Are You Practicing the Right Stuff on Saxophone?

[@Mansax80]

Perfectly right man!!! Have been playing jazz for 25 years and still practice basics sometimes!!

[@bettersax]

Thanks for the comment!

[@gagejayce2994]

Not sure if anyone gives a damn but if you are bored like me atm you can stream pretty much all the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Been streaming with my gf for the last weeks xD

[@alexanderamos9961]

@Gage Jayce Definitely, have been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :D

[@adamdennis2936]

As a beginner/nearly-intermediate, i see you are so right, again! I am surprised that no educaters talk about how people like me forget about nailing the note. (Hence, long tone exercises) We are excited and push right thru, but don't stop to think about correct sound. Everlasting issues.

[@bettersax]

Thanks Adam.

[@leowright8016]

Wow ! How did you know. I’m in my practice room working on long tone . Then I got bore and wanted to work on something else like altissimo ,and some other type of complicated harmonies. Then I saw your email alert. 😂 it like you saying no no no build your foundation first🎶🎶👍🏾😎thank for sharing 😂😂👍🏾

[@bettersax]

Leo, you can still work on those things, just make sure you spend the bulk of your time on the important stuff you're going to need every time you play your horn.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

I tend to close a session with something "fun." Bash it out. If you make mistakes, so what? But if you've been doing the important stuff prior, it'll be more fun for the fun part (fewer mistakes, if experience in other instruments matters)

[@Ressayy5]

I am 98 years old and have been playing Saxophone Alto with my feet since the creation of jazz, and this honestly taught me so many things that I actually started playing with my hands! Ok all jokes aside, this video is really good for beginners, I am genuinely happy this exist.

[@frankdittmer8540]

Thanks again Jay for sharing your wisdom and solid teaching!😊🎵🎷🎶🧡

[@matsmanteatern698]

Probably THE best YT-video on advice for practicing the saxophone!! The SECOND best is Jays video on “building a practice routine”. Check it out. If I just had seen them when I was starting out in my twenties...But it’s never too late. I’m still learning and have to go back and watch these two videos again and again.. really listening carefully and most important: DO IT. Today I’m 57 and still struggling with a lot of these advices.. Consistent practice for example. To play/practice EVERY day..slowly getting better at it and now I practice in average 1 hour 5 out of 7 days in the week...

[@bettersax]

Funny that these 2 videos are among the least viewed on my channel. Most people just want shortcuts.

[@dylanmiller1140]

As a Junior in high school I thank you for continually reinforcing this point on your channel, it has helped me and improve so greatly in such a Short amount of time thank you thank you thank you

[@caroh67]

Great Video! Great Words! That is what I tell my Students every day ! I make these mistakes in me Beginning! 28 years ago That’s no fake when I telling you the Story... After 3 weeks beginning to play the sax a friend is giving me a David Sanborn Cd! The first time a hear his high notes I, am shocked 😮 running to my practice room, spending days and weeks months to bringing this notes out of my horn! 😂At this time I know nothing about overtones! Many Years later a good teacher telling me about this I,am working hard on sound and overtones! This change me playing and sound to a higher level! I never forget that! Great stuff here! Greetings from Germany!

[@mourafmarcos]

Thank you for so clear and important tips.Practicing is the only way to get the best sound.

[@qq-hk2sq]

Thanks for your demo, it's not a subject I'm taking any issue with but it was nice to hear someone say something that supports what I practice, establishing a good foundation (building blocks) first. I want to excel at improvisation, so my practice includes familiarizing myself with the various chords and fluency in playing them, followed by jazz licks for building a vocabulary to draw from to play in the chord progressions among other things. I found a way to play fast instantly on youtube also, when someone talks more than I can bear before getting to the point on a youtube video, I goto settings and speed it up. You sound very efficient and reasonably clear at twice the speed :-). Thanks for the tips.

[@bettersax]

Thanks for the comment. I speed up videos all the time too. Sounds like you are on the right track to reach your goals.

[@ecyorrr8991]

Even if I've watched this video several times already. I just keep coming back to remind and motivate myself to build a strong foundation of technique, sound and timing! Thanks always, Jay! By the way, it's already been month since I've enrolled to your core essentials course. and im lovin it!

