In the words of a recently late, sax playing friend of mine, “Now that’s real music!” Good to see the classical sax lessons amongst all the jazzers. And there’s no one better than you, Dr. Wally. You are a phenomenal classical player. And this! This is a “real” piece of music, not for the faint of heart saxophonist! Thank you! I can’t wait to start practicing. I will be following this series for sure! 😊
I know a couple of that idiots you're talking about... One of them is called Tito Hinojosa ... He makes only videos in Spanish, but is so RUDE and ignorant when he talks about classical saxophone.
Another good video sir. Yes Dr. Wally I have found "Finger Anticipation" to come in quite handy during certain passages including going down to low B and also fingering low C# for a G# when going from G# to C# or C# to G#. I have found when you add a soulful jazz feel to classical music it makes for some unique and colorful passages. Thanks for the insight.
Dr. Wally, been playing a long time, mostly baritone sax, but started on Clarinet and my instrument just kept getting bigger and bigger! I just found your channel and I am really enjoying your teaching style and the content has helped this old dog learn a few new tricks! Thank you!
This is such a beautiful lesson, I am not sure how else to define it. Well informed, well played and humorous too, even the camera work is just spot on. Thanks for that. I am a random guy who studies baroque solfege and dreams to be able to improvise a bit one day, and I will certainly watch more of your videos!
Dr. Wally - I don't know which I enjoy more. You wonderful lessons, your beautiful playing, or your hilarious humor. You make my day! Thank you. And yes - I'm going to go practice now... 8-)
I have no sleep 5am in the morning having allot of problems lately Turn the tv on clicked on your video DJ Bach !!!man you made me laugh hard in my worst situation Thank you so much for this video I love Paul Desmond i Love Bach winner
Dear Doktor Wally, I also would like to point out that the modern piano is from around 1859, the birth of Steinway & Sons Model 1, which is a whopping 109 years after J.S. Bach's death. Bach's keyboards where, well, quite different. So: Don't worry & keep on your good work.
Any plans to make more classical sax videos? This is kind of a unique niche that you are super well qualified to fill and seems like a good opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from the many other purely jazz oriented RU-vid sax gurus. Not to mention you are obviously a very talented and well trained classical saxophonist, also rare in the jazz sax world. Would love to see more classical sax content on your channel. Not full time (obviously) but enough to keep nerds like me coming back for more. I am a beginner and am working hard to get good enough to focus on your Saxophone Fundamentals course material as my main learning source. Got a little ways to go, but I'm getting there. Just for fun I'm even taking a crack at learning the Chaconne (which I know isn't beginner material). Four bars in and I'm still alive! Thanks for what you do. I hope this RU-vid thing working out for you. You are a real treasure.
Excellent video and clear explanations. Although I am miles away from the level of your target audience, I do appreciate the witty remarks that sometimes contain a nugget that I can actually use at my level.🙂
Hey Dr. W2, great installment. As a confirmed Ornithologist I nevertheless spend most of my playing time with the flute and cello music of JSBach. Your admonition that we’re not trying to make the saxophone sound like a cello is spot on. I tend to think flute phrasing and articulation. Notwithstanding the saxophone wizards that play all the ‘crazy’ arpeggiated (embellishments). Like when playing the d minor Chaconne …. far beyond the present scope.
Wow Dr. Wallace this so demanding. I'm a moderate oké jazz-blues player, always interested in classical but not enough technic. Love Jaques Loussier play Bach as jazz, Jim Hall and Paul Desmond make the Concierto d'Aranjuez sing, even Ian Anderson who plays a Bourré and Procol Harum with a Wither Shade of Pale. I use the scales of Canon by Pachelbel in jazz improvisations. On first sight this is technical a bit above my head but I'm gonna try, damn...I'm gonna try. You are the teacher I have missed 40 years ago! Thanks man.
Great to hear Dr. Wally playing Bach! As a church organist who also plays sax, I consider JS the greatest. Incidentally I could be the world’s only church organist who plays sax in a Bollywood band, any others equally bizarre out there?
