hello! i came across your video by chance, and it was really intruiging to see a saxist and all the techniques used (as i’m not one!) 😸 this has also inspired me to consider recording my practice sessions too! best of luck to your pieces and excerpts, they sound really good! 👏👏🎉
The fact you are being disciplined enough to record this is amazing. Do you feel like you benefit going back and reviewing it? It seems more hassle than recording just audio but I can see merit in being able to see yourself.
It is nice to go back and listen to myself. I don’t record every single second of my practice, but I try to record at least a chunk of each thing that I’m doing. The goal of this series is to not only keep myself accountable but I’m sure it will help someone find motivation to practice or learn a little bit about how to practice better. It will also be nice at the end of the summer to look back at the progress I’ve made.
@@ethanashley_sax You are correct, when I stumbled upon your weekly practice vlogs it helped me get off my ass and unpack the sax haha. Thank you for showing the progress, we need more people sharing their instrument journey.
i think this video just goes to show that synthetic vs cane isn’t the end-all be-all of one’s playing. both sounded fine, and the differences in brightness and darkness can arguably be chalked up to the style of the reed’s cut of micro variations in the hardness of the cane.
Hi Ethan, I am an advanced saxophonist and I want to vary the equipment I use. The Chops book interests me a lot. Which edition do you recommend? Thank you !
The tone on the 1st one is definitely neat. Sounds pretty dark, which can be cool for some contexts! But it sounded like you were a bit more expressive with the 2nd reed, the sound opening up into this rich brightness that the 1st one lacked I'd prefer the 2nd! But the 1st would be great if playing a 2nd or 3rd chair harmony part supporting the lead from underneath. That super full dark sound would sound so full, while not distracting from a main melody Just my opinion, I'm a fkn piano player, so take it with a grain of salt lol
I don't think any one sounds better than the other. Obviously the first one is warmer, the second one is brighter. So there is a sound difference, but honestly I think it depends on what kind of sound you're going for. Also, there's a texture preference to consider; synthetic reeds feel drastically different than cane reeds in the mouth. Lastly, a good tone doesn't come from just the reed; it comes from the combination of your mouth, the mouthpiece, and the reed being held in place properly by the ligature.
I love your story about raising your hands and being excited about your accomplishment. I can still remember the first time I hit altissimo g. I could go higher but g was so elusive once I found it and replicated it I felt like I was floating over the floor in that practice room. As long asc we can celebrate our accomplishments without becoming that guy. Love your use of the candide, as a clarinet player I know the battle.
how do you keep your practices focused and constantly find stuff to practice? I feel my practices loses direction after about 30min because I run out of stuff to do.
This biggest thing for me is figuring out what my goals are. Since I have goals planned out for each week it gives me a bulleted list of stuff to practice. Another big thing is understanding you can always practice something slower. Slow and correct reps are so good for long term growth. Fundamentals are also key, so getting something like the CHOPS book by Dan Graser gives you infinite things to work on. I would love to talk more about setting up virtual lessons. If you could email me at (redacted) we can work through it. Thanks!