[@MrBoybergs]

At 55 years old I've been playing for over 40 years. This video is so imortant that I rewatch it every Monday morning, before starting a new week of practice and work. Tone, tempo and fluidity/accuracy; the most important ellements of sounding good. It's so easy to lose touch with these vital aspects of what makes music 'musical'. That's why, imo this is the best tutorial video on You tube

[@JakeandOwen]

As a 40 year old I have been playing for 55 years and I can't stress enough about how important it is to tell everyone your old!

[@MrBoybergs]

@@JakeandOwen helps to ease the pain mate :)

[@bobdelr2861]

Getting back into playing my sax at age 58. Thanks for the guidance, Jay.

[@bettersax]

Thanks for watching

[@sa8vsaxman]

Thanks for the video! Not enough people preaching benefit of solid practice routine and avoid the pitfalls of chasing 'the cool stuff'. The pyramid graph is a good representation of the amount of time you should practice the fundamental material related to the goal. 1hr practice session? Spend 50 minutes building up to the desired tempo, and the last 10 minutes at full speed.

[@bettersax]

Yeah, also these sort of videos are much less popular than how to play high and fast...

[@jnaime]

This should be my "top video" that need to be watch every day ! Thanks for the advices !

[@esfahan1961]

Hi Jay. Every time I had a break from practice longer than say a couple of weeks, I try to revisit those very basics without which the pyramids wouldn’t still stand today. And yes pyramids’ foundations were frustrating as they took years to complete without ever seeing the pyramid actually go above ground level. But then we all know what happened and there are still here today 𗂢𗂙𗂢𗂙. Thanks for another great video 👍🏼😉

[@bettersax]

Thanks Thierry. Nice metaphor. I recommend revisiting the basics everyday. That's what I do...

[@ManneckeyKhoeAob]

I really like the way you are giving advice.

[@addrianatavalol9554]

Tank you so much for your good advices ! Greetings from Mexico.

[@shaddjimenez4524]

Very informative, got me inspired to work on overtones way more.

[@KadrianThomas]

Thank you Jay, this is such another great video to direct me in the right direction. It wasn’t until I took one of your courses that my sound and rhythm stared to improve.

[@sandrarogers4899]

Your videos are awesome! I love how detailed you are in explaining the "how to's". Thank You!

[@marselmusic]

I can't believe it man I was just thinking about that. altissimo, to playing complex harmony, you name it. THanks man!

[@bettersax]

Good to hear this helped!

[@Jamrightthen]

Modern Selmers baby! Selmer Paris series III soprano, alto and tenor! Love the modern Selmer sound and tuning! Blows mark vi out of the water!

[@robstevens9590]

Thanks Jay. While I need to keep working on embouchure, tone, scales, etc. my biggest need is to improve my rhythm (& learning to read better). The clip from "Flowers" -- c'est tres jolie!

[@bettersax]

Thanks Rob!

[@robstevens9590]

To demonstrate what I mean about improving my rhythm here is a recent clip of me playing "Smooth" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHa0cqZ8i5WZsJI - - - critique & comments are welcome.

[@jellewils3974]

Also, practicing fundamentals takes less energy for me and is easier to come back to daily. Improves my awareness of where I'm sloppy and what scales/patterns I need to work on. That in turn stops me from looking for what to practice

[@SH1974]

It's like growing skills using the kitchen knife: Don't practice speed! Do practice precision!

[@raseshgandhi6702]

Very lovely information

[@joshcharlat850]

Very concise and good advice. You have a nice manner.

[@bettersax]

Thanks Josh!

[@TheDeafStingrays]

AMAZING VIDEO! Very helpful and motivational! Keep up the good work!

[@nicolelaurendeau8607]

Thank you for this video, it reminds us of the most important things to practice to improve our playing !

[@bettersax]

Thank you Nicole

[@harveymushman2219]

Great lesson Jay !..I'm so new I am still trying to figure out why the Chinese gave me their white work gloves...and that long colorful bottle cleaner.