Dr. Wally - you are the only way I will listen to classical sax. In fact, you could play popsicle stick only with your left pinky 😃and I would still listen. Looking forward to your video on Stan the Man. I am still working on the ultimate scale exercise from last week.....challenging but I am getting there, slowly!
Okay. I'm new, but is there a part 2 to this video? I've been watching for it, but I think I missed some part of your process or something. I loved this. I have been playing for a long time, but it has been a long time since I've heard these things. I totally forgot them. I've also gained some bad habits in my playing. So, I enjoy reviewing your videos to remedy some of this and refresh my memory. I still play in concert bands. So, I love the classical stuff as much as the jazz. I too play baritone saxophone.
In a different video you mention setting/tuning your embouchure to low Bb, and that definitely helps jumping down to the bottom notes bc you're eliminating all the excess tension.
Good music - and Bach wrote GOOD music transfers to any instrument at any tempo. Bach used harmony that was re-emerged in Jazz. By the way - Bach Cello Suites sound good on baritone sax! (basically the same pitch as the cello. Thanks for choosing to play Bach.
There is an incredibly researched book called The Cello Suites by Erich Siblin, you don't have to be a cello fan to read this and get something out of it, but it makes a really interesting and entertaining story of the life of Bach, and his adventures as a composer.
Very Nice, Doc. I have a copy of Classical Studies for Clarinet by H. Voxman, which I'd bet can be found online. It's not a perfect fit for sax, but only misses in a couple places. I started in on it when I started sax about 2 years ago, and it is sublime and complete music, and it'll make you do things you would not do otherwise (eg those leaps). Another thing about playing Bach: it'll sharpen your intonation, big time. Thanks Doc!
I was puzzling over your transposition and came to the conclusion that you might have based it on the lowest note playable on the sax equal to the lowest note written in the piece of music? A lot of flute music transposes well when you drop it a minor third for alto, if you want to keep it in the original key. Fun fact: when you have something written in a "concert" minor key and transpose it for the alto. you end up playing it in the same but major key, as in B minor(D) is transposed to B major.
Hi Dr Wally! Excellent lesson with variety! I enjoyed your playing. If you work on Getz and blues, I wanted to mention the exquisite tune played by him called . Tasty Pudding
Sounds good, but Sonny Stitt told me years ago that your fingers should always stay so close to the keys, that it would appear that they're not moving.
Can you do a video about recording and editing saxophone recordings. I feel like a lot of people, including myself, would like to see a video on this. Your recordings sound awesome!
I’m afraid I must throw the protest flag at your wearing of the polka dot “jazz shirt” to play classical. I think accepted internet protocol would be to have a different affectation, sartorially speaking, for each genre. I will give kudos and say I am enjoying the growing collection of les meubles mid-century in the studio. Very stylish.
great video, I love classical music so I will def. give it a try :) I play tenor and have the feeling that is is less often used in classical music, but I guess it is no problem with practicing this piece?
I realize that these were not meant to be danced to, but why not put a slight accent on the first beat of the measures? To my ears that emphasizes the contrapunctal nature of the piece and adds energy. Also, didn't Bach spend the 1730s improvising in coffee-house jam sessions? Wonder if he used diminished scales...
The written phrases naturally accentuate the meter. many phrases it doesn't make musical sense to do so - and done to often it quickly feels labored and pedantic.
Dr. Wallace... You really are an amazing saxophone player, I would really love to study a master's degree with you... At wich University you are professor?...
@@drwallysax Thank you so much.. Is that what you usually use? I'm just very curious because I absolutely love your sound. You and Otis Murphy are my 2 heroes on saxophone sound!!
Quick question for you, Dr. Wally. In regards to the octave skips and anticipation fingering, with the phrase going D - Bb - Bb as you already have 6 fingers down for the D could you finger the low Bb but play the overtone of middle Bb and then drop to low Bb without moving a finger? Or is that less efficient and/or less melodic?
I had a horrifying image of a saxophone smashing a cello into splinters. (There's no question that a sax is sturdier than a cello, even if a key might get bent in the process.) Let's not bash our fellow musicians/instruments, literally or figuratively.
I pronounce it in American. Any country that opposes this pronunciation can easily be annexed and forced to the freedom pronunciation by congressional decree.
