5 ESSENTIAL Tips to Get A Better Saxophone Sound!

Here it is! My first ever FULL-fledged educational video intended for all skill levels - either some potentially groundbreaking help for more beginner/intermediate players, or a reminder checklist for even the most advanced and seasoned pro players. No matter what level you're at, I firmly believe these to be 5 of the most fundamental things to keep in mind whenever you are practing AND performing saxophone. I think about these things every single time I play, all of them, and I wanted to share just a few of these things with you in hopes that they'll help in some way. There will be more videos like this (maybe even a part 2 or 3), so stay tuned for when I put these kinds of videos out! I do have to apologize for the length though, because I didn't realize how long this video would be, haha... maybe another thing for me to practice!
As always, PLEASE let me know if there's anything I missed, or anything that you'd like me to speak more about, in the comments! I read them, and some might even end up being a video idea in the future!
***Ligaphone did NOT pay me to make this product placement. Placement was an overdue task of mine that was of my own free will.
0:00 - Intro
3:17 - 1. Neckstrap Check
6:10 - 2. Play Softer Reeds
8:53 - 3. Air Support/Control
11:35 - 4. Voicing (Singing)
17:13 - 5. Imitate Master Sounds
21:33 - Closing Thoughts/Outro
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[@PatrickBartleyMusic]

Timestamps in description! Just updated - thanks!

[@iceykid2]

Are you doing lessons?

[@betermajilang9640]

Just glancing thru actually

[@BrianKrock]

Man, the metaphor between singing “ooh” vs. “ahh”//long D vs. side D… that’s so brilliant.

[@alonelysnakeinvr587]

I no may not reply I love your teaching I am beginner in Selmer Paris Supreme I use Synthetic Reed But I am not getting that sound I am wanting like other you tubers do With Selmer An I can't get to hight notes How do I go from low note to High note sound Let me no wen u can

[@cipriancorneanu6120]

I had no idea i suck that bad at voicing.. i thought my embouchure was the problem, but in fact i'm really tense and anxious when i play because my intonation sucked and every note felt different each time. Used to play the clarinet and got into saxophone. I gotta say you really opened my eyes to what my actual problem really is.. Thanks a lot, man!

[@ericperry1861]

Man voicing is such a huge thing that so many players never practice (Sinta’s book is staring at me off my music stand) or even heard of it. Would love to hear your take on voicing for split tone and then combining it into the altissimo.

[@cetrikh3939]

Close to ten years of saxophone and i heard the voicing match for the first time. As well as the fun fact that the sax is basically a clarineted tuba...

[@geraldhommemusic]

I've been playing saxophone for over 20 years and learned so much from this. No one every explained voicing to me the way you did in this and it is something I'm looking forward to exploring in my practice. Great content

[@saxiroth6647]

Definitely one of the most practical and uplifting lessons on sound i’ve seen on this platform. Thanks Pat! Edit: i would love to see a video about the specific fingerings you use that help you get the voicings that you want!

[@intentionalaikido]

Me too!!

[@AugustRileyMusic]

You called me out so hard during the voicing section lmaooo

[@petersumner348]

Thanks for the wisdom Pat!! (Especially what you said about consistency at the end)

[@pierrebaldwin9672]

I love these longer videos bro, loving the work and help man. Hopefully I get to meet and play with you when I head to college in south florida!

[@natek3954]

This has been really helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this!

[@jonathanromero333]

Thanks so much! It's been really helpful

[@nathanbellott]

wonderful video Patrick, thank you. Love the approach and a key thing you said "I understand the things that people go through" with any particular problem is really great.

[@Jackson-ol5xt]

Your advice about using softer reeds is something I discovered on my own. I was looking for a new mouthpiece and landed on a Jody jazz piece during my senior year of high school, and since the tip opening was a 7 (I was coming from a meyer 6), I figured I should try softer reeds. I have never switched back, I have SOOO much more control it’s unbelievable. I’ve since moved on from that Jody piece for a lakey 6 star to try and darken my tone a little bit, but I still use the 2&1/2 reeds when before I switched I was playing on 3 or 3&1/2s. Not to mention that I rarely ever have a bad reed out of the box!

[@Will-xo1xg]

Love this. Thanks for sharing what you know. I'll be spending some time with this one.

[@amoswaranch1102]

Thank you for doing this Pat.

[@benmartin5417]

Great video. Always good to go back to basics. I’m gonna forward it to all my students. You’re delivery is refreshing just like your playing. Thank you

[@justintee3241]

Been playing for over 15 years in and off. Its always good to be reminded of the basics. Good vid and great channel

[@glasscoeeocssalg]

Thank you Patrick you cover all that I was wondering about and more. Armed with this new knowledge I will work on my voicing which I've been learning to do more of in making my saxophones talk or tell the story.

