INSTANTLY Improve Your Saxophone Sound! [Saxophone Success Tips Ep. 1]

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Welcome to episode 1 of my new series "Saxophone Success Tips" where I'll be teaching specific topics to help your saxophone playing. Your tone is the most important thing when playing an instrument, specifically the saxophone. Many struggle with this, and I'm here to show you a simple way to instantly improve your saxophone sound!
00:00 - Why tone matters
00:49 - Why many have a poor sound
01:50 - Instantly improve your sound!
02:36 - A-B comparison
03:53 - Outro and a free gift!
Get $50 off my course "Simple Steps to Improvisation Success" by using code "SS50"
➡️ www.davepollack.com/simplesteps
Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin!
➡️ www.davepollack.com/store
Improvisation Lessons Playlist:
kzbin.info/aero/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U
Saxophone Lessons Playlist:
kzbin.info/aero/PL7QPFAUbUvt07VYOHgg3WvSg7gsvL7d9Q
Thank you to my sponsors!
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►Website: www.davepollack.com/
►Instagram: @davepollackmusic

[@Usefulmusic]

Changing the sound from AWWFUL to AWWESOME.

[@DavePollack]

😂

[@tjtj3829]

Just now picking up the tenor sax over 40 years old. This definitely helped good job thank🎷🙂👍

[@DavePollack]

That’s amazing to hear!

[@vladimirlopez7840]

Awesome tip. I ran into my house grabbed my sax and tried it. Definitely a big difference

[@DavePollack]

Awesome!!

[@davesaxoligist]

Always bringing good info for us sax lovers.Keep them coming I watch them all and have improved.

[@DavePollack]

That’s so great to hear! I have a ton of stuff planned!!

[@blackburst4162]

Omg thank you so much you are a life saver 😭🙏

[@DavePollack]

You’re so welcome!!

[@johnbong135]

Great video, thank you!! For the next videos I would love to understand how to keep a consistent sound when changing octave.

[@NathalieAlbrecht-f2d]

OH GOD THIS HELPED SOOOOOO MUHUHUCUHCCHHCHCHHHHH thank you, Dave

[@DavePollack]

So glad to hear that!

[@rafaelmorais6975]

Great lesson as always! One thing that I have always struggled with is articulation. How to properly practice it? A video about that would be greatly appreciated!

[@DavePollack]

That’s a great idea!

[@10MFAN]

Well done!!! The best online saxophone lessons out there! 🎷🎷❤️

[@DavePollack]

Thanks so much Mark!

[@stwrmi]

dave pollack u my hero 😁😁

[@DavePollack]

🙏🙏

[@eliasberg7998]

This is really good dave. You put words on abstract concepts. Personally i would love a video on how to start exploring the altissimo register :) Smart man!

[@DavePollack]

Thanks so much! I will definitely be diving into altissimo in one of these.

[@Gnomes_]

In the meantime, overtones will help! 'Top tones for the saxophone' by Sigurd Rasher has some great exercises, and I'm pretty sure it's public domain

[@joeeide3436]

very informative!! I do not like complicated advice, this was very easy to understand.

[@DavePollack]

I don't like complicated advice either! That's why I make the lesson videos the way I do - easy to understand, digest, and implement.

[@catinatera2457]

Thank you for this tips really helps along with my tone

[@DavePollack]

You’re welcome!

[@Mitskienthusiast]

Thank you so much 🙏 I’ve been learning saxophone with a main in clarinet this was a huge help!

[@DavePollack]

Awesome!! Embouchure is always tough going from clarinet to sax, so opening up is a BIG thing

[@amnesicturtles4145]

Yes please, this is going to be super useful

[@davidwilliams7552]

Great tip, nicely explained.

[@DavePollack]

Thanks!

[@hecateswolf6007]

Thanks man great lesson

[@DavePollack]

You're welcome!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Amen brother. 😊

[@DavePollack]

🙏

[@raseshgandhi6702]

Fantastic information Thank you so much

[@thaihung1663]

Thank you very much!. My tone has improved a lot

[@DavePollack]

Glad to hear that!

[@nathanbellott]

nice points Dave, and presented very well!

[@yang5408]

this was so helpful thank you

[@yang5408]

(it was actually instant)

[@DavePollack]

You’re so welcome!

[@ly3444]

Audible improvements in my sax tone instantly. Thanks!

[@rhowebassoon]

I love your content man. Killin. I would love to learn more on how to play altissimo. I've been trying for about 4 years now with no avail. I do my overtone exercises, but even then I have a hard time getting to the second octave note. I play tenor mostly. Thanks

[@evannash1560]

Thanks for the Lesson Dave. I'm 6 months into learning the alto. My sound is exactly like you first described being thin and sharp. Would you say that the "Aww" adjustment is mainly a change in throat shape? Would you recommend rolling your bottom lip out more? I've definetly learned the way you described with rolling my lip on top of my teeth.

[@peterisancverins]

its kinda weird how good you are at explaining things. Great video! Keep up the great work of making saxophonists sounding better!

[@jossebergmeier8803]

Awesome video, have heard that a lot but your summary is more precise and on point :) And could you maybe make a video on vibrato?

[@DavePollack]

Thanks! I'll definitely put that on the list of topics.

