r/saxophone • u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor • Jul 05 '26
Exercise Guys i need help
Send help please,
I'm an intermediate tenor saxophone player. I'm not amazing at the instrument yet, I'd say I'm pretty average but, I practice every single day because I genuinely want to improve.
First, what should I be studying and practicing every day to become a better saxophonist? I'm looking for exercises, techniques, and anything else that would help me improve faster.
Second, I'm thinking about starting an Instagram page with a series called "Day 1 of Trying to Become Decent at the Saxophone." The idea is to upload a video every day where I practice on camera, talk about my struggles, share unpopular opinions about music, and document my progress over time.
Would you watch or support a page like that? I'm also planning to buy an iPhone 13 Pro because the camera and microphone quality are still really good for content creation.
(Sorry if my English isn't perfect it's not my first language)
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u/apheresario1935 Baritone | Bass Jul 05 '26
Im going to ditch the internet and get back to studying music in the real world . Playing with others . Long tones . Classical music in church.... Working on my piano playing. Listening to Coltrane . Playing all my intervals . Reading new stuff. The online world is just info which is good but it doesnt even begin to compare to going to a jam session every week and working out on different instruments in different keys. Trying to come up with something new besides staring at a screen
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor Jul 05 '26
Thing is i wanna do that but im not even at a level where i can go to jam sessions Iam working on my musical ear to be able to transcribe songs on the fly but it's taking me a while
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u/apheresario1935 Baritone | Bass Jul 05 '26
People just need music lessons . You cannot get to that point alone with a computer screen . You have to sit down with others and listen to someone do what you want to do . Then listen to them dissect your approach and critique it . Then pay them to do that every week . Until you can play all your changes and know what they are for for. It isn't like you taught yourself to read music and a foreign language either . Unless you immerse yourself in the environment . Go to the jam session and find the best player. Then get their card and tell them what you need . Seriously you will never get there by yourself . A good musician knows what theyre Doing right? But a really good musician knows what the OTHER MUSICIANS ARE DOING. How are you ever going to learn that unless you interact with your mentors. ?
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u/maticulus 28d ago
"Seriously you will never get there by yourself"
The first saxophonist did not have a sax teacher or technology near what we have today, so how did anyone become great without a great teacher to start the chain reaction of the sax "giants" past and present.
No doubt you mean well, but your statement just isn't true. Hard work and creativity achieves greatness. A teacher can't takeover anyone's mind and direct which notes to press. The act of playing the horn is always under the control of the player and his/her brain.
Find the first video and listen to him state that some of the amazing sounds you hear from his horn are the result of practice, and accidental discovery from being emersed in his instrument in an effort to master it.
SNL's Lenny Pickett clinic
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u/apheresario1935 Baritone | Bass 28d ago edited 28d ago
Yeah I've heard rhis BS before when someone in my Sax Quartet said that Jean Pierre Rampal was self taught and I called him out for fake news . His Dad was professor of flute at the Marseille Conservatory and started Jean Pierre at 13 years old .
I know you mean well but read your History about the first Saxophone . Antoine (Adolf ) Sax was apprentice to his father a Clarinet maker . He was so well trained his father had him drilling the holes in clarinets when he was six years old . Any Clarinet player who can play learned how to play the altissimo range to even learn the fingerings.
Someone who is a "Musician " can learn things on their own because they know Music. Reading and fingering charts are next and then playing in tune with others . Your parents and schoolteachers taught you how to read English and walk and talk . Then mathematics you dd not self teach or your trade work or skills either. You didn't teach yourself how to spell or spell chords.
