Saxophone Palm Keys | 3 Exercises!

Dr. Wally shares 3 of his favorite saxophone palm key exercises to master the left side keys!

[@IceManTX69]

Coming back to sax after a 30 year break. After 4 years of high school with daily marching band, concert band, jazz band and nightly practice, I shoved the horn in storage for a very very long time. Now that I'm back I'm enjoying your humor and way of teaching this old dog new tricks. You have gained a new sub. Thanks for the quality videos!

[@melvynwade6951]

There is an old saying that says you learn something new every day, well today has been my day of learning something new. I am what they refer to political correctly as a senior citizen. I have been playing ever since I was in high school which was start of 1960 and I am still playing as of this writing. I've played in small groups as well as big bands and until today I was used one finger to play all of the"palm keys". To play D, I used the same finger and same position as you have stated. To play Eb and E, I moved the finger position just above that. And to play F, I would move a little more above that. For all these years including well into college, that error was never corrected. One the one hand this is an indictment of most of the instruction I received. But on the other hand this is a testaments in and to the adaptability of humans species. However unlike another old saying, this is one old dog who can learn a new trick. Thank you.

[@DavideMarzola431]

Many, many thanks for this usefull lesson.

[@michelmalts9053]

Thanks, MR!

[@drwallysax]

Most welcome :)

[@zachdangerfield571]

Thank you so much Dr. Wally Wallace! We love your insights and dedicated research to these helpful tips on how to get better. Also love the podcast 🎷

[@drwallysax]

Awwww, thanks so much! Who's "we"?

[@clarinetninja]

Dr. Wally! As always - great information along with an engaging and delightful presentation. You are an inspiration as always. Thanks for brightening my day!

[@drwallysax]

Thanks man! Hope you're having a good week!

[@theresaverne2387]

thanks, Dr. Wally! I love the work you're doing for us uncertain students. You're a wonderful teacher and i 'm always tickled by your infectious sense of humour. Tim

[@cheknfaks]

Hi Dr. Wally, amazing like you were reading my mind or something.. right time for what I am working on specifically in mastering. This was very helpful. You are awesome!

[@tttzzz1957]

He s the best Sax teacher in the world. On a Line with bergonzi and garzone

[@Benda69]

Hello there. Wow, I never looked at it by this way. Just tried to get them pressed down in anyway. and yes... now I realized, too much movement. Thank you kindly for your advice, it really helped and sure will even help more in time, with practising it in that way. Greetings 🙂

[@ivangonzalezmedina2345]

This is very helpful for since I’m a tenor player and I struggle with the palm keys the most in my lessons with my professor

[@drwallysax]

Good luck and keep at it! Tell your prof I said hello!

[@WilliamCarterII]

This is really good. I consider myself to be a "competent" saxophone player. I've passed all my juries and gig pretty often. But I realized the other day that my palm key technique is really lacking. Like I can do it but its not easy. My prof isn't currently making me work on palm key stuff but I know she will so I'll take this video as a sign to get ahead of it haha

[@user-tc6ii5yh3k]

Is there a way to print these 3 little palm exercises?

[@philbonnice902]

my method: Hit "Print Screen" then paste to a blank Word document

[@bandman639]

This is a great approach I have been teaching 30+ years will definitely subscribe and send my students. You should also talk about the voicing in that register. 👍🏽😃 🥸

[@danielstover5094]

This video popped up on my YT homepage and has been great for me showing a few students who have been struggling with efficient navigation of the palm keys. I play a one-handed mechanism and can't demonstrate palm key contact points and minimal motion because my "palm keys" are completely different and not functionally viable so I use front fingerings.

[@drwallysax]

So glad it's helpful! I can barely play the saxophone with two hands, I'm immensely impressed with what you're doing Daniel.

[@reedguy]

Fantastic as always, Doc! Will you post the exercises on your resource page?

[@paoloalbano4690]

Such a great video, Doc !! It's such a great fun to watch and terribly useful ! I'm struggling right with a piece of music all up there and I think that, rather than karate, I'm doing wrestling with my horn...😂😂

[@drwallysax]

Don't wrestle with it! Use it's natural force against it with Judo! Wait.....

[@matta5348]

Good stuff Dr Wally! Maybe a similar one for tips & tricks for the RIGHT hand palm keys (including a high F# key as installed)? I find those particularly hard to not “karate chop” and move my whole elbow & arm to manipulate. (Also, as a bari guy, there’s simply more real estate to cover.)

[@robstevens9590]

Very helpful! -- Can't wait for the neighbors to go out so I can work on this.

