Get your music chart for Hound Dog out and follow along…
We’ll cover;
- How to read the chart, in other words, the”roadmap”.
- Tips on articulation – stopping the note with your tongue
- the solo section (proper scale(s) for improvising)
- Tip for getting the high and low register notes out strong and in tune
Some of the techniques and main points of this Hound Dog tutorial video are things that are very important for your approach to just about all the music you play.
If you haven’t done so already, download your sheet music and backing track for Hound Dog from the link on the info and purchase page here: https://www.howtoplaysaxophone.org/hound-dog-saxophone-music-backing-track/ (You can also listen to the video here as well).
Backward Glissando (long fall-off technique)
Using the fall-off or backwards glissando technique is something we can incorporate in just about every tune we play…at least I do!
Stopping the note with your tongue
Not ending your notes properly with your tongue, but rather let them die off on their own is something I hear most students do and this is what really identifies them as students!
This one technique will improve your sound in a big way so try to really nail it if you’re not doing it yet.
Solo using the Pentatonic scale
The other very important thing we get into a bit is the solo. Yes, I have transcribed the solo I improvised in my version here, but the point is to also do your own solo. Fortunately we have this thin g called the Pentatonic scale. It’s only 5 notes but every one of those notes will sound good over the music here. Start learning and using this scale to make up your own improvised solos…this is the perfect tune to do it in and a good backing track to use to practice this technique with.
Learn more about improvising and the pentatonic scale here.