[@lisawanderess]

I’ve found a good use for the left white glove, it’s great for catching the moisture that dribbles out of my sax and makes my fingers slippery! 😂

[@zact.s9553]

love the mountaing and icing analogies

[@book3100]

Yep. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

[@gerryoconnor9927]

Wonderful quality and detail advice on how to A purchase and b to play starting with slow playing before trying a faster speed. Really appreciate your advice, this quality not available elsewhere , Gerry O Connor

[@bettersax]

Thanks Gerry. I'm glad you found this helpful. It's really just the same advice I try to give myself everyday haha.

[@laptopm1113]

you are soooooo right lol . thats why i decided to take some lessons, to get the basic better , i loved the part where you showed the mouthpiece without the saxofoon, hilarious

[@bettersax]

That's a real sound exercise that I practice everyday. No joke.

[@laptopm1113]

oops , i thought you were making a statement .

[@robstockton7240]

You mention simple and more complex harmonies in a few of your videos and I was wondering if you could tell me exactly what you meant by harmony in that context?

[@linako2896]

I love your videos. Thank you for sharing :)

[@PonchMuniz]

Build that cheesecake!! good stuff, as always!

[@bettersax]

Thanks!

[@smoke09able]

Some very good advice!

[@bettersax]

Thank you Rick.

[@oscaryiudev]

May I have the practice routine?

[@didouram_music]

Don't you have a bluetooth delay if you hear your sax in your earphones ? I understand for listening to a backing track but I have all the time a delay in playing live in bluetooth monitoring.

[@donl9571]

One comment about practicing licks fast. I do it so that when I'm performing at a slower tempo, I know I'll nail it. If I were to practice a phrase only at 120 bpm and slower, and then try to play it on stage at 120, I would mess up.

[@makeudrippdropp]

Just trying to eat straight icing 😂

When you practice with the earplugs, are they connected to microphone as monitor or just passively put in your ear? Doesn’t it mess up your frequency perception?

[@georgf9279]

Al of that implies practicing regularly. Got to solve that one first...

[@Tweneboah]

Thanks Jay! Please, what's the name of that jazz song at the beginning, starting ~ @0:28. Appreciate the great sax info!

[@paulsage6849]

Hi, sorry I don’t know your name, I’m paul. I’ve been playing alto sax for a couple of years and whilst enjoying it have not taken it seriously. I want that to change now and think your the guy to put me straight. So what do I do, where do I start, I have a basic feel and I love jazz music and am willing to start slowly and methodically as you hint at in this video. I do feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of complicated music theory and would appreciate some guidelines. Hope you can help, thank you, paul.

[@bettersax]

Paul, I'm Jay. Thanks for your comment. The best place for you to start is by signing up for my free course here: bettersax.com/psbe Once you go through that, if it helps you (and it definitely should) you can continue with my other courses if you wish. (they will get you where you want to be I'm sure)

[@albertoguerrero3659]

Excellent advice. So much time wasted on things that perhaps I’ll never play with anybody other than play-along tracks.

[@chrispalmer2136]

ha I started playing just over a month ago I have a small mound to build up yet

[@andyjonah6103]

how can i start as a beginer

[@teamopichon]

Hi Jay, hope you're doing great! Thanks so much for this insightful video! Speaking about practice and priorities in practice there is this one question that has been bugging me for a while. I once heard Dave Koz saying that "he doesn't actually practice that much or as he should" So my question based on this statement is how much of the natural talent is involved for a person to become a skillful saxophone player vs. average people like me who may put hours of practice into my instrument and yet do not reach a decent and outstanding level of playing. What is it? My lack of natural talent? Am I practicing the wrong way? should I practice even longer hours? or what? I hope you can help me put into the right perspective this thing that puzzles me a lot. Thanks Jay. Greetings from México!

[@bettersax]

Fernando, this is a great question, and I've been planning on making a video on this very subject since many of us ask this question all the time. First, know that you are not alone in your frustration. It's part of the process of getting better. Learn to embrace it and use it to improve. Think in terms of the long term goals split up into smaller achievable goals you can manage in a week or month. Write these down and work towards them steadily. You will see your progress better when you map it out like this.

