I can attest to how well this exercise works! A few years ago I did the same thing only starting on a G instead of low Bb. In a few short weeks I went from "embarrassed someone might hear me play" to "hey I actually sound kinda good!" It absolutely can not be overstated how important it is to remain relaxed in all areas of the body and to focus on not changing a single thing when you start the "climbing" part of the exercise. Pay attention to those details and this exercise pays off big time.
@@drwallysax Hey Dr. Wally, it's been a while but I wanted to report back that I've started doing this exercise starting from the low Bb instead of the G like I had been previously. My tone and intonation has improved even more doing it your way! Thanks again for sharing this amazing exercise!
I've continued to use this excerise for the last week and it's the single best video on RU-vid on how to get a good tone period....I've now got a clean 2 and a half octave range and now breath properly as well....pity the channels that only give half truths ....top advice Dr W 😎👍🏼😎
Again, why did you not put this information out 40 years ago? It is gold. At 65 years of age and retuning after major dental trauma, I find your videos the best of any others. I consider myself an intermediate sax musician and look forward to learning more from you. I continue to play despite dental problems because of love of music. I am learning to use a dental piece used for night time teeth grinding. It’s not like normal, but it is working. If it is something you love, you just have to keep working at it any way you can. (My poor wife and dogs. They do suffer.)
😂 Where have you been all my life. You have a new subscriber. My frustration with my (in)ability to master the skills being taught can now at least be drowned out by my laughter of your humor. 👍🏾🎷😊↗️
This is now my favorite saxophone lesson ever! Don't get me wrong. The b flat exercise is awesome and I will add it to my practice. However, the video itself solid gold! I laughed out loud literally through the whole thing. Love it!
What happened me ...got back on serious Sax study.....(sax was overhauled).....what 'NO LOW NOTES'!...got torch out...inspected Sax technicians work....horror! Had I been conned?....got online ...had to practice Low Notes....."I dont remember them so difficult"....After a month my tones were there..I wasnt as breathless, and I was glad that non- smoking thrice weekly swimmer and Serious Sax application was paying results...........the one day dropped reed into bell....and...found blocking the air-fliw...a mildewd..neck strap....'so thats why my cleaning swab wouldnt go through.....I mean ..."STUPID"...but maybe my little experience had helped me develop a better low note tone?
Excellent video production. Dr. Wally, I love your sense of humor. Most young players are impatient. You have to take the time to get it right. It pays off. I have been playing for over 50 years and I still practice my Bb and overtones. Many musicians and listeners have complemented on my tone. Just like lifting weights or long distance running, you have to stay on it. Thanks Dr. Wally
I’m 53 and I’m just learning,the sax is my favorite instrument, I think this video is the best video I’ve see on RU-vid so far I’ve watched a lot of videos, I want to watch and learn from your videos thanks keep them up you have the best since of humor , I bought 2 old saxophones I think they have some mold in them , they make me kind of sick when I play them I cleaned them , so I ordered a new one from Amazon, and it’s going to be delivered tomorrow and I’m going to teach myself to play the sax , along with your videos so I look forward to more of your videos thank you you give me hope that I will learn from them now
Apparently your parents loved alliteration 😊. Great video. I don't even play saxophone but it's always amazing to appreciate another aspect to alto activity. Damnit! wtf Wally Wallace
OMG Dr. Wallace, I was struggling with the sound of many keys and thought it was the saxophones fault. Tried this exercise once today and it sounds like a real saxophone! Thank you so much. My neighbors will also appreciate it :)
I play my sax mostly to R&B music and I play by ear, I don't read music (any more that is.) So I typically play the solos that are on the records. Most sax players playing popular music don't often get that low in their melodies however there is a very notable player who almost always includes those notes in his solos, and that would be Michael Brecker; When soloing, he always includes those notes in a sort of "octave" jump. Its also important to advise players to not only practice the voicing, but to practice using their pinkies to play those 3 notes... it takes a good effort to move that pinky accurately to play those 3 notes.
It took 3 videos but i finally started using this exercise. And thank you so much for it! It helped me a lot with staying in tune. I have a question. Is it good that I have to play every higher note ever higher in volume to stay in tune, while i practice this?