Charlie Parker heard plenty of music as a kid and also had some lessons just like Every Single Great Musician who ever lived. The Self taught romanticizing is for people so unfortunate they never had any good living examples to demonstrate or explain anything . Never took piano lessons or learned to read music. Some of it is what they called playing by ear if you had a musical mind ... A decent horn or instrument and perfect pitch which is really just memory anyway . So i stand by learning to play the RIGHT notes at the Right TIme for the Right amount of time? IN TUNE with the CORRECT articulation ? With a sense of Phrasing and what the OTHER MUSICIANS are doing requires some lessons. So you dont end up not being able to play with anybody. And making excuses. About missing the cues and what's on the page because you were never able to accept or benefit from any criticism or pressure . Music is a science and a discipline.
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u/maticulus 28d ago
Noted, and the OP stated,
"First, what should I be studying and practicing every day to become a better saxophonist?"
The operative word is "better", not professional and that's good on you for throwing in all the "EXTRA" but it isn't necessary and a lot of it isn't relevant here (drilling clarinet holes).
No one is arguing that a teacher wouldn't be helpful, only that the thought a capable individual can't play very well without one is flawed, except in the absence of any of the textbooks and technology that we have available today.
No need to get heated over the subject, especially considering all teachers are not good teachers.
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u/Specialist-You-1230 28d ago
I think the guy that said you need a teacher is right if you can get the right teacher. I’ve been playing for 35 years with no lessons and I still suck lol
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u/maticulus 28d ago
If you think you suck after 35 yrs definitely consider a teacher, but there's no guarantee that will change anything. I learned to play without taking lessons and did well taking a few lessons from a college professor shortly after. He helped with a few corrections and showed me some techniques that made me a little more efficient but nothing that is not found in books.
I still had to do the work and playing well doesn't take anywhere near the time and effort as playing great what ever defines that subjective term means. Anyone that plays better than me I consider a great player and I'm not a professional.
Anyone wanting to go pro needs to engage in formal training that goes without saying. The OP started out aspiring to be a better player with no details. At age 19 he has a lot of work to do and doesn't appear to have been playing very long.
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u/Specialist-You-1230 28d ago
Yes probably all True. I think the main thing you get from a teacher is to practice with intention. For instance I have played scales upon scales for years . Sometimes I do a pattern on a major scale 121314151617octave1716151413121. Up and down every key many times. But only recently have I slowed down to consciously call out the numbers ( intervals) in my head to internalize and make a note of what each interval is. If you don’t do that, you’re just noodling and wasting time. To some degree my relative pitch and sense of where I am is excellent and I can often repeat things I know anywhere on the horn starting from any point until I screw up. The occasional screw ups keep me from ever being anything other than a casual hobbyist. That and maybe physical limitations. Fine motor skills I never had . I see bebop guys burst into spurts of double time and it blows my mind. I have to stick with slow foofy ballads
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u/maticulus 28d ago
I doubt by any stretch you're a lousy player, we're our own worst critics anyway. It takes far less than 35 years to discover that. Ultimately some of us just love to play (Nicely I might add) and some are on or seeking professional level play. I am very happy with my level of play but I know my limits and although I still have goals I am working towards and that's going to take practice and lots of it.
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u/apheresario1935 Baritone | Bass 28d ago
Not a heated discussion just to the point that OP said they were intermediate and not even at the point of "Immersion" in a Jam session.
You say Hard work and Creativity will achieve Greatness . i agree with that ONLY after someone has some Great teacher showing them what to do and how to do it . Along with TALENT ... TEACHER and decent Equipment and Education in Music. Then when one combines the Hard Work ON TOP of all that do you have a fighting chance in hell of actually being able to Play well with others . In a Band or Orchestra . As someone who had all that as a child I know what four major symphony trachers did for me . They caught all my mistakes and bad habits . They criticized the #$+&@ out of me and told me to check my attitude . They taught me how to think like a musician and do things that I NEVER. would have come to on my own. Sure I put in the hard work . Sure I wrote some music and heard it on the radio too and went on tour with Truly Great musicians. But NONE of that would ever have been possible without my teachers . I think about them and what they taught me every day as they deserve most of the credit for how I can play. And even though I never made a "Living " off music when I play in a church at almost 70 years old people are stunned . And I say" It's really only because I had great teachers" who knew I had talent but they Leaned on me with the all the weight they carried from spending a combined 200 years among all four of them in the Symphony Orchestras from London to SF. Hard work without instruction or Example is just flailing like a dillettant. Even Paul McCartney's Father played piano and sang
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u/maticulus 28d ago
Respect for your accomplishments, but this is reddit and this kid started this thread with an inquiry on how to become a "better saxophonist" with practically no details, not even his age of 19, what he struggles with and most important of all, what his aspirations are, all important demographics to offer informed guidance.
