Ah no! i missed that mistake. Sorry man! and because it's on the video i can't correct it! well spotted, thanks for pointing it out. I'll keep an eye out for that spelling error in future. Cheers
haha!! love it. :D by the way I've just started a new channel with all my sax covers but no sax lessons, for anyone who'd like to subscribe but not have to wade through my saxophone lessons and just catch my sax covers as i upload them. :D here it is: ru-vid.com/show-UCgLdEWUcDjDO4oZFaAM0G5A
Same, I defected from guitar lol just kidding, I am trying to get in to keyboards, sax and vocals to go with the guitar playing, always learning..the journey never ends, that's the fun bit :D I love music :D
Very nice video Paul, fully agree with all your points and they are very clearly explained. May be on the note bending, it is also sometimes due to a bad habit as it sounds more "jazzy" and some beginners exaggerate on this effect, additional to the lack of confidence. Great work, thanks for sharing ! MexSax 🌵🎷
You got it in one mate, it's very musical and tasty that way. I try to do the same when I play guitar, guitar players can be so I musical lol btw hope, you guys don't mind me butting in, great lesson Paul, thanks man.
My teacher has a different opinion on vibrato. He says it's almost a necessity to use it on longer tones, because that makes it similar to singing (his argument is that most professional singers add vibrato, and that's what people expect to hear). But yeah, he also started me with long tones first and then gradually added other types of articulation (staccato, vibrato, scoops and so on).
I use vibrato a lot and teach my students how to do it properly too. But the main point is it has to be applied to an ability to hold a solid in tune, unwavering tone. Then you can have complete control of its strength, speed and pitching. Meaning you can use it as an artistic expression instead of just a habit. Think of opera singing (constant habitual massive vibrato) compared to soul singers (adding vibrato in places to add feeling when desired). Hope that explains my position on it a bit more. :)
Hey thanks Girl in a Gale!! :D Great to have you on board. I've got lots more sax lessons coming up! :) Also, I've just started a new channel with all my sax covers but no sax lessons, for anyone who'd like to subscribe but not have to wade through my saxophone lessons and just catch my sax covers as i upload them. :D here it is: ru-vid.com/show-UCgLdEWUcDjDO4oZFaAM0G5A
Bro imma use this because one of my music teacher was desepointed on me and insulted me behind my back and called me a knuckle head and how i will beg him for me to be teached but the thing is that i am 1st alto on my group and imma challange him and his students to see whos better because i got pissed.
Hey mate, we all have different learning styles. By normal standards i was a bad saxophone student in my early years too. Bad sight reading and discipline etc. I had a teacher that got me motivated by playing by ear and improvising which helped me do some of the other harder work (for me) things like the sight reading and tone and tuning practice etc. If my lessons can help you improve and stay motivated to be the best you can be then that's great. A little competition is great for progress in all walks of life, but don't hold on to any negativity while you do it. Prove to everyone how awesome you can be at anything you set your mind to. but do it for yourself. Thanks for the likes and feel free to comment if you have any questions on any of the videos. :)
Thanks, i'm really glad you found it helpful. I remember learning these things at various points in my learning but absolutely would have been great to have been shown them at the start! Thanks for the comment and for watching, great to have you on board.
Nice job! You get right to the point and explain and demo your points very well and precisely. In many other instruction videos, the instructor seems in love with the sound of his own voice rather than actual teaching. This is how it should be done😉😎
Great video, some much needed advice. I'm a long-time musician but new to the sax (been at it off and on for about a year). I'll be working on the tonguing stuff to try improve overall sound. I've subbed and looking forward to checking out more of your channel!
I recognie my bad habbits😮. I have a mouthpiece link 8. I think my reeds are to hard and I have not enough air, to play singe tones till the end even my tonging seems quite o.k. If the reed is too weak, my intonation becomes horrible. I still try to improve my ugly sound. Its now easier with my Meyer 5 and selected reeds of 2.5. Thank you for your video.Recognition is the first step of improvement.👍👍💪
i learned a lot from this video like how to use and practice vibrato. This also taught me what I should sound like. This video really taught me where i am and where i want to get in my playing.
Thank you for this video Paul.Great stuff. I'm learning. 😊I definitely laughed when played that second Amazing Grace.😅😅that was funny. I mean also laughed which made it even funnier 😅
Does the material in which the mouthpiece was made affect the overall tone? I happen to obtain a customized 3D printed copy of a metal berg larsen with the exact facing, tip opening, etc. and a "shark-gill" chamber.