[@jbargermusic]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and expertise - excellent content applicable to all styles of music! Looking forward to future videos!

[@rickyhoward8025]

Thank you for sharing this!!! I am extremely grateful

[@thomas_branson]

Thanks for this amazing video Patrick. It was done in such a lovely and uplifting way. I've always thought sound is of the most importance when playing sax and playing in general so it sucks when you think that you're aren't getting anywhere with it, but i think this video will really help. Am looking forward to more of your content. Thanks!

[@SGreen_8]

Loving the recent content!!! I play alto and tenor sax in high school and I'll definitely be practicing these 😁

[@itisnottaken4444]

Love the tips man! One thing that helped me with my voicing is by using the mouthpiece and starting on a concert A and moving down lower and higher.

[@Fred-le7bl]

I took private clarinet lessons decades ago in junior high and high school and took up tenor and soprano sax for jazz band. Nobody ever told us about voicing, so this video was very interesting. Thanks! I saw you playing "Si tu vois ma mère" with Avalon and Tatiana Eva-Marie and loved your sound on clarinet before ever hearing you play sax.

[@D3athlyV1sag3]

Underrated af, this is some actual, legit, solid advice. Super strong tips Pat. Have been around and also learnt from many different instructors regarding Saxophone back when I did play.... Not many, if not at all - discuss the extreme importance behind these 5 basic things. They don't put weight behind how crucial these points are in basics. It's an old ass saying but really good and masterclass players, have mastered the basics.

[@derycktaylor3677]

That was very helpful. Please keep these types of advice/tips coming.

[@ericwmusic4738]

Thanks for this Pat. I really like the approach of having a target/reference sound and working backwards to achieving that even if it means “going off the beaten path”. I’ve realized that sometimes when there’s a particular way I want a note to sound (eg while trying to imitate a master), I literally have to make not just adjustments in my throat, but explore and sometimes even “invent” an alternate fingering itself that’s specific to my horn and anatomy. All that to say, it’s about having a clear picture of your sound concept, getting a reference of what sounds good ideally from the masters, and working backwards mastering your horn and anatomy in order to achieve those sounds.

[@EricTorreborre]

Thanks a lot for making those videos Patrick. I really appreciated the point on thinking of the sax as the extension of the human voice. I'm also regularly trying to imitate the sound of players that I like. Not only this is a great exercise but it is also very pleasant!

[@roger65er]

Thank you for breaking it down for us with such clarity, Mr. Bartley! Great tips, like you said, some are not new to most players but you surely cast a fresh light on the key aspects of building the best sound on the saxophone. Personally, I realized I should practice voicing way more than I’ve been doing. 🙏

[@IvanHernandez-lb1kc]

Loving the videos and always looking forward to 'em!

[@paulpitts7762]

Awesome video, fundamentals reinforced , many students mess up there and some different ideas about reed strength and voicing that I was not aware of since I am just a band director. I really enjoyed it !! Looking forward to overtone video !!

[@warrenjohnson2082]

I really enjoyed this video and I will definitely try your suggestions

[@ChipTheMusicMan]

Thanks Pat - yeah this was great. I'm beginning to understand the importance of voicing. I play alto and I've noticed that to play the full range with a good sound I need to make certain adjustments and when I'm more mindful I sound much better than when I'm just blowing and moving my fingers. Still got a lot of work to do!

[@marcel.e.c.augustin]

Awesome video, thanks a ton! I'm definitely looking forward to getting better with these tips!

[@intentionalaikido]

So far, in my experience, nobody has described voicing so importantly as you have done here.. Taking my playing and sound to a whole 'nowhere level! Thankyou!!

[@regularnimnule9715]

Very, very helpful for me as a newbie to the instrument (6 months). Thank you.

[@Sambbab]

Extremely helpful, thanks Pat!

[@carification]

Thanks!! A new lesson I never thought of.

[@jakersni9499]

This is a brilliant instructional video. Thanks Patrick.

[@philholmesmusic569]

Excellent video! Super helpful advice from such a master! Many thanks 🙏

[@maccarryn]

Really enlightening- I loved it!

[@brianmatthews232]

Refreshing and innovative approach, very useful. Thanks for sharing and inspiring 😀

[@myMusicHobby302]

Patrick...you are freakin' awesome! Your insight about visualizing vowel shapes for specific notes was particularly eye opening! I really enjoy your videos and jaw dropping performances with Emmet Cohen, Kyle Poole and Russell Hall. Jazz at its best!