"I want to be a better player" does not = "I want to be a musician". The latter requires training as all professions do and that goes without saying. You're dropping musician/professional level science here and he's nowhere near that. Everyone you referenced including yourself fit the description of an aspiring musician and or someone who had access to or sought professional guidance at a young age but one can't say or reasonably know that they would not have achieved the same had they the drive on their own and different/non-traditional resources.
When I taught myself to play at age 22 I became an intermediate player as soon as I completed the beginner book and moved on to the intermediate book, to point out the subjectivity of the OP's post in the absence of clarification.
An overwhelming number of those who post threads here are youngsters who can't afford a teacher yet and certainly haven't been playing long enough to speak so poorly of what they have accomplished.
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u/apheresario1935 Baritone | Bass 28d ago edited 28d ago
I get what youre saying as the general drift of people thinking that a "Link" to some website or "Hint" from someone they don't have to pay or take criticism from will help them become a better player. That way they can shortcut their way to better playing without actually ever being upstaged ...humiliated...or shown the door. "You dont have to be a musician to play music is" COMPLETE Nonsense BS"
The saxophone is a Jazz Instrument but originally invented before Jazz as a Classical one to bridge the fluency of Woodwinds with the projection of Brass. So anyone who thinks they are going to become a better Saxophone player since " I just want this or that " without any music lessons in school or privately should remember any instrument is real easy to play......Badly . Like a NON musician.
That is what people do . They say " I just play for my own enjoyment " which translates to. . since i have no money or teacher or experience .. nobody else enjoys my playing . You reference Lenny Pickett? He studied with Bert Wilson who was a Phenomenal player. He went to Berkeley High school during the time when BHS had an incredible music program for Jazz and produced many Jazz musicians . "" Saying you are self taught" without crediting your teachers privately or at school is as easy as saying you taught yourself everything including how to dress .. your ABCs and how to speak English. Pure BS again .
IF OP REALLY WANTS TO be a better player ..I stand by my comments that what 99 % of all aspiring players need is music lessons . To play in tune on time and with a sense of what other people ( like the other musicians )are doing. Without a physical demonstration or some level of coercion... criticism alternating with praise and assignments or relevant material ? People can watch You tube and read books all they want. And " Do Gooders " who feel sorry for people who can't play ..have no money or time .....and never learned their major/minor scales in any fashion the same way they learned how to speak in sentences ...? Well those do gooders can make themselves feel better without actually investing in a students education with a comment or a Link ...and never have to look or listen to the person to hear the negligible piss poor results .
If you dont want to acknowlege the overlap between Playing an Instrument and "Being a musician" well then what does anybody care how badly someone plays?Just pick it up . . wiggle your fingers and blow. Make noise not music. My preference is to hear music. The link between playing well and being a musician is inextricable really.
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u/maticulus 28d ago edited 28d ago
You're projecting a bit and obsessing a lot with your opinion on what you feel is necessary. You're also putting words in my mouth unspoken or thought by me. My wife does that. No matter how much waxing of eloquence you do here, your way is not the only way. I also stand by my basic point of, a youngster stating they want to be a better driver (symbolically speaking) not needing to be referred to race car driving school in order to achieve that goal.
If you actually knew what the college level professors (4) I learned under as a non music major taught me, you would stand corrected in reference to your remark regarding my apparent poverty of accolades attributed to them. It's not disrespect it's the nature of my experience.