Marvelous Lesson Prof Wallace! Your explanations, demonstrations and conducting are invigorating and inspiring. Thank you immensely for your full proof system👍🎷
Hi Dr Wally. Could I ask you why it’s impossible for my little finger to reach the low Bb key on my Jean Paul alto but can easily do so on my JP tenor? Is it set much lower? Can it be changed? It’s driving me crazy! I don’t have problems with tone on any of the lower notes just reaching that little pearl! Thanks. 😁👍
What an absolutely invaluable lesson. It greatly expands on exercises my teacher assigned me. I've been doing this for a few days and can already hear improvements in my tone quality and my intonation. If I play both Alto and Tenor do I need to practice on both daily? I regard my Alto as my primary instrument. I'm so grateful Dr. Wally, not just for this but for all the videos and educational downloads you provide.
@@drwallysax - Thanks for the prod, Dr. Wally 8-). It's definitely on my list, right after I perfect my low Bb and get that passage of On The Waterfront under my pinkies!!! P.S. Loved the new background music and the FAQ's in your video!!!
Holly cow! I was considering selling my student Sax (yamaha Yas280) blaiming it for the muffled colourless sounds i produced. And than this exercice for merely 1 hours and im baffled by the improprement , you are the real deal. Thanx a lot!!
Hallo Mr. Wally WALLACE. First of all thank you very much for all your so so helpful, inspiring and motivating TUTORIALS. You present them in a such a transparent and understandable way with humor, fun and skills. Thanks again. With this ULTIMATE TONE EXERCISE I learned so much. Now it has to be put into practise, into my brain and into my BEING. I promise I will. Please allow me one comment / suggestion. I started about a year ago BLOWING MY HORN a YAMAHA TENER SAXOPHONE which was in very good "condition". The only thing was, it had some tiny leaks which made the lower tones pretty difficult to achieve and to play. (understandable) So please recommend your students before STRUGGLING to get the low B flat right or ANYTHING right. Revise your instrument. Get it CHECKED. Get it repaired. I was thrilled when I got my HORN revised and fixed back. Again Mr. WALLACE I want to express my deep adoration to you and to your work. YOU really know what you are teaching. Best best wishes from SPAIN. Peter
Goodness knows what my neighbors think of the various (musical) noises coming out of my bedroom: Flute, Clarinet, Guitar & Bass, and various loud-ish recorded music... 🤪😄♥️♥️🎵
Hi Dr. Wallace, thank you so much for your lesson, I can hear the difference of my voice already after only practiced a week. I have a question, when I try to keep the same embouchure playing higher notes and slur back to low b fat, my higher notes are flat in tune. Is that normal? When I try to bring the higher notes back in tune, I start to bite again. Is there a magic trick that would fix this issue?🙏🏻
You said something very interesting and I think important at 12:05 "...sneak behind me and close all my keys, low Bb should sound with me just moving my tongue a little bit - I'm voicing up there so if they finger, the Bb I would get an overtone..." Sometimes I find it difficult to go from a higher note to Bb (or other low notes) and what you said is so true. My difficulty is timing the voicing for the low note because I often will get an overtone. This exercise should help correct that a lot! I've seen your exercise Zero before but you just answered the 'Why?' we should practice it. Thanks for another great lesson.
yes！！！ I have the same trouble with you when i make this exercise. when I go lowBb from the note that is above mid A, I will get a overtone. now I find it is a normal phenomenon.
🙏👍👏 from Austria 🫶What a cool channel! I love it! Your videos have already been really helpful, and I have just started my tenor sax journey… I am sure I will be coming back for the professional advice many more times 🤩 Keep up the great work & THANK YOU!
Thank you! Very much enjoy your videos. This is a challenging exercise. I am new on tenor sax and have a question. How does intonation play into this exercise? Your intonation is spot on--no surprises. When I place the mouthpiece on the cork and set my embouchure, there is variation in intonation on notes across the range. To play a low B flat in tune, I have to adjust some to keep from playing it sharp (>20 cents). Does this violate the principle calibrating to low B flat?
just rented a tenor sax 2 hours ago and this was such a lovely surprise. thank you! i only have a month of experience with a soprano sax i rented a while ago, and tone has definitely been something i've struggled with. ill be sure to try out this exercise, it sounds great!
