Hi there! I'm a saxophonist and breathcoach. Check out my music video's, my instruction videos (in English and Dutch) and videos about breathing. I made the online courses Learn to Play Sax, Effortless Breathing for Musicians, Moeiteloos ademen voor musici and the saxophone course Jouw Ultieme Sound (in Dutch) More info: floorwittink.nl/
you're very welcome to subscribe! I teach several songs in the online course Learn to Play Sax. You can read more about it and learn a song for free (tracks amd sheet music included) via floorwittink.nl/learn-and-love-to-play-music/
I suspect the reason most people end up here is due to trouble getting the low notes out. That comes down to three things: 4. Embouchure. Support in the corner of the mouth, soft under the reed. Top teeth light on the mouth piece. 3. Sax needs work and there is a leak. More common problem than you might think. The higher notes are much more forgiving than the low notes. 2. Too hard a reed. So many people think they need a hard reed to get support.... 1. Insufficient Air support. Thoughts?
That is not an easy question since there is a variety of backing tracks out there. Hal Leonard has very nive tracks. And I did my best to have nice tracks as well 😃 Not with midi recording but a 'real' pianist 🙃
I adore people who make things simple. Love what you're trying to do...I too would like reference to manuscript, but appreciate extra layer of work. Keep going xx
Thanks! And for the sheet music I refer to the course Learn to play Sax that is now available on my academy. More info is to be found on floorwittink.nl/learn-to-play-sax/ I don't know if you already play? I also made a minicourse about Sound & Rhythm that includes the Ssaxy Blues (and the sheet music and backing tracks). And I have some articles that you may find interesting on; floorwittink.nl/learn-and-love-to-play-music/ I hope you can find what you're looking for!
Prachtig 🙌🏻. Sedert vorige week heb ik naast mijn tenor een temperamentvol sopraantje staan, mijn allereerste aanraking zelfs *ever* van een sopraan was in de winkel vorige week toen ik eigenlijk gewoon een nieuwe neckstrap nodig had en enkel oog had voor de saxofoon. Ik mocht er eens op spelen (uit nieuwsgierigheid!) en toen ik de eerste noten van ‘Le Boléro’ blies was het al te laat. Meteen verknocht aan dit prachtig instrument. Momenteel studeer ik er een sonate van Händel op. Prachtig. Jouw sound is bijzonder elegant en warm, dankjewel voor uw posts, ik leer er veel uit.
It's good to teach but looks like you made this video for ppl who are first timer with the sax and know completely nothing. As a saxophonist I have no clue why you call this blues?!. So in free lessons you I think you should show sheet music in the video so pple who are total beginners don't have to manage to figure out the value of the notes if they are 8notes or hole notes and so on. But thanks for giving ppl who are learning.
Thank you Mitch. Yes you're right. As mentioned in the info below this is voor absolute beginners and a lesson from the beginners course Learn to Play Sax. The exercise is to play by heart and learn it through practiving with me in the video. In the course I provide the sheet music as well for Bb and Eb. I don't understand why I should not call it a blues? It has the Blues chord progression and is a 12 bar scheme, and uses a pentatonic scale adding a blue note. I created the songs in collaboration with collegae musicians and producers.
Music is not about what you play, but how you play it. This lesson is about playing the two bluesy tones, which gives the suggestion of playing the Blues. But musically this lesson has very little to do with the Blues itself. And why is the tenor player not invited to play along with you? Only give the starting tone “d”. You are saying it yourself in this video: it is about playing by heart, hearing it and singing it. A little bit more of challenge would be nice. We are not at kindergarten.
Hi there, this is not a lesson about the Blues. It is a beginners song, part of a beginners course. It's for people that play the sax a few weeks. Or for players who want to start playing by heart, adding a simple but nice song to their repertoire. It's fine to be critical but I think you miss the point here. And yes I agree that it would be nice to have a tenor/soprano version as well.
my sax is a note too sharp. doesn't help to move the mouthpiece position/ i saw on the video that puffed cheeks makes the sound more flat, should i try that? or thats a complete mistake?
