How to Memorize Music on Sax | Jazz melodies

[@kalenderquantentunnel9411]

I'm fortunate enough to memorize melodies rather quickly and beeing able to whistle them along and unfortunate enough not to memorize the fingerings I have to play on the sax nearly as easily. This is just what I needed! Once again, many thanks, Dr. Wallace!

[@couchphotography8861]

Lovely! This is one of those tunes that everybody knows, think I prefer the slow version, thanks good doc!

[@ssgtjohnjohnson4921]

Dr. Wally! Thanks for sharing this and all of you lessons! I love you method of teaching. I learn melodies by listening, finding the first note on my sax, and figuring out the rest. I play over and over until I get it! I don't know what level my playing is at, but I can pick up songs pretty easy, I don't really read music like I think I should, however, I can read a little. However, I was told by many musicians that I have an awesome ear. So, that's what I really rely on...my ear! Thanks for advise on saxophone and music period! You're awesome.

[@simonburris]

Crazy suggestion: cross training. Back in grad school (not music) I was heavy into Irish traditional music. I played tin whistle and uilleann pipes. That genre features a whole bunch of repetitive, short, structurally simple tunes that often resemble each other strongly. The social and performance context (playing at a pub in a group who were often strangers) strongly encouraged learning by ear alone. Bringing out the sheet music was a deadly faux pas. Here's my point: The routine practice in another musical genre on other instruments sharpened my ear and, in fact, taught me most of the structural stuff you talk about in this video. The repetitive nature of the Irish genre helped as well. Final point: You have to develop an attitude that you are always going to "do it by ear" if at all possible. Life without guard rails. Having some kind of performance context where you simply have to go by ear is crucial. Find friends who are not annoyed by your failures and are themselves not afraid to fail.

[@joel6427]

The irony! I started playing by improvising and now struggle to play melodies that others will expect to hear. I taught myself to read, but I hate doing it.

[@Tango_Whisky]

Love those lil' sneaky overtone fingerings you put in the melody. I'm defs gonna borrow that.🤭

[@drwallysax]

They're fun, right?!

[@parkerpolen]

Thank you for a good video, Dr. Wally. It’s interesting that you look for the underlying scaffolding. That approach is similar to looking for the ursatz in Schenkerian analysis. You have suggested quite a useful method!

[@CharlesRey]

I will now add Honey Suckle Rose to my sax list. You make it sound really nice Dr. Wally.

[@BoninBrighton]

Very useful and funny too. I love your podcasts too ❤

[@drwallysax]

Thanks Bonny! Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!

[@burgessbrian9329]

Great advice as ever Dr Wally- very much appreciated for sharing cheers 🍻

[@drwallysax]

Most welcome my friend, happy practicing!

[@joedooley2393]

Wow, thanks. I have been using iReal pro for years and never knew you could loop. Thanks. Love your lessons.

[@drwallysax]

Thanks Joe, happy practicing my friend!

[@SuperDuperTuberTube]

Dearest Dr. Wally: I think this is the first time I've watched one of your videos since losing my mojo, and your ability to make me believe that I might someday be able to make beautiful music come out of a saxophone is almost frightening. It smacks of mind control. At least for now, I am still able to resist. I have one or two thoughts for your devotees that have not lost their mojo. My high school music teacher, Mr. Swenson (hallowed be his name), convinced me that if you can sing it, you can play it. I put that theory to work in high school and college with good results. Anyway, put away the sheet music and just start playing easy tunes that you can sing from memory. (Tunes with lyrics seem easiest for me. I'm not sure why; maybe they just help keep me from getting lost.) If you misjudge an interval, then add a chromatic run until you find the right note. (If you never find the right note, then just treat it like a "blue" note: close your eyes and lift your shoulders and everyone will think you're an angst-filled artist.) If you're finding that you are in a difficult key (too many sharps or flats), start on a different note, and lo! you'll be in a different key. (This only works if your rhythm section is on board.) (Hey, you're just learning how to play by ear. Keep practicing, and someday you'll be able to play by ear in any key.) I'm still beguiled by your beautiful tone and wonderful styling. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[@drwallysax]

Great advice, thanks SuperDuperTuberTube. Happy practicing!

[@insanejughead]

I've learned more about singing better because of Dr Wally. I quickly understood the parallels between reed and chamber to vocal chords and mouth/nose cavity. I follow a lot of KZbin singing coaches, but none touch on specifics like Wally and the mouthpiece relationship. (Dr Wally, I'm not sure I've mentioned that to you before. If I did, it's been many months. Cheers!)