Ronald Reuben, the greatest orchestral tenor tone I've ever heard, played exclusively Double Lip for everything. He is also THE benchmark for orchestral bass clarinet sound, for his forty years in the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as in my top five soprano clarinet sounds of all time, as well as a killer Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman impersonator. Oh, and he also played in the Stan Kenton orchestra. As for tone across multiple single reed instruments, I can't think of another singular paragon.
Oh, he also had no trouble standing. Same thing with Ralph McLane...who, by the way studied exclusively from Gaston Hamelin (also a double lip player) who was one of the main teachers of a Mr. Joe Allard, who taught a single-lip embouchure style very informed by double lip principals.
@@DaleFedele I've never heard of Ronald Reuben, but I can name 1,000s of top clarinet and saxophone players around the world who use a traditional embouchure. A few outliers, in my opinion, is not a good reason to abandon tried and true pedagogy.
Dear Dr. Wally Wallace, I really like your playing and your way to explain! I will buy soon my first alto saxophone (I have a classical guitar/ lever harp background) and I saw on your website there's a membership with other lessons, is it suitable also for saxophone newbies? Thank you in advance, have a nice day!
I’m an oboe/bass clarinet player who has recently picked up tenor sax. I watched this video a few days ago, and have been able to apply a lot of your advice to my other instruments as well as my sax. You’re an amazing teacher and explain yourself very well. My tone has actually improved in a way that I didn’t expect! Thank you!
When is Doc Wally getting his own TV show? I'm just asking. Ps, if you're wondering who Doc Wally reminds you of - it's Dan Akroyd, just sayin'. Great lesson, as always.
XLNT review, speaking to some aspects of the horn that only a "player" could really appreciate. As a 30 year repair tech and former shop owner, I would have to agree that Selmer Paris tends not to put an xlnt set-up on their horns. Especially egregious is the fact that they tend NOT to have level tone holes. Having it "drop shipped" would be a bad idea. I can't imagine a reputable shop not investing a couple of hours with their best sax tech into this horn prior to sale.
That's what bothers me most - the person who doesn't know the "insider" info and orders one online! They're getting a really sub-par experience and may not be aware. It's a shame!
Thanks a lot for the lesson! Guaranteed to help all of us. I've got a question actually, how long should one do long tones in each practice session? I've heard 5 minutes, i've heard 30 minutes
Dr. Wally Wallace is the best! I have been saying many of the same things for decades, but he says it better, with perfectly coiffed hair, really nice suits, and a sense of humor that is (probably) better than mine.
Thank you for this really really impt video. I’ve never ever understood what it means by using the larynx to change the tone without changing the embouchure. That never made sense to me as my embouchure has always changed with every different vowel, leading me to think that I’m doing something wrong all these while..
No to nose? Hmmm.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YKiHB0M7iIo.html You may want to circle back on that... The G man will thank you, too. Nothing wrong with your overall concept of improving tone. However, learning to use the nose earlier will make accomplishing circular breathing less of a hurdle later. Like you, I also learned to inhale as you demonstrate. But, this made transitioning to circular breathing a huge challenge since old habits take so long to unlearn. So saying no to the nose is like saying the saxophone can only play as high F or F#, like I thought before college back in 1971. That's so old school... The nose knows.
Know what all my heroes have in common? They did not circular breathe - they played singing phrases with big beautiful breaths. Circular breathing is a parlor trick used in modern classical - not an essential technique for playing jazz. Even players who do circular breath still train with the breath I mentioned.
@@drwallysax I agree totally with the concept of singing phrases and nearly everything else you present. I also agree that circular breathing is "not an essential technique for playing jazz". However, after playing, studying, and eventually teaching, I don't agree with NOT using the nose. BTW - Some of my modern heroes post-1980 have employed all sorts of "parlor tricks" like altissimo, super long phrases, wild unorthodox trills, scoops, bends, and even the dreaded horrific sounding multiphonics. Many of those competing in Andorra SaxFest or AdolphesaxTV can be seen employing this "parlor trick" of nose breathing. So you're on the nose that this will be my hill I wish you to consider seeing beyond.
Hey Stephen - the Yamaha is getting repaired (I still love it). I've been exploring "landmark" vintage horns over the past several years (Conn, King, and others). Traded my Yanigisawa, King, and Yamaha soprano (plus some cash) for this Mark vi last week. It's hard to describe how good it feels.