Hi, I would not recommend changing your embouchure completely in order to lower the pitch. Because your sound and your whole way of playing will suffer from it. I think it is best to go to a professional sax repairman and have your sax checked. Maybe it is something with the cork, of with the shape of the mouthpiece that does not fit.
Hi there this is a great piece from the Dutch composer Wijnand van Klaveren. It is a sonate in the style of Francis Poulenc, since he did composed sonates for a lot of wind instruments but not for saxophone.
@@FloorWittink Oh yes! I've heard that piece, but only once. Well, I was thinking it was French, so that's a good sign! I agree, it's a terrific piece, and I hope it will get played more and more. Thank you for your very quick reply!
I discovered you tonight. Welcome! You really do stand out as a great teacher. I am a hobbyist, approaching 3000 hours on Baritone and Tenor. Your singing says you are trained in Solfage? At 3000 hours self teaching, I have matured enough to to know I need a bit of teaching to go forwards. I have aims, and a few problems
Really beautiful playing of a beautiful piece. I'd never heard of Piazolla...I'm going to look him up. By the way, have you come across a sax / clarinet player called Gilad Atzmon? He changed the way I think about sax and clarinet when I came across him a while ago (and spent an afternoon once with him in 2018). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mbg0YYH5wr0.html
After a second listen, this is a really clever piece. The ending is so reminiscent of 'be-bop' and the way a standard outfit would let the drummer take a few bars solo and then rejoin with the theme. I could definitely see this piece accompanying a short film. It's 'minimalist' themes evoke a mood that is good for editing to film.
For my MA in Compositional Skills I wrote a piece called 'What is Music' which combines the spoken word with a small ensemble and vocalist. This piece reminded me of some of the things I encountered in that piece, where 'samples' of spoken word have a rhythmic entity and pitch all of their own, in which you can interweave and juxtapose call and response statements as in this piece. I'm not sure how many people will 'get it' other than other musicians and composers? Have you performed this piece much? It definitely deserves an audience.......I'm listening for the second time and it has some beautiful moments in it. (around 4' 30''). It's almost like one of the 1940s ballads itself.
What an unusual piece. It reminded me of one of my favourite albums of all time, the collaboration of Stan Getz with Michel Legrand in 1972 and an album called 'Communications '72'. If you've never heard this album, I urge you to listen to it. I think you'll absolutely love it.
I forgot to say. Your written introduction to the piece mentions 'her deepest feelings, being a coloured female jazz singer'. Since this is 2023, the word 'coloured' (as used by US and English speaking peoples) has been ditched and the politically correct term is now 'black'. Whether you want to change this is your choice. The mad times we live in!
Thanks, and I listened to 'Communications '72'. I do like that al lot! And I am fascinated with the combination of words and music. The composer of Billie, Jacob ter Veldhuis, has composed a lot of pieces with tape with voice.
It's some of the most passionate, intellectually satisfying music I have ever heard. For me it fulfills what a great composition should do, it speaks directly to the soul and transcends sound and playing. Glad you enjoyed it.@@FloorWittink
I had taught Saxophone for many years, playing MANY gigs along the way, and studied with Joe Allard and Eddie Daniels. We didn’t have RU-vid then, and collectively I’d like to think that we were receding from the egomaniacal narcissistic hold on the patriarchy that had brought us both world wars. Now in this still young century technology has made available avenues down which anyone can travel………so many, for example, would have us think they are the ones to unlock the secrets of playing an instrument! Caveat Emptor!!!!!
hi Eric, thanks for your contribution. I think that as long as one does not think that a simplification of a subject, like how to play an instrument, is the whole truth; I think that online courses can help a great deal. I my course (not in one short clip obiously) I try to have a personal approach, enhancing awareness and creativity. I did not have RU-vid either when I started, just the radio and CD's/cassettes. It is good to be aware of the downsides and also the benefits of the new technological possibilities. So if you are suggesting that I am narcistic (it does not sound very positive to me especially your last words) I think you have the wrong one here to suggest just that.... I'm a pro too and I studied with may great saxophonist as well, also did my gigs, did my homework and have been teaching for 25 years. Thank you
That’s quite some comment for a basic tutorial meant for very beginner saxophone students. I’m also a sax player since the mid 90s and I know I would have benefit from this when I first started out.