[@ChampsCode]

Great video, I am classical saxophone student in 8th grade trying to learn jazz

[@drwallysax]

Excellent, glad to have you here, Filip!

[@ReggaeFull1]

I love your vids Mr Wally. Question. Can you make a video to how aproach or improvise on a a ballad?. Thank you

[@lerchedal]

amusing and entertaining as ever and that because its important. My favorite doc :)

[@drwallysax]

Awww, thanks Jorgen!

[@joekappes8648]

“We don’t need to do a full Shenkerian analysis… and if you know what that is, it’s probably time to make your student loan payment.” I’ve never laughed so hard about either Shenker or making monthly payments.

[@drwallysax]

Ha, thanks Joe! We have to laugh...in order to not cry...

[@txsphere]

Lol like people can get jobs that pays enough to make those payments.

[@joekappes8648]

@@drwallysax Dr. Wallace do you know the difference between a baritone sax and a lawnmower ? You can make more money with the lawnmower.

[@jhmayer2]

@@joekappes8648 I can do several octaves on my Bari. My power lawnmower drones at Db.

[@jaunty17]

You are so good at instruction, Professor! Would you please do a similar lesson on how to memorize the changes. That's what I think is most difficult. (OR maybe you already have?)

[@gerardbarrett8369]

Once again, you have my attention. Great advice.

[@brianthemusicman1423]

Off topic, but, whenever I play I always have a shaky tone. My band director always bashes me for it and I just can’t control it. There’s also some nervousness mixed in sometimes. I never had this problem until last year. I played bassoon for all of concert season last year so maybe I just adapted to the bassoon embouchure? I tried looking online and it said long tones will do the trick? I struggle to play confidently because of this issue.

[@micahsumner2322]

Wait… you can loop ONLY certain sections on ireal pro??? Gold, Dr! It’s Gold!

[@joewhitcombe1365]

Thank you

[@bilbostoy]

Thanks Doc, I really needed this!

[@drwallysax]

Yay, hope it's helpful Bilbostoy!

[@Cmoneyydv]

Hey could you please review the Yamaha 82z alto sax since you reviewed the 875exii

[@robstevens9590]

I usually learn melodies by listening to them over and over, then singing them & that's when I can see if I am not sure of certain notes. Then I play it on my sax (or flute).

[@drwallysax]

Listening is absolutely the first step! Hey Rob, happy Tuesday!

[@jhmayer2]

Dr.W.W.: BTW was your signature theme influenced by "A Taste of Honey" as played by Paul Desmond and Jim Hall?

[@drwallysax]

Good ear, John, I can hear that influence. The tune I wrote "Your Love is a Gamma Ray" is actually a contract of "What is this thing called Love"!

[@couchphotography8861]

Quick question please...are you tounging all those first four notes? They are messing with my head LOL!

[@victorrusin7602]

Verrrry Interresting.

[@noahwahlberg7935]

Your sax sounds great, what mouthpiece and reed, and sax do you use?

[@drwallysax]

Thanks Noah, it's a WCW 56 Select (my signature mouthpiece) paired with a Vandoren 2.5 traditional.

[@txsphere]

So if you are playing little chunks, does that mean you are blowing chunks?

[@drwallysax]

I prefer "Hurling" but I suppose that's accurate as well.

[@simonburris]

Just want to "ditto" your point that a lot of those "coffee house audiences" are not, in fact, familiar with the standard melodies, and that they will respond very positively to a straightforward presentation of the melody. In my two "mostly pre-war music" quartets I am the only horn, and I typically play the melody in a pretty straight fashion in the first time through the chorus. (Also, I do not slash cannot do bebop, so my solos are all either playing on the melody or substituting an improvised melody.). We get very positive feedback, and the peeps keep coming back for our gigs. Playing with a vocalist makes a huge difference, of course. If the singer is doing the melody pretty straight, that takes some of the "rope in the audience" load.

[@Garyola]

Hi Doc. I have a question. What American Songbook do you suggest? Thx!

[@brianfirtion5998]

I've been working toward memorizing some melodies (not including the chord progressions.) I can already sing these somewhat simple melodies from memory. My thinking has been to strengthen my ear training. This would then allow me to move from pitch to pitch through the melody. This would still incorporate repetition as well to gain a level of proficiency. I started thinking this way when wondering how musicians can memorize what seem to be large quantity of music along with the fact that I can sing these melodies from memory without having put much effort into memorizing them. Does this make any sense?

[@pmwizard48]

I play in a band where the only music I get are the chords and lyrics in C. I am playing a tenor sax. So I have to transpose but like to learn a better way. Any suggestions?