[@jdgoldberg7634]

Good stuff !! I’ve been playing for 55 years and still learning. Enjoy your videos

[@jamescronin1486]

Excellent instruction! I've never had a sax teacher explain voicing to me. I've first learned this from KZbin saxophone instructors like yourself. I agree that listening to your favorite player(s) and trying to imitate their sound and style is extremely helpful. By imitating you teach yourself the micro-adjustments that enable you to change your playing, which happens over much playing time.

[@SydWardMedia]

Very helpful video, love the part about consistency vs perfection.

[@pibedelsaxo]

Thank you for this man

[@davidsmusic]

Wooow man, my mind has blast!!! crazy, I was for a long believing "I should get harder with my reeds to play and get better control"... and now make me more sense what my sax teacher said the last year and now you had confirm it. Thanks a lot for your videos!

[@randyidaho]

Good info. Thanks for your contribution.

[@robertcook7185]

Thank you for the tips!

[@saxysen]

That voicing section was crucial! The way you got those notes to sing in every register from the very onset of the note. I play size 2 Légère reeds on alto, soprano, and tenor with a Jody Jazz HR 7* star and I find that alto is the trickiest even though I’ve played on alto the longest. I just feel like I have less flexibility there. I have 1.75’s and 1.5’s that I will try to see if I can get that flexibility to achieve that excellent voicing you have. I may be sacrificing my altissimo though 😓. Excellent video bro! So helpful!

[@colincolin8722]

Thank you for your great video... You're a super teacher!!!

[@ForTehWin12]

Loving this content man keep it up

[@bubblyguywiz]

Great video! Extremely useful. Thanks so much for putting it up.

[@SeanMcCarthyMusic251]

I'm a huge fan of Joe Temperley, can't wait to hear more of what you have to say about studying with him

[@joshjablonski5183]

Brotha you are blowing my mind. Can’t wait to try this out and start thinking outside of the box. 🎷🎷

[@fosbury68]

Thank you for so generously sharing Patrick. All very useful and helpful.

[@user-lj2ej9cn6d]

I'm watching this video with subtitles from Japan. His sound is very great! I've became motivated to practice harder and make good sound!

[@KeithTaylorPhoto]

Great video. Would be really interested in you expanding on creating various vocal inflections through voicing’s as you demonstrated right around the 19:00 mark. I also loved this particular bit of advice: “Don’t practice for perfection, practice for consistency.”

[@tessastephens4872]

This video was super helpful thank you!!!!

[@reubenyahsrael346]

Stuff I never knew I'm glad I landed on this channel you got my subscription, this is just one of the areas I find so difficult is sound, thanks!

[@lovablebigman2343]

Hey Pat! I've come back to this vid a few times. Its really good, and I love that you always speak true to yourself! Was wondering if you ever did a vid on specific voicing/singing/throat stuff? You mentioned in the video but I cant find anything. Thanks man!

[@heinzbuena8154]

thanks for this one bro.very nice.

[@avofrandjian1794]

Great tips. Ty

[@bluessax5089]

Great video! You teach just like you play! Very intelligent and passionate stuff ✊🏽

[@TitoSilversax]

man this was super valuable.... thanks so much for making this video

[@kalenderquantentunnel9411]

Great video! Some things may seem obvious until you come to the part about voicing and the example on how to sound bluesy. That really got my attention!

[@likemusic61]

Dude at 21:45 you speak to not trying to be perfect but consistent. That's light to the spirit. Well said and should help any performing artist. Otherwise the shortcomings will kill the spirit of even trying for perfection. I'm a witness!

[@ChaaShaq]

Love the channel and all the free info you’re divulging Sir! Yours sincerely, A trumpet player

[@darine.3145]

Great video -- not boring at all, even though I know most of this and use it already...but your points about voicing stand out and are super-important...something I do but am not that conscious of. It's definitely a major missing link between beginning and more advanced players. I'd love to see your approach to altissimo.

[@jamesasenji3235]

Wow! Thanks man! God bless 🙌

[@push-and-go2752]

Amazing video love the personal talk

[@ricardoabellanosa976]

Thank so much for your saxophone tips

[@onewithall6946]

Thank you, Bro, you are the best. Watch other videos, but they are not focused like you. I was under the impression that John Coltrain played harder reeds.

[@adrianllewellyn6420]

informative and true ,when i started playing alto i worked on the voice ,if you can sing it you can play it ,how true that is ,you just confirm everything i thought ,thank you ,

[@eespecialeventsdj]

Great stuff Pat!

[@marvinparadroid]

Really useful the voicings, that' s great.