[@drwallysax]

Have fun! They're VERY effective.

[@robstevens9590]

@@drwallysax I did a "dry run" (without the mouthpiece) and my hands must be much smaller than yours, as there is no way I can keep my fingers hovering over the G-A-B pearls while playing the palm keys, and my fingers are kind of waving in the wind.

[@BeachBoi1000]

Buy a sax mute, you don’t have to worry disturbing the neighbours.

[@couchphotography8861]

@@robstevens9590 I have little fingers too, see my question above, hopefully the good doc will have an answer for us!

[@QuentinLeonetti]

I was thinking today that I wanted to improve my palm key technique and here's a video on that topic, thank you!

[@drwallysax]

Hey, happy timing! Have fun and hit me up with questions!

[@KeyLeaves]

Great exercises!

[@drwallysax]

Thanks man!

[@thepianokid27]

Love the lesson Doc! Thanks a lot! Is there a PDF of the exercises available for download?

[@drwallysax]

Not on KZbin. A few of these things I keep for my private studio (have to keep the lights on!)

[@PaulThomas2]

Yet another well presented, informative (and funny) video. I like the new sax - Signature or Supreme?

[@CrossingsCorner]

Thanks Dr Wally. Love your videos. Always clearly presented and fun to watch. Don't suppose you have done a video on slap tonguing?

[@drwallysax]

yuuuuuup kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5m1XoGfn9Nmp6Mfeature=shared

[@CrossingsCorner]

@@drwallysax Brilliant! Thanks so much.

[@sarahmicklewright]

Hi Dr Wally, Great exercises, can I print them out from somewhere?

[@danroul]

Dr. Wally. I have never used my ring finger for F and neither you in my humble observation. Was it a mistake?

[@danroul]

By the way. I am a big fan 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.

[@drwallysax]

You are correct, I misspoke! (need to fix it). Thanks!

[@msprofessr]

I would like a copy please of this exercise. Thanks.

[@colinwright1356]

Good afternoon Sir

[@drwallysax]

Good afternoon, happy practicing!

[@michaeljacokes3029]

Where can we find and print these exercises? Thank you!

[@ralfputz6076]

Hi there, are you using your pinky as an anchor? I noticed it sitting on the sax in the same position as you were going through the exercise.

[@keithcampbell6806]

Good afternoon Sir l am a long-term follower of your channel .l have a serious question what do you think of key risers.My experience they make the instrument more ergonomically friendly. Please give me your view. Thanks l have already practised for today.

[@TailsPrower88]

Fantastic video as always, thanks for the good stuff you share. I have a question, actually: it's much likely down to "too much tension/force" but still, when playing Eb i tend to almost move the entire sax to the right, since there are no side keys involved to "counteract" the motion of the 2 palm keys. D is quite easy but with Eb i always feel i'm fighting to keep my instrument straight in position in front of me. Is this common and is there something specific i can look after to improve? It's on tenor, by the way. Thank you very much!

[@experimentator23]

Thank you for your excellent channel, I am a "self" teaching alto student and I learn a lot from your videos. However, in this one, I am confused: I use the first finger for the d palm key, just as you show it. But for the eb key I just use the seconde half of the same index finger. Trying to put the middle finger on the eb key is painfull for me. I have to put the hand into an "antinatural" position in combination with having to move the sax into a special position for this grip. Is there anything I should try to change my double use of the index finger or doesn´t it matter? Will I run into problems if I continue like that? Another question: What would be a typical situation to use the b and f keys in order to produce the bb note?

[@xaviersmith9419]

Thank you sir. Any exercises for improving the intonation up there? I'm really sharp. Also, Nice sax. Is it a Signature?

[@drwallysax]

We'll absolutely cover that in a later video, but in the meantime - scales with tuning drones is the best way to improve intonation. It's a Selmer Supreme, actually, my dealer called and said I need to try this one (they're inconsistent, but this one sings). Have a great week!

[@couchphotography8861]

@@drwallysax yes, that sax does have a lovely tone! But you play so beautifully, all your saxes sound great!

[@sparkshot289]

Hi Dr Wallace, did you keep the supreme? As a side note, I loving the camera quality! Everything looks incredibly crisp

[@drwallysax]

Not the one I reviewed (which was very mediocre). My dealer at getasax texted me that he got "the best one he's seen" - I drove out, and sure enough, this one sang!

