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Sharp Eleven Music/Saxophone Fundamentals: How To Sound Like a Pro
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  • €52

Saxophone Fundamentals

  • Course
  • 14 Lessons

What is the difference between a beginner and a professional saxophonist's sound? 

There are certain habits that pro's have developed that give it away in a matter of seconds that they are pro's, and vice verse. And no, it's not by playing really fast or have those fancy hip tricks. 

They display a huge control of every major aspect involved in the instrument. This course shows you how to upgrade every of these in a practical and efficient way.

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Contents

There is so much to learn as a saxophonist, but what are the most basic essentials? That's exactly what will be covered all here. The goal is that you will have a perfect base to explore the saxophone further artistically, while already sounding like a pro! So, what seperates the amateurs from the pro's then? The sound that comes out of your horn is the first element people perceive. That's why a big chunk of this lesson pack is oriented towards your sound. Butthere is also the phrasing which is all about the subtle ways how you can start and end that beautiful sound. We furthermore cover technique and what it actually means to "have technique" on a saxophone, as I see a lot of wrong information about that online. You playing the right notes is also a basic right for any of your future audiences, so we will cover some practical ways to make that more fun, efficient and even combine it with some of the above mentioned other factors. And finally I help you with how to shop for the right gear, while not falling into the trap changing gear ever few months/years.

All this will make you a better player in just a matter of (a little) time, while it keeps your practicing fun. The saxophone is an unlimited interesting instrument, with sooo much expression inside it. Let's bring that out of your horn as well! 

Sound Production

There are three main categories involved in producing an optimal and rich saxophone sound. These are
  1. Embouchure: you want a controlled pressure on your reed while at the same time giving it room to vibrate as optimal as possible and produce nice frequencies
  2. Throat Position: discussing how your inner mouth position, which is influenced mainly by your tongue, has a great impact on the resonance of your sound. It is like the "body" of an acoustic guitar and depending on how you shape that body, it affects the output.
  3. Airflow/support: An even and controlled air output is crucial. There are very good and specific exercises to gain the control over all that, which makes something which is mostly very abstract very practical and almost a gymlike: put in the reps and you'll improve instantly  
1. Embouchure: Intro & Tight vs Loose Embouchure
  • 7 mins
  • 576 MB
2. Drop the Octave Exercise
  • 8 mins
  • 681 MB
3. Bend It Like Brecker
  • 7 mins
  • 511 MB
4. Why Throat Position Is Important
  • 5 mins
  • 420 MB
5. Overtone Exercises
  • 19 mins
  • 1.56 GB
6. Airflow - from Zero to Hero
  • 11 mins
  • 935 MB
7. Air support - The Towel Exercise
  • 12 mins
  • 967 MB

Phrasing

A proper articulation is strongly intertwined with a good sound. Bad and uncontrolled phrasing habbits can lead to bad airflow and other sound tragedy, whilst a good articulation can add all the delicious flavour to an authentic and own sound. 

It's mostly the way a note gets bended, percussively phrased like in funk or latin, or gently pushed to keep the melody floating, ... that makes all the difference. 

And because it's heavily intertwined and works like an engine with your sound, you will find here a few exercises that combine both.
Intro & Half-tonguing
  • 8 mins
  • 654 MB
How to Use Halftonguing + Excersises
  • 7 mins
  • 538 MB

Technique

What IS technique actually? There are so many misconceptions about it, it's unreal. Most people talk about the outcome of a good technique when they are talking about it, namely, being able to play fast. But one can have a great technique and not playing so well in time and fast or vice verse, play great fast while having a terrible technique. 

Technique is just the way to gain as much control over your instrument so you can eventually have effortless command. While of course can lead to play very fast and really good in time. But we shoudn't fous on the outcome here, but rather on the HOW behind all that.
What Technique REALLY is About
  • 3 mins
  • 236 MB
The Only Technique Exercise You Need
  • 7 mins
  • 563 MB

The Essential Scales

Major Scales Must Know
  • 7 mins
  • 484 MB

Setup

Here I discuss what I consider to be a good saxophone setup. While a saxophone setup is important, it often gets also too much attention. Don't fall into the trap of hopping from one mouthpiece and reed to the other as that is what the industry wants you to believe. 

Also, a good setup is super personal and might quite differ from one person to the next. Paul Desmond wanted a huge resistance to get that soft sound, while Michael Brecker need for medical reasons at a certain point in his carreer a personaly modified mouthpiece to have little resistance. 

But certainly look for a good and descent setup, and I'll guide you with just that here. 
Tips on How to Choose Your Setup
  • 12 mins
  • 961 MB

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What Are The Saxophone Fundamentals?