Saxophone Forum


by rjw524
(5 posts)
19 years ago

Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

Hi All, My name is RJ. I am a saxophonist who has been playing the sax since 1984. I'm 29 years old. All of my time playing, I've been considered a very talented player. However, most of my experience has been classical. I love jazz and am an avid listener. I have always aspired to play in the style of today's "young lions" so to speak, (i.e. Joshua Redman, David Sanchez, James Carter, etc). However, I have been extremely confused as to how to achieve this. I have countless numbers of method books and such. I will be honest. When I was younger, I was in such a rush to become a good jazz musician that I never really disciplined myself to do what it took to become a great player. Now, I'm older and more mature and ready to begin that long road to becoming a great jazz saxophonist, I don't want to play professionally or anything like that. It's a personal endeavor for me at this point. I'd like to ask those of you who are accomplished jazz saxophonists here what should I be practicing on a daily basis to become a good jazz improvisationist? For instance, I know scales and chords and modes are key. But my question is how do I practice them to actually apply them to jazz improvisation situations? What about Jazz Etudes or Transcribing Solos? Should I be practicing those? If so, how often? Should I play solos that have already been Transcribed or should I transcribe all solos myself? I guess my question, as largely a classically trained saxophonist is this: WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY FOR SYSTEMATICALLY PRACTICING JAZZ SAXOPHONE THAT WOULD PROGRESSIVELY, AND OVER TIME, LEAD ME TO PLAYING IN THE STYLES OF THE PLAYERS I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED? P.S. I know that the end goal is not to simply "sound" like someone else, but to create one's own unique sound and style of play. However, I believe the adage that "first you imitate, then you innovate".

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  1. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

    I'm in the same boat as you - a legit player early in his jazz endeavor. There are good books out there like "The Diatonic Cycle" that will help you with etudes/scales, and other books that touch on theory. I've achieved my most efficient learnings, though, from jazz play along books. I have about 15 of the Hal Leonard series and the nooks and accompaniment CD's are top notch - quality musicians and plenty of improv space. Aebersold has a series of popular play alongs, too, but I've not gotten into those as of yet. If you have access to a piano or keyboard, I also recommend studying jazz keyboard books as it will help you comprehend the chord structure. I took a hiaitus from sax to play piano and when I came back to the sax, I was far better off than when I took that departure. A systematic approach as a legit player will help your discipline, but don't restrict yourself too much or your true voice won't be released. All the things you list are good ideas.

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    1. by rjw524
      (5 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

      Thanks for that Sax Maniac. Let me ask...how do you spend your practice time? Do you focus mainly on the play-a-longs? I don't have the time like I did in high school and college. So, I can't practice 3 or 4 hours a day. I have about 1 to 1 1/2 hours a night. Maybe 2 hours or so on the weekends. How would you suggest i use my practice time?

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      1. by sax_maniac
        (984 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

        I'm on a "domestic schedule" myself :) If you're able to find that much time each night, then you'll do great - just don't tire yourself out too quickly. As you're working on getting your chops back, there's no use in continuing with practice if you can't hold your embouchre together. If your pucker gets pooped, sit down at a keyboard and diddle around. Seeing the notes as you play them helps you absorb the structure which is why I recommend some jazz keyboard instructional books. I have a series of 3 but I can't remember the name. They come with CD's for instruction and play along. Shoot me an email and I'll try to get the name of them to you. Again, not to be too systematic about things, but maybe 5-10 minutes of warm up (long tones, scales, etudes, intonation checks). I think this is important so you don't "forget" how to play - to reacquaint yourself with your horn before moving forward. The play-alongs are the most fun, so when you get started on those, time flies and you'll fill up that hour and a half before you know it. I will often end up playing all of my SATB in one session if I'm into it for more than an hour. I don't get into transcribing solos too much, but I do MIDI adaptations and compose original work which is good mental gymnastics. Put enough time in to build your chops, but don't tire yourself out every time you practice. When you start to feel fatigue (whether it's your lip or your noggin, your effective learning declines rapidly). My regimen for practicing jazz is not unlike how I practice for legit except for that I don't have a stack of legit play along books - only a couple. I mostly have to create my own accompaniment to creat my own play-alongs in that regard. Have Fun!

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        1. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

          Improvinization is probably the hardest thing to teach and learn. Start by practicing your major and minor scales in various keys. If you're playing in the key of C for example, know what notes you can play to complement that C progression. For example if you're playing in the key of C (on the saxophone; Bb concert key) and the song calls for a major 7th chord, you'll probably want to accent with a "B" note, or play a scale consisting of C, E, G, and B. The key is knowing the scales, the notes that make up the chords and the progression. Work on runs and transitions; meaning little riffs or runs to change from one key or chord to another. Play along with some jazz CD's. Get familiar with some of the riffs that are being used. If you listen carefully, You'll hear the same runs and licks being used in different songs, maybe altered just enough to fit the particular song. Timing is also extremely important. Listen carefully to the tempo of the music, and listen for breaks, accents, fill-ins or other ques in the music. Most importantly, listen to the music and forget about everything else and just let yourself go. Jazz is freedom of expression; it's your opportunity to express what the music means to you. Play what YOU think it should sound like!

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        2. by kneejerk52
          (397 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

          play what YOU think it should sound like! well jim im so glad to hear you say that my teacher would give me hell if i stopped in the middle of a piece because i did not play, or add a note, when it sounded fine what i did. i firmly beleive there is much to be said for deveolping the ear. after all no matter how many scales yu know it's still your ear that gets the final say in many ways. my dad played a harmonic mouth harp, could play anything he heard, did not ever no a note. im sure he is not the olny player who just used his ear. but anyway have fun.

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        3. by phathorn
          (165 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

          again, another horn player in your boat. A book I found to be helpful is "Thesaurus of Melodic Intervals" by Jerry Bergonzi. It requires a lot of shedding but well worth it.

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        4. by jazaddict
          (41 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Experienced Saxophonist Greatly in need of HELP!

          While I'm in agreement with the commentary to this point, I'd like to emphasize the benefits and importance of transcriptions. This activity will help improve your ear as well as help develop a vocabulary. I recommend both memorization (with emphasis on emulating phrasing) AND actual writing of the notes onto paper. You can then refer back years later in response to new info you gather. Pick a solo you REALLY dig to start; anybody: Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods to name a few....Michael Brecker if you're feeling particularly ambitious :) Invaluable.

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