[@sparkshot289]

@@drwallysax Very interesting! A friend of mine in university is playing one, but is looking to get it rebuilt as he's not too happy with it. His 2 year old supreme has got less lacquer left on it than my 7 year old Custom EX, which is... interesting

[@c.l.4895]

Even with palm key risers on my tenor, I still have more movement of my hand/wrist than I like 😢, especially the D. Unless I drop my wrist a little, it naturally lands closer to the heel of my thumb than my knuckles. I’ve always just dealt with it without noticing closely.

[@drwallysax]

I've got a few students with Banana hands, creative solutions are a must!

[@thierryroullier8401]

Dr Wally playing a Selmer?? I remember a video where he was frowning on that Brand.

[@drwallysax]

Their consistency for the end user is deeply problematic. But, my dealer called and said I needed to try this particular one. He was right!

[@soulreaper8163]

I saw your video on the WCW 64 the other day Is the model 72 a good choice to ?

[@ralfputz6076]

What are you doing with your right hand I noticed it moving?

[@couchphotography8861]

Help Dr Wally, I'm confused! I really don't like the high pitched sound of altissimo, if a tenor wasn't so heavy, I'd be playing that instead, but I have been trying to master the thing. Does the first finger of the left hand play the first and second palm key, but with a different part of the finger please? I did get my sax out at the very beginning without its neck, just sat it on the chair in front of me and played around with it. Thankyou so much for this video, probably watching it at 1am isn't a good idea either LOL

[@kwootamuckbear9294]

Was there a pdf for this video 🤔🎶🎵🎷

[@kwootamuckbear9294]

What’s your sax and mpc set up you’re using here🤔🎶🎵🎷

[@drwallysax]

Saxophone is the Selmer Supreme. Mouthpiece and ligature (and cap) are the NEW Hyperion line! Coming very soon :)

[@kwootamuckbear9294]

Thanks…I have a series II and looking for something other than the S-80 it came with ☮️🎵🎶🎷

[@TheJazzocrat]

Thank you for the video. Good stuff! I thought the Selmer Supreme wasn’t for you! Did you join the Dark Side? 😊

[@drwallysax]

My EVIL EEEEVIL dealer sent me a texted me: "Just got in the best Supreme I've seen yet, you need to try it." He was right. Damnit.

[@TheJazzocrat]

That’s awesome! Congratulations!

[@ryanc1001]

I'd be interested to know if this is true or not. I always assumed that palm keys were a result of the original design of the saxophone as a military marching instrument. Pointing the bell directly forward rotates the palm keys ergonomically into your hand. Relaxed position of the sax rotates the palm keys out of the hand. Increased distance from the hand and the palm keys causes the awkwardness we all know, which can be compensated for with risers or modified squished hand positioning or sliding fingers tips passed the pearls.

[@drwallysax]

Good question, small point: the saxophone was originally designed as an orchestral instrument. It just happened to find it's home in French military bands first ;)

[@ryanc1001]

@drwallysax ​Thanks for the correction! And thanks for the video. Looking forward to working on the exercises

[@lyntedrockley7295]

@@drwallysaxwasn't it part of a competition promoted by the French miliitary to find better instrument for their Marching bands? There were only two entrants Sax and some other manufacturer. They both demonstrated several different instruments. Adolphe's Saxophone was the clear winner. Able to withstand the Rain and Sun and clearly audible several metres away. Unlike the Violins it was supposed to replace. Early recordings of the saxophone (a long time after this) reveal that the concept of a violin sound was still the way to play it. I guess its still possible that Adolphe designed it as an orchestral instrument (fail) but it got weaponised. BTWgreat video. There is an interesting palm key finger busting exercise attributed to Stan Getz thats worth checking out.

[@MrSatoshiKon]

My problem is that I can get a sound from palm e flat but e and f don't come out at all. Do you have a hint ? I only get donkey noises although I try to play as relaxed as possible

[@experimentator23]

Sad to not find answers regarding the index finger and the other b flat fingering option.

[@umangsmehta]

Omg ! The budget !!

[@drwallysax]

No pizza Fridays....

[@saxesq]

Podcast question: you mentioned in the past that you're working on producing a ligature and maybe a new mouthpiece. Are you able to give us an update on the product development? As always , thanks for your great content!

[@drwallysax]

Absolutely - final prototype is in hand, and It's sooooo good. Thanks for the kind words and support! (I'll bring this up in the podcast, and thanks :)

[@aureoled]

What ligature is that? The screw looks pretty interesting

[@drwallysax]

It's my new line of products in partnership with Vert Design studios in Sydney Australia: Hyperion! Will be available very soon (bespoke snap on cap is amazing as well) :)

[@SaxSpy]

​@@drwallysaxooooh 👀

[@drwallysax]

@@SaxSpy Derek, you'll be the first person I send one to. (with the Hyperion mouthpiece as well, of course). Brian Curry and I have been working on that mouthpiece for many months now, we're SUPER excited about it.