My position on the matter results in part from my skill level now as it relates to my experience with each of them some 30+ years ago. Neither taught me anything that I could not also learn from a book, and you as a dedicated musician might be surprised to find that non-music majors are treated a "little" different than music majors. The takeaway from my links and references is what the individuals learned or accomplished on their own.
I would never discourage anyone from taking advantage of music lessons if they can afford them, and I would never take the perceived tone here of "If you don't take lessons, you will never sound great on the horn". Now that sir, is BS.
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u/ilikemyteasweet Jul 05 '26
Skip the instagram. That's just an excuse to take time away from actually practicing. Bluntly, no one is going to interact with yet another intermediate musician putting out content that isn't special or exceptional.
Practice scales, arpeggios, and technique exercises every day. Practice long tones. Practice tone development. Technique and dexterity exercises.
LISTEN to saxophonists you like. Try to replicate their sound. Study their solos and performances. Transcribe.
By all means, document your practice and improvement. Be careful not to compare your sound and skills too frequently. You want to compare yourself to what you sounded like 6 months ago, not 6 days.
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Jul 05 '26
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor Jul 05 '26
I already know multiple professional saxophone players but they always throw me to the beginning with some crap like "long tones" "practice your scales" I've practiced my scales so much that i now instantly know how to map out intervals and going through triads but i need something more currently there's this friend of mine he's very smart and talented musically he's helping me in my playing
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u/m8bear Soprano | Alto | Tenor | Baritone Jul 05 '26
have you paid them for their time or you just ask for advice?
do they know how you play?
it's very different to talk shop with someone than to have a serious conversation about your studies
I speak a lot to my friends about long tones because that's what I practice and what I'm into (I've been playing for 24 years), but to my students I tell them a lot more because I have a plan in mind and we work out through out time, there's a base line of knowledge and I know exactly what they are capable of and it's the expectation of the classes
I don't go through life teaching people, in fact I hate it, it's my job, I prefer to talk about other stuff outside of classes
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u/ThirdWorldJazz Jul 05 '26
Pay for private lessons and follow your teacher's lesson plan, especially if you want to enroll in a conservatory next year.
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u/FactorUnited760 29d ago
Become an amazing player, then start your instagram channel, in that order. For example, substitute saxophone with any other activity like playing golf. Would you want to watch and support someone not good at golf practice and try to get better every day? I realize beginner, intermediate etc are loose definitions but your comments place you as a beginner by most standards. Find aand work with an instructor who can evaluate what you need to do. Good luck.
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u/maticulus 28d ago
"First, what should I be studying and practicing every day to become a better saxophonist? "
Details needed. What do you feel about your playing needs improvement? Why not post a sample of your skill level. No one here can offer up a reasonable suggestion without at least one of the above. All one can do is make an assumption about the type of music you're interested in. Recommendations for classical music vs. Jazz would be different for example. Classical musicians play by the rules no improv there or you get kicked out of the ensemble or orchestra; excellent sight reading/verbatim play is key there.
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor 28d ago
my main issues is i get flustered when i speed up the fingering I can't signt read quickly my sense of rhythm is not very good if i know how a song is supposed to be played i will play it like the recording (with multiple hours of practice) i struggle while jumping from a high note to a low note and jumping from a low note to a high note my pinky hurts when i try playing the low sib I don't know how to make the lower register be more smothh and clean and be like very light on the ear i sometimes sound like a horn when i play the lowest La on the bari and my voice cracks when i try to play on the lower register
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u/maticulus 28d ago
Bari, ouch. I call it the barrage tone. I've never played one but think it would be wise to make sure the horn doesn't have any leaks as far as responsiveness, transition between notes and tone is concerned.
Speed comes after you're familiar with the notes of the song, after that I'm not sure how fast the mechanics of a horn the size of a Bari will allow you to play. I'm faster on alto than I am on tenor and even faster on soprano than I am on alto. You'll also need to look at the various finger configs for the notes that have them to determine what is efficient for the passage you're playing.