[@James87987]

Hi Fernando, you often hear pro musicians say this and it's really simple why they say it. At some point in their lives they put in loads of practice, far more than the average amateur with a day job could ever hope to do, 4-8 hours a day isn't uncommon. Secondly, they gig a lot which is practice with the pressure of performing. Thirdly, they have become very efficient at practice so can do in one hour what might take amateur players 4 hours. Fourth. They know what to practice and what isn't relevant to them.

[@hgkpereg]

Hi Jay, your videos and courses are really great. I began playing saxophon 10 years ago, did most of the time classical music sticking to notes, together with my wife who is a classical piano player. Now I came back to saxophon after a break of 3 to 4 years. From today on I‘ll try playing jazz by ear ( hopefully to get some music and my wife will not divorce) I am not sure between Alto or Tenor. Would you recommend to play parallel or only one of them in the beginning for a certain time? Thanks

[@bettersax]

Choose one so that you can focus on developing your sound.

[@mergettheborgerhrunter3386]

If you haven’t baked your cake of fundamentals and core techniques how are you going to put icing on it. I want that tattooed on my back

[@bettersax]

Lol

[@noliiiivaldez7861]

yeah, this video is a great reminder for me to do long tones :) oopsie, thanks

[@Kride-1954]

your alto tone is great, what piece? Ksaxman.

[@tanjungramadhan]

That's real jay,,, i trust you,,, very nice tutoring,, 😉😉

[@bettersax]

Thanks, good to hear.

[@ZalasOrg]

The shouting J, be gone! So good it is 4 years ago :-)

[@independentmind1977]

BAKE THE CAKE! BAKE THE DAMN CAKE!!!!!!! ;)

[@dcp8nts]

Time to get baking

[@berniecawson6197]

Cool

[@bettersax]

thanks

[@thickboy3521]

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

[@Sulamanjansulttaani]

Your videos are good but i wish you went straight into the point istead using that time to moralizing and what not

[@deslippestv]

Can't have any cake if you don't eat your meat. hhahah

[@michaelranous9833]

How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat!?

[@rogerhobden7670]

Like +++++

[@toddwesslowski8532]

I don't know a Damm thing about notes.

[@sate7557]

unnecessary chatter !

[@MrChuck365]

77 years old, started playing clarinet at age nine. Along the way added flute, saxophones, and most recently trumpets. Learned a lot today from your Saxophone Lessons 1-18. I am very grateful.

[@oosaxx]

I like how sad Jay sounds at 1:30 “if you haven’t baked your cake, how you gonna put icing on it” 😰

[@rk702]

I wish I could have given this video two thumbs up.

[@1jostaclo]

Thanks. This video has me rethinking my priorities and goals. I'm 65, self-taught , having started sax and music 4 yrs. ago. I also play clarinet-as I did in jr. high school. I just started private lessons but also greatly appreciate all the stuff online to help learn music. Darn tootin' I'll subscribe.

[@thelewis2898]

Cake before icing, got it. Thanks I love your videos. What about sprinkles?

[@EJ-strings]

Am really enjoying the class I want to become your student. If u don't mind

[@michaelwatson173]

"Everything needs to be relative to its importance." I like your stuff, Jay, but that little quotation just raised your status several rungs in my regard.

[@rreganjjohnn]

That's it The best advice any budding sax player should digest. I am still building on the base of my mountain and will be for some time, and it is so gratifying to watch your videos and know I am still on the right track. I can't thank you enough for this advice jay You're the man!!!

[@ashley9639]

If you can play slowly, you can play quickly. Great video mate! Great quality as usual.

[@earthelenagarrett6003]

enjoying your videos. Very inspiring. I'm about to apply this technique to my sax and clarinet.

[@ntxmt]

Great advice Jay. Amazing that this and every other skill/discipline has a foundation of fundamentals. Everything else beyond that is built on those fundamentals. Without mastery of those fundamentals, there's not going to be any growth. Thank you for another great teaching video.