[@SaxSpy]

@@drwallysax awesome!!!

[@bernardhunt7493]

Umm, when you first introduce which parts of the hand play which keys you say middle finger for Eb/LS2 and ring finger for F/LS3. Isn't it just a different part of the index finger for LS2 and middle finger for LS3?

[@drwallysax]

huh, I guess you're right?

[@nobodyofconsequence9930]

The Good Doctor used some pretty technical terminology to describe finger placement, so he must be correct .

[@bernardhunt7493]

@@drwallysaxCool - does this mean I get to go practise? 😁

[@Craig2760]

Nope, been playing the saxophone for 50 years. Sop, alto, tenor, bari and even spent a few minutes with a bass. Played dozens of different saxes over the decades. Wally is correct. That said, you want to play it different, go ahead.

[@drwallysax]

@@bernardhunt7493 Yup, go practice!

[@bradfordhook2250]

I don't mean to nit pick, well actually I do. First excercise, third measure, someone printed a b naturnal on beat one instead of a c sharp. Just me being me.😊

[@bradfordhook2250]

My apologies, fourth measure.

[@drwallysax]

I need to fire my editor.....wait, that's me! ;)

[@couchphotography8861]

@@drwallysax Ha ha! Hair looks great tho!

[@jonatandejonghe305]

When you were showing what parts of the hand/fingers you use for the left side keys it made not much sense to me... at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="300">5:00</a> You show you use the middle finger for LSK 2 and the ring finger for LSK 3, but when you actually play (<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="360">6:00</a>), you use your index finger for LSK2 and middle finger for LSK3. I suppose that is a mistake? Because the playing looks really relax and i use those parts of my fingers too, but the explanation is wrong i guess?

[@saxesq]

I noticed the same thing, but I see that Dr. Wally answered this question in response to an earlier comment.

[@BahDuhBing]

How can I join your online private students? I need a teacher with great hair & humor.

[@drwallysax]

I'll be opening enrollment (limited) in April. But, flattery will get you everywhere with me. You can grab a spot here: www.thesaxophoneacademy.com/private-studio make sure you introduce yourself after you create a "lounge" account!

[@Dr.RolyndDellaSylvan]

⁠@@drwallysax my saxophone hero, Quick question about your Private Studio and some background: Although I composed for and worked with Harvey Pittel and Roger Greenberg, et al., in the classical arena, and Ted Nash (J@LC), Scott Hamiton, Jerry Bergonzi, et al., in the jazz arena, I am a professional orchestra conductor learning the sax in my semiretirement! I am enjoying your insights and artistry via your KZbin channel but I am interested in studying in your Private Studio. How can I stay informed and make sure to know when you open up enrollment? You new fan, Dr D p.s. Since you’re a man skilled in levity, you may appreciate this: Although I am a beginner, I have acquired a Mark VI tenor, Vintage Florida Metal mouthpiece, & Ishimori ligature … but, well, 😉 . . . you know the rest of this joke !

[@txsphere]

The rising sea levels are going to wash that beach house away.

[@jazzygiraffe8589]

Mr Donna Lee brought me here

[@todayontheinternet9576]

I think it's time, Dr. Wally has earned a vacation to somewhere with beaches and drinks with tiny umbrellas, why? Because...why not?

[@drwallysax]

You. I like you.

[@thomashunt2905]

Notice! My fingers never leave my hand!

[@drwallysax]

:)

[@bar8393gm]

Another nice one Dr. Wally. This has always been a weak spot for me. These will really help me focus. I’m guessing the errant “B” in bar 4 of the A example is for “Be prepared”, right? You old boy scout you. Also I think you’re mispronouncing sang-gwich.

[@drwallysax]

Hey Bruce! Mispronounced what now? Which sang?

[@mikeysplace]

I'm a ginger, and I am not offended 😂

[@drwallysax]

Thank god you're not a trombone player.

[@mikeysplace]

I don't get the joke 😂

[@ralfputz6076]

Need to X-ray your hand so we can actually see the points of contact when your playing

[@nobodyofconsequence9930]

Position: Naturally relaxed and hanging out. Just not at the Beach House.

[@drwallysax]

One day...one day :)

[@nobodyofconsequence9930]

O On One OneD..,,......repeat D Da Day.,... Oneday....,..repeat

[@Laura-wg5jk]

"Proximal interfilangial digital crease"?? Such foul language should not be allowed here! 🤣