Saxophone lessons

[Johann Prinsloo]

Hi Johnny. I am staying in South Africa and getting a saxophone teacher here is really difficult. I have come across your website and like what I am seeing and reading. Question: if I want to buy the total saxophone coarse material from you what will the total amount be, that is for all your different lessons combined? I assume it is all electronic for downloading on my laptop. Johann

[john]

Hi Johann, have you just started Playing? Tell me where you’re at with your playing, your experience so far etc.

[Johann Prinsloo]

I have started playing just over a year ago. what I know I have mostly got from reading books and from various saxophone sites. I have never played any music instrument before and have decided at the age of 52 to start playing the saxophone. I bought an alto and tenor and enjoy playing but reading notes is still a huge problem. I tend to write the note at the bottom (A, B, C, etc ) as it makes more sense than the actual notes. I have started playing a few songs but need a proper training program for progressing. playing from the books is fine but there are certain things that you do not get from books. Reading a book and then try to play is not always easy as you still have to figure out what is meant.

I practice the various notes when watching TV to get use feel of the notes, that help a bit. I struggle with breathing as I am not always sure when to break for breathing when playing a song.

[john]

I would continue to work on reading as you go. Some people don’t read and it doesn’t mean they can’t end up getting a good tone and playing very well, but will be limited to learning many valuable exercises and playing melodies quickly.

Writing the names of the notes at the top or bottom of the staff is a great idea but work to slowly get away from having to do that. Reading music is like reading words, you will start to recognize them if you persist.

Sounds like you’re beyond the complete beginners lessons so I would recommend my complete course available in an eBook. You might fly through the first few pages because you’re already playing all the notes but it gets to exercises and they are all written out. There is also a focus on reading these notes so that will help you. All lessons are in the proper order to advance you as quickly as possible… which you will do as long as you learn them! By the end there is several actual songs with the music and backing tracks that you will be playing.

Every important lesson has a link to a video with me doing demonstrations and discussing things further so it goes beyond just reading an eBook. Here is the info page:
https://howtoplaysaxophone.org/how-to-play-the-saxophone

Right now I am also working on a daily practice routine which many members here have asked me to do. It will lay out a solid 30-60 minute routine which includes several lessons designed to improve the most important elements of playing the saxophone; tone, breathing, embouchure and technique.

[Dazza]

Hi Johnny, That sounds great. The structured lesson is something I have been chasing from my own teacher but he gave me a few tips and that was it. I find myself going off too soon and praticing songs and although I practice for an hour at least nightly some better structure would be great for technical advancement. Can you tell me your opinion on praticing long tones? some say they are a waste of time as playing slow ballads achieve the same thing and by the end of it, you know a song! Did you do loooong tones when you were starting out?

[john]

Long tones are one of the best things for us to practice. If you’re playing a ballad you’re trying to make the tune sound good, when you’re practicing long tones you’re hittin it from a different angle or perspective…

I have just finished up a video lesson on this so I’ll quickly say that, playing a long tone should be done with an analytical mind. We listen, we adjust, we learn, we get better. There are some things in our tone that need to go away, and some things that we need to pull out more of.. You can’t do this properly while playing a ballad so sorry, I can’t agree with that statement. But I can understand why a few would say it, they’re either too lazy to do long tones properly or they just never learned how to do them to benefit from.

Yes I did long tones. Once when I I was 19 just starting out, I was having problems with my middle G, just didn’t sound as good or play as easily as other notes. My teacher told me to spend 20-30 minutes playing only that G. I didn’t think I could do it! But I got into it for several days and while doing it I started to experience why things were that way on that note. We adjust our embouchure, our oral cavity, throat and air supply. We’re all different, we all use different equipment but if we experiment we can conquer these little problems… and the sax has a few!

[Dazza]

Thanks mate. You’ve convinced me! I think that’s what we all love about this instrument in that the same sax and setup will sound different when played by someone else. I have been enjoying listening to a lot of the Summer Horns, Koz, Abair, Albreight and… the other guy:) No disrespect, just don’t know him. Great on the tenor though. They each have a unique sound and I am sure honed over many years and their harmony is something else. Plenty of long tones under their belt I am sure. Look forward to the upcoming lessons and I go with another members request….more blues stuff please.
Cheers Dazza

[Johann Prinsloo]

Thanks Johnny, I will do so.

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