[@vadimzitsermusicianvlogcha3870]

I play with piano all the time. My instrument is Alto sax. So, I gave to the keys of sax new names. So, when piano play D, I play D too. This way I do not need transposing...

[@Bossa_Lounge]

Hi...forgive me disturbing you, but can you tell me what you main and favourite mouthpiece? Thank you Dr Wally Wallace

[@drwallysax]

The 56 Select by Windy City Woodwinds - I helped develop it!

[@JeniTehan]

Small Chunks was my nickname in high school.

[@drwallysax]

You need better friends!

[@joshcharlat850]

The lyrics to some of the standards are good (not all), and knowing the lyrics can help some people. "Don't buy sugar. You just have to touch my cup. You're my sugar. It's sweeter when you stir it up!"

[@drwallysax]

By learning the lyrics to Indiana, I discovered more about American mid-west geography. One day I hope to never see the Wabash.

[@whugheswhughes98144]

oooooh, I didn't know that ireal trick for repeating a section!

[@drwallysax]

G-g-g-g-g-game Changer!

[@pmwizard48]

Is there an easier way to find the lead? That’s my biggest problem.

[@HonestSaxSound-unEdited-]

How? ..well, it is very simple: 1- i hear the song searching if his first segment is then repeated throughout its structure (like most songs of pop, rock and other genres, also included the normal jazz songs WITH MELODY, (not the crazy improvisations without rhyme or reason typical of jazz) 2- i memorize this segment so that i can sing it, and play it on my sax. 3- then i look if it has variations (later in the repetition) 4- i do the same process with the rest of the song (mostly his middle part) 5- Finally i play the whole song and practice the parts that are imperfect, many many times until they come out perfectly the same as the original melody (whether instrumental or sung) 6- I very rarely write any part (if I don't have time to memorize it or I have a hard time doing it). I prefer memorize and internalize the songs and then play it, sure and free, than must to read and play it without security (lack of expression) 7- Every time I have to play at an event, I practice several days before, updating at least 25 songs (and I take a few more with me in case it's necessary, but I keep those written down so as not to saturate myself) Do it so, is simple and natural for me.. and i think it is the same for everybody! ...or it isn't?😅 And that's all😊 Kind regards and many thanks for your excellent videos!

[@ospiratadocaribe]

I get 10 pieces os something on the table . Every time I play a line (maybe 2 bars only) I pass to my right side. when I got ten (beans per say) pieces on the right side I can move to next line. Whenever I play the line wrong all beans go back!

[@drwallysax]

the papa Mozart method, very cool! (peas in one pocket going to the other)

[@vannigio6234]

uah! 💥💥💥🎷💥💥💥 🐻👍

[@insanejughead]

I would love to hear someone write a theme for House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski... Anybody game?

[@davekeen1963]

A the 6th of the II chord??????

[@rudigerwouters1213]

Sometimes my fingers take over from my brain...and I let them go and see what happens!

[@Harako15]

You have a tenor in the thumbnail but played also in the video, disappointed😒. In all seriousness great video Dr. Wally, definitely gave me some refreshers

[@drwallysax]

I'll play more tenor in the coming weeks ;)

[@francistaylor5097]

Honeysuckle Rose is such a great melody. More joyful than Autumn Leaves for the 100th time.

[@drwallysax]

I do love it's simple, jaunty nature. Super fun indeed!

[@HonestSaxSound-unEdited-]

Is this a true jazz song? Or just another one from other genres like the most of songs that jazz has appropriate? (for example, Autumn leaves.. a old french song named Les foullies mortes)?

[@drwallysax]

@@HonestSaxSound-unEdited- It was written by fats waller, an early jazz pianist. That said, why does it matter?

[@MrGeolm]

usually I learn melodies by listening a thousand times the recording and sing over. Then I'll play it on my sax, I don't trust real book especially for tin pan alley songs. Let's be honest if we'd play "all the things you are" as written it'd be super boring

[@drwallysax]

Very much agree - though, Paul Desmond playing "all the things" with Mulligan on Two of a Mind is pretty beautiful in its simplicity!

[@joshcharlat850]

Unfortunately, I do know what Shenker requires of their students learning English. I ain't doin' it.

[@davekeen1963]

Learn to sing it first..

[@SomeGuyOnSax]

This is admittedly not helpful, I'm more curious. Did you ever have to deliberately learn something wrong to get it right? That's how I got through med school!

[@drwallysax]

Of course, that's why I have incredible saxophone liability insurance through Blue Cross. Premiums are nuts, but now I can miss the b9 in almost every chord and remain solvent.

[@SomeGuyOnSax]

@@drwallysax pfft flat 9, more like a sharp 2... Music theory is stupid