[@gigglepantsiii826]

Thank you for this video, especially the bit about scales. My early years in band was taught in a very scattered way. I was left with my essential elements book and told to learn scales without much guidance. Looking back it's amazing how well I managed to muddle through in high school.

[@jazzybluesyyoo6914]

saxophone heaven in usa .firstly the vast enough spaces i wont be bothered secondly peoples are generous enough to the musicians. lastly jazz and blues are originated in usa. i am a korean living near to the seoul but cant afford to buy or rent the space for practicing .anly space i can practice is under the bridge where is nobody complaining of the noises amplified from my curved soprano sax.thanks for the tips !!!

[@bettersax]

Just like Sonny Rollins!

[@안영일-q4u]

외국인들한테 춥게 보이게..다리밑이 뭡니까?^^ ㅎㅎ 나도 한때는 산에서..

[@toddwesslowski8532]

I can't even read music notes ,but I'm fixed on thinking when I learned how to ride a motorcycle lol ié shift gears ride in traffic ( basics) not the peak of riding but still very cool. In March I'll buy my first Alto sax wish me luck making a single ? note - aperture pending feel pending .so excited to work on my basic fundamentals. Hope I'm no pro from the start.

[@zactaylorschindler8208]

Really helpful video, I thought I was practicing it all, you have made me realise that I should be doing long tones every day, thankyou so much, gonna go do that now!

[@bettersax]

Thanks Zac. You don't have to spend all your time on this stuff, but it's best if you hit those things everyday you practice. Helps build a nice routine as well.

[@zactaylorschindler8208]

@@bettersax omg you replied, huge fan, love your videos! Have watched them all, thanks for the tip

[@mateuszdudanowicz5926]

You should use black and white parts as part of tv ads, when everything goes wrong ;)

[@danielcohen9637]

This guy is very smart. He knows what he's talking about.

[@eliveltonreis6186]

God bless you!

[@bettersax]

Thanks!

[@ajibolafalade5630]

1:19 why did he start yelling lol

[@bernardb.brownsr5918]

Idk lmao

[@kareemsealy8397]

Thank you for sharing this video, I completely agree with what you're saying, one thing over the years that I've noticed , especially with myself, that as sax players there is a certain wave we get carried away with the really fancy stuff and ignore the fundamentals which are really important, aside from that sometimes we get not so great advice from other players. Which throws us off which ends up delaying our progress.

[@bettersax]

Kareem, There is definitely a tendency for sax players to try to impress listeners with fancy tricks, but nothing is more impressive than a beautiful sound, solid time, and clearly outlining the harmony with your improvising.

[@kareemsealy8397]

@@bettersax Fundamentals and foundations are key both in theory and technique its the truest way to master anything.

[@mbrown7019]

I have, and still learning so much from you . Thank you.

[@bettersax]

Great to hear this, thanks!

[@whitestonerev2179]

I play the saxophone for many years. But do to a couple strokes, combined with a "widow-maker" heart attack, and then five major operations, I'm going to have to start from the bottom again and work my way up. but I'm looking forward to it. The thought of playing again is a major factor in my recovery, and it gives me hope! Quitters never win...

[@alanhirayama4592]

The 60fps video is awesome!

[@bettersax]

Thanks for noticing!

[@alanhirayama4592]

Your content is always on-point, the clarity makes it that much better, thank you for your posts.

[@florinneculai2552]

I think you have great students and even the beginners are advancing verry fast with you! Congrats, and greetings from Romania. Hope i can see you trying to play owr songs

[@NyanPoptartCat]

This makes me sad because I wasted my practice time today making doot-doots into my mouthpiece as I tried to break in a reed. :(

[@madmadrigal66]

Have you ever seen how Mexican polkas are played?? Fast very fast 💨

[@legoman-ue8zs]

I’ve been doing long tones, overtones, etc everyday. The hard part is the embouchure. I end up over thinking everything.

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

Same. Sometimes when I start i say "im gonna do it this time and not mess up once!" and i mess up the first note and cant even get a good sound after because im trying too hard but If i relax and dont think about it i nail it.

[@vincentgaglio5106]

Awesome thanks

[@bettersax]

Thank you Vinnie