzlab Saxholder some time ago and found it fantastic. It feels like the sax is suspended in mid air. No stress on the neck and all the weight transferred to shoulders. You can virtually hold the tenor in your mouth with one thumb. $70 but allows me to practice for a long time effortlessly.

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