Exactly! To push in adequately, you must be blowing down to a concert C on the mouthpiece alone at a loud level. Then what you are describing about singing the notes in your head is perfect. I call it pre-hearing each note. You have already discovered some very important keys to playing the soprano. Wishing you all the best!

we'll maybe we should. Though the tabs would make it so much easier...

Absolutely! It’s quite shameful on the instructor/program for such a bull-headed approach. At his age, he knows how the guitar industry dominated many kids bedroom with rock and roll and popular music for the past 5 decades. Most guitar players don’t read music nor do they even know the notes on their instrument akin to others. While they ought to learn, it’s not practical for putting the guitarist in this spot for the ensemble, especially a kid, and it’s very clearly wasting everyone’s time, and it’s not the guitarists fault- he was bred in a culture that doesn’t emphasize notation reading on his instrument. And with the availability of software and even AI tools, there is no excuse for not being able to provide tabular notation for the guitarist. It takes more work on the instructor/program, but that’s THEIR job.

This saying goes in our big bsnd as well 😂

It is a Cannonball “Arc” Big Bell Series

I am so sorry, Luke. I thought for sure I had responded to your question a while ago, but I don't see it here...? So anyway, as to the gurgling G, this can be a result of several things or a combination of them. I think the most common cause is not having the mouthpiece pushed in far enough on the neck. You may feel sharp and pull the mouthpiece too far out when what you really need to do is change your blowing. Have you checked the pitch of the mouthpiece alone. At a forte level, you should be playing a concert (piano) C. If you are playing a D like most players, you will have to pull out too far and it can cause what you are describing. It could also be caused by a reed that is not sealing on the mouthpiece (see the video on reeds, Chapter 16 part 3) or an embouchure that is too loose and unfocused. Of course, it could be a sealing issue in the instrument itself, but most of the time it is the player. Good Luck solving this. Do realize that you are not the first or only player to encounter this.

Many thanks Ray; I will work on my pitch with mouthpiece alone to get it down to C, as I’m pretty sure it’s the only variable that could be causing the problem. Thanks so much for your video series, you are a treasure trove of wonderful information. I hope to buy your book soon.

Good Luck with the new horn!

On some sopranos these days, there is a split key where the high F# key is. The upper key is for High G. Yes I do have it, but I rarely use it-I mostly use the front fingering for the high G. The chunk of metal you referred to is the Klangbogen (made by ReedGeek) and yes it does help with response and intonation. I do have a small bite patch that is built into my mouthpiece. It is not something I attached after the fact. However, on most of my other mouthpieces, I do have bite patches. I don’t care for the thicker black ones, but rather I would go for the thin clear ones. They are not restricting, but they help protect your mouthpiece from your teeth. They can effect vibration, so I would go thin and small as possible. The saxophone is designed for the the mouthpiece to be pushed in a lot. You should check your mouthpiece pitch when you play the mouthpiece alone at a forte level. The pitch should be “C” concert. If you are playing a lot lower, that would be rare, but get as close to the C as possible and then determine the position for the mouthpiece. Most people play too high in the mouthpiece pitch and have to pull out in an unhealthy amount.

If you want more music, I have a lot of music on my website: www.jazzhangrecords.com This is an instructional tutorial.

Thank you for your question. The video you watched is an approach for playing standard tunes and bebop tunes with a lot of chord changes that need to be played very specifically. Many modern tunes, especially funk and rock tunes, do not use the same kinds of chord progressions and can use a different approach. The Autumn Leaves approach we used in the video is what I would call a vertical approach-every time the vertical structure (the chord) changes, we change what notes we can choose, and we try to connect the chords via half-step guide tones. Some tunes can use what I call a horizontal approach where we can blanket the whole tune with the same materials based on a more horizontal consideration such as the key of the piece. For example, it is possible to play one pentatonic scale or one blues scale over the whole progression with no regard for when the chords change. The tune you have asked about is a combination of the two. The repetitive pattern of Bb-, C-, DbMaj can be blanketed. It is not necessary to find the guide tones for this kind of thing. You can play with one scale (maybe minor pentatonic) over that part, but then at the end of the 8 bar phrase on bar 7, it is important to resolve to the Abmaj7 (it is preceded by its dominant Eb7alt, so the guide tones for this resolution are very standard. Then in bar 8, you get an F7alt to take you back to the Bb- at the top for the repeat. You should play the F7 very specifically and resolve back to the top where you can blanket again for the first 5 and a half bars same as the first time. Good luck!

@@charlesrsmith7 Really appreciate your answer, Ray. I'm going to study all your channel, this is pure gold for those who wants to learn. Good luck you too!

Absolutely! Good Luck!

Thank you!

Both books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc and also at jazzbooks.com

Thank you! I’m so glad this is useful to you! Good luck as you pursue the soprano.