[@DavePollack]

Thanks! I'll definitely put that on the list of topics.

[@stack80]

Can you make a video for kids. I’m 11 and I have played for 3 years, but all the videos I see on KZbin is very complicated to understand. I just want to sound good and to play faster

[@soqzz]

Here's some things to help you get better, 1. Don't bite, EVER 2. Use hot air. Pretend your blowing to a window and trying to get it to fog. 3. PRACTICE. This will help you get better tone and get deeper notes, try for a month and you will see a difference

[@Joseph124269]

beautiful lessen. Thanks. Subscribing

[@DavePollack]

You’re very welcome!

[@RowantheHearingAssistDog]

Would be helpful to see a profile shot so we can see the differences in mouth position.

[@d.williams7887]

Hi Dave. Since you asked, can you cover the application of grace notes and also how to solo over music when you play by ear ( i.e. how to know what scales to use)? Thanks in advance.

[@MrSoittelija]

It works!

[@DavePollack]

Yup!

[@egassi1027]

So, besides using the awe sound, are you suggesting to change the embouchure from m a tuckef bottom Lip to rolling the lip out ?

[@DavePollack]

It's still kind of "tucked," just not much at all

[@solomann940]

Thanks for that 👍👌

[@DavePollack]

You’re welcome!

[@Adyler_Crawly]

🎷Useful, very usefully

[@OscarRurzagasti]

👀👍...Thanks mr. Pollak

[@Michaeladesoye]

Please sir....kindly do a video on How to sound sweet and emotional on the Saxophone

[@neilturpin5740]

Timing for another video

[@DavePollack]

Absolutely I’ll do one on this!

[@thomas_branson]

Interesting, I've been struggling with using voicings for different notes so I'll try sticking to the same one. Why do you think people use different voicings for different notes? Cheers

[@DavePollack]

Well I do adjust for different notes and don’t keep it the same, but thinking “aww” versus a closed sound is step one towards a nice open relaxed tone!

[@thomas_branson]

@@DavePollack Ohhh, I got it. The point is open up your sound overall. Thanks!

[@vivianastridge2167]

I have been forced to using the double lip embouchure due to dental problems. I find that jazz subtone is either not possible or difficult with this type embouchure though classical subtone is no problem at all. Is this a sufficiently wide spread problem for you to make a video dealing exclusively with this problem or has a video alradgy been produced related to this matter? Thank you for your reply which I am looking forward to.

[@trinitywhite9147]

i find my tone feels so shaky :( i play on a 3 1/2 , and sometimes i get tired playing pianissimo long tones... but even when i think my embouchure is controlled, it still comes out almost shaky? do you know why this is- can other people hear it?

[@DavePollack]

Well the question "can other people hear it?" can be answered by recording yourself and listening back. If it's shaky, your embouchure or air might not be consistent. Think about blowing THROUGH the neck of the saxophone instead of just into it.

[@hunkydorian]

The "before" sound is what I think about when I think about Coltrane

[@kjell-akeapell3285]

I did not get how to change the embosuhure.

[@florianjaeger6733]

aww-some

[@ArmondWelch]

1:15 that sounds like me

[@youtubeviewer4127]

My teacher often says my sound is too open... Should i press more then?

[@DavePollack]

Is it out of tune? What do they mean by “too” open?

[@TrueStorieShorts1]

amen

[@DavePollack]

🙏

[@TrueStorieShorts1]

@@DavePollack love u man

[@aviadleibovich]

My teacher gave me a different analogy which is funnier and more visual: Having an egg in your mouth

[@jonathanromero333]

What happened with the platform you had created, isn't it gonna be available again?

[@DavePollack]

What platform? Do you mean my course “Simple Steps to Improvisation Success?”

[@jonathanromero333]

@@DavePollack the one where you get an entire life subscription, is that one?

[@DavePollack]

@@jonathanromero333 It will be available to join sometime later this year - if you're on my email list you'll hear about it first!

[@oosaxx]

I thought this video was going to discuss curled lip embouchure

[@tonytramonti5828]

It also helps if you have a Selmer mk6😂

[@DavePollack]

Instruments don’t have a good sound - instrumentalists do

[@tonytramonti5828]

@@DavePollack I agree , but i also think that the instrument must contribute to the tone , I mean I cant get my Yamaha yas 62 to sound anything like the tone you are getting, mind you I’ve only been playing sax for a year so there may be hope still 😀

[@peterisancverins]

awww :)

[@kwootamuckbear9294]

✌🏾🎶🎵🎷

[@thesoundsmith]

Sorry, can't resist - I'm a pianist, so I improve _my_ saxophone tone by hiring a better saxophonist! (Not just a bad joke, a tip...)

[@DavePollack]

😂

[@kyraea77]

Wouldn’t aww constrict your throat? I feel like an aah would be more full but idk

[@DavePollack]

It’s about moving your tongue out of the way - try it out yourself!

[@_pandie]

do you think having your bottom lip out creates a better sound than curling it over your teeth?

[@henryrutty9575]

AWW but it's gotta be a jersey accent

[@Alastair6]

Look up Joe Allard and the "No Embouchure."

[@samuelelite123]

People! Hes giving our free secrets that desperates real players from beginners. w