[@kaiserkled4425]

Really nice Video! Although i think many know those essentials its important to "refresh" every now and then and keep them in your mind. In the end, there arent really tips for "advanced" players, the better you get the more you get out of practicing the basics and also understand why that is so. One tip for Long Tones i got from a lesson with Dick Oatts: Play them softly and quiet. Its harder to control and you benefit more from it instead of blasting them for a long a time. Its like you dont hurry while doing biceps-curls, slow and consistent mvoement does the trick!

[@fernandogarcia5965]

Ty man keep these videos going

[@leonkeng]

Great tips!! 👏👏👏

[@TheMahaffeymg]

Voicing has always been an issue. I’d love to get your take so I’m excited for that video to drop!

[@BethTrosello]

Really Helpful👍🎷

[@lawvawnisrael4853]

Great job Patrick. I really enjoyed this video. I've been following you since middle school. Melton Mustapha use to always talk about how great you were. I however, never heard you on the clarinet. I know its wonderful. That's my first instrument I started on. But, I needed to make money and nobody was using clarinet in their band so I had to switch to saxophone. Been doing saxophone now for 47 years. People love me but you , my friend are beyond all expectations of what a sax player should sound like. I thank our heavenly Father Yahweh for you making this video and may He continue to bless you in this musical journey. Be blessed. Shalom Alecheim.

[@SuazoJazz1]

This is amazing advice!

[@gillesdumouchel9935]

learn a lot from this video.Voicing is very important. Thanks.

[@TheAaronRodgersTao]

What is very clear from this vid, you are an incredibly giving and caring individual. Would be an honor to meet you someday.

[@robertobraga1765]

Hey, Pat, Great videos! A topic that I would love to hear your thoughts is the difference in mindset between practicing and performing, particularly in terms of practicing jazz language/improvisation. Thanks!

[@kmi7214]

muchas gracias

[@Dirttinator]

Jo this is great content thanks for the tipps!

[@emilemakram7816]

Thank you man you answered a lot of my issues specially the sound of mine is thin

[@louisnicolosi1190]

Patrick, great respect for your playing but man you have been blessed with a good voice too.

[@TREBROCK]

Great content 👌

[@eddyel-mir1783]

thank you Patrick all the support from lebanon 🇱🇧

[@capre7]

Great video! Spot on with all your tips-especially voicing. Never thought about working to specifically mimic a singer-I like that. Just found your channel and enjoying your content very much-plus you’re funny, which is a bonus. Keep up the good work and we’ll keep listening. 23:10

[@guardezio]

Plenty of stuff here that I've heard before (and definitely some that I've heard on the discord!), but as I've learned through martial arts (different art, I know, but hold with me), even if you've heard a point explaining 100 times before, hearing it from someone else, from a different perspective -- no matter whether it's by a little or by a lot -- can sometimes make all the difference in the world to understanding the lesson/point/explanation. That's what I feel like I've got here! Point #1, definitely going to put this into action the next time I practice. #2, I discovered this on my own not too long ago, and good lord, it was light lighting struck me! On a whim, I switched from a 3 to a 2.5 that I had knocking around, and BAM, everything started to feel easier and sound better -- not good, mind you, but definitely far better than it had done before when I was trying to brute force my 3 strength. #3 definitely need to keep these points in mind when I'm doing my long tones; also, try to hold each note longer to make sure the support is there (4-6 beats at the moments (met. on 60BPM). #4, I really need to start adding this to my practice... and now I have a place on where to start! #5, reminds me of Pete Fountain, who learning to play the clarinet, in part, by playing along to recordings of Benny Goodman. I definitely need to get serious about my music listening and take this point on board -- though it may be some time until it clicks ^_^;;; And on the last point, I'm definitely guilty of trying to be perfect (not helped by being a natural perfectionist). I can't tell you how many times I've spent all of my practice time on a single scale because I've not played every note clean, or my timing slipped. Heck, the other day, I spent 15 minutes trying to get a clean high F# with the altissimo fingering (I don't have a high f# key) for a scale I wasn't even working on because I was chasing that perfection... end of a lengthy comment so it may be missed, but point "#6"... I really needed to hear that, not just for sax but in general. Thank you, Pat. And thank you for the brilliant vid! ^_^

[@augustosantos708]

Thank u sir!

[@sardinha7917]

great video!

[@michaelcopeland8634]

Thanks practice and listen to grate sax players and recently discovered recently before seeing this video what you speak about the guys I practice kept it a secret your are so correct keep up the good work not being practicing since this virus. In Jamaica one love

[@mauriziosodano5907]

Thanks Patrick 😊