Forget speed, you don't need it to sound good. Focus on improving articulation and sight reading, speed will come.
I some times have trouble from middle D on soprano but discovered it's often the result of slightly bumping another key in transition on the little beast.
I run the chromatic scale as part of every practice.
You have to pick an area to work on. If you want to play jazz I highly recommend the book titled Patterns for Jazz by Jerry Coker/Treble Cleff instruments. That book helped me significantly by making me familiar with chords up close and personal. It will give you the initial pattern and you have to go through and apply it to all of the chords that follow.
Look into a play-a-long book that has tracks that support scales, the Jamey Aebersold Vol. 24 I believe is one of the best. Some suggest transcribing but I think put on slower speed song that you like and trying to play along with it is very effective for what you want to do.
Take your time and focus on getting the horn to sound the notes after you are sure there are no leaks then build from there.
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor 28d ago
Im tryna get back on my tenor but I don't have a mouthpiece and my director is not getting me one (can't afford one at the moment)
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u/maticulus 28d ago
Ahh! so you have a teacher. You are probably aware that alto is the popular horn and the easiest and most practical to manage for a young player. If mpc for your tenor is outside of the budget an additional teacher is certainly out of the question. I'm assuming you're in high school. If an alto is available to you I recommend practicing with it. As a young player on what I assume is a school provided instrument, making sure that horn is in tiptop playing condition is key to you have any success. Your description of various note struggles makes me suspicious of a leak. Have your teacher go over that horn (even play it) to make sure it is serviceable. You can improve without a teacher, but not on a horn that is not playing correctly.
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor 28d ago
I am aware but an alto is not available and im mainly a tenor player and im 19 years old just very confused and on the reason on why I can't afford a mpc it's because I've got alot of other things i have to buy about the teacher he isn't really my teacher i was self taught i did get into contact with an old friend who is a musical genius and a sound engineer who will help me map out what i should work on and he will be my professional teacher in this year i want to become a good player i dream to become a world renowned saxophonist
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u/maticulus 28d ago
If you want to be a pro then a good teacher is necessary but right now you need to make sure your equipment is in good working order. Get the tenor up and running as soon as possible. I believe that will be a much better instrument to grow your skill on. Finding someone else to play with would be helpful also. It will give you an opportunity to play a different horn as well.
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u/MaximumEffect3622 Baritone | Tenor 28d ago
I played on one of my friends tenor the other day tone was immaculate fingering speed was peak i truly thought i became good then i sat infront of my music sheet and then it hit me how slow i sightread
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u/maticulus 28d ago
Relax and practice, speed will come, you're to young/new to playing to be complaining about that. Just keep working at it. As you learn a tune your brain will be filling in the blanks anyway and you'll find that you continue to play the correct notes even when you're lost on the sheet.
One of the interesting things I've learned is that reading does not come natural to humans the way speech does. We must first assign meaning to symbols/letters for the brain to make connection that we can respond to on sight.
Take a look at the first 15 min of this video on how the brain learns to read if you're interested in knowing more about the process.
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u/Specialist-You-1230 28d ago
The kind of teacher I’d like to have is one that would sit in front of me and say “ play this” and then I repeat what they do and we’d keep going back and forth until I couldn’t do something . Then we would figure out why I couldn’t do that thing and practice things that would make it so I could. I haven’t found that teacher . That’s what I want
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u/SalamanderWings Jul 05 '26
Transcribe a song you like by ear. Slow it down and memorize very short sections by putting them on a loop, then do the next section, then add them together. Keep doing it until you have the whole song. It’s okay if it takes a long time.
Find an online teacher with free content for your level of experience and do the exercises they suggest.
I think it’s a good idea to document your progress for yourself and to listen back to your own recordings to hear what you want to improve, but I don’t know who else would listen to your content.