Hi Andy. Thanks, i'm glad you like my teaching style. I'll be uploading more lessons over he next couple of months now ive got my new flat sorted. great to have you on board. :)
Also when practicing after you grind your scales. Start to just blow wrong fingerings, wrong notes and wrong tuning on purpose and blow hard, beat that reed up. Then find the note above the last note you can play comfortably and beat the two notes above that into submission. Don’t fight your jaw, relax blow and experiment until the note lands and then focus in till it lands. Then practice scales and add those notes on the top.
Great stuff! Check out my essential skills top 5 tips too. Theres some invaluable info in there for getting on the right track when you start. :) welcome aboard!
You're spot on about habitual bends - there are some big names on youtube who hit high notes so flat that they are playing a quarter tone really. The biggest name on youtube just makes me cringe with his total inability to play in tune. I mean the run he intended might be G B D F, so the listeners ear makes the jump for him, but put a tuner on it and he's closer to E than F. Rant over! Like your sound and advice.
+Matthew Taylor yeah its a tricky area. And it responds loads to any tuning so its easy to slip out especially if not using the right correction techniques. I still find i play sharp up top if im not on form, so have to still pay attention and use my ears lots, especially in ballads. Just like the human voice. Thanks for your input and great to have you here on the channel. Help me spread the word by letting other youtube sax students know about my channel if you get a second. Cheers! :)
Hi I’m a sophomore in high school in my schools concert band I’m fairly good at my instrument but not as good as every one else in my school is there still time to improve my self or is it to late for me
Hi mate, yes ill add that to the list of things to do a lesson on. I might do a lesson on some classics like amazing grace ut will also show how to embellish these tunes too. :)
Hey you're welcome my friend! Also, I've just started a new channel with all my sax covers but no sax lessons, for anyone who'd like to subscribe but not have to wade through my saxophone lessons and just catch my sax covers as i upload them. :D here it is: ru-vid.com/show-UCgLdEWUcDjDO4oZFaAM0G5A
Don't have your lip over your teeth. Almost everyone is taught like this. Not only does it tear up your lip but it restricts the vibration of the reed and your sound. Start by moving your bottom lip, not your entire jaw but just the lip, until it eventually comes off of your teeth.
Hi Paul some great lessons. My problem at the moment is breathing. Which doesn't seem to happen n the right places and causes me to get out of breath. I seem to be using more breath than I need to.I've only in the last year taken up the sax again and my tone is appalling.
Mostly sax players need to use the tongue especially when playing with other players (ie trumpet, trombone). The brass players are most often using the tongue to articulate intervals that are accurately in tune.. They play louder than most sax players and favor playing in tune. The point to this is by using the tongue the sax embouchure (and air stream) is in the same position from 'note to note'. This creates a very consistent pitch from one interval to another. For most sax players this knowledge can open more opportunities to play in horn sections.
Can you please tell me an app to record sax songs without a mic. Because I don't have a mic . Is there any mobile app to get the sound as a mic/ studio ? Because when I record using mobile phone's default recorder , the sound doesn't feel as when it is with the mic... Plz help me
Yep I found myself playing with the bad tongue position, I don't use it at all, couldn't figure out how, i tried a few tongue positions couldn't get it and still sound so amateur, any suggestions or exercises to improve it? even just a little guide how to hold it, Thanks so much really appreciate it (just started to watch playlist it's amazing)
Hi Hersh. You need to play with the tongue usually in a natural "ah" position.It only moves if you are tonguing the note or bending the note or using tongue position to tune up a high note. :)
hi, please tell me, What is this model saxophone? I'm a beginner musician and I have it : john packer jp041 alto. Is this good saxophone? Please tell me
Hi Rezzo. I'm playing on a selmer super action 80 series 2 alto saxophone. I havent played the john packer range but i believe they are considered a fairly solid range of saxes. Any sax as long as it's not wildly out of tune ca be great to take you all the way to a deceent level. If you start to feel your not happy with your setup the first thing to look at is the reed and mouthpiece combination.
My sax just can’t make a jazzy sound. My technique seems nice. And I can even do vibrato. But I just can’t get that jazzy tone with no matter what reeds I use 😕
Hey Dirty Dan, It can sometimes be down to the mouthpiece you are using. WHat are you currently playing on? and what reed strength do you use on it? I'm currently writing a series of videos on tone so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks too. :)