There are a few different beliefs concerning who can play the saxophone, and who can't. Some people (even some teachers) believe you're born with the gift to play music, or you're not.
I don't believe in this philosophy. In fact, I believe (with the right instruction) anyone can play the saxophone well. Of course, people reach different levels of proficiency (that's why we only have one Charlie Parker and Marcel Mule), but anyone can learn to play well. Here's why I believe this.
My Saxophone Lineage
My saxophone lineage is connected to saxophone royalty, which is kind of a cool thought, but the "royalty" connection is not what's important here. The connection that is important is the knowledge that has been passed down to me.
For example, my first university professor was Ray Smith, who was taught by Eugene Rousseau, who learned from the great Marcel Mule. In short, Marcel Mule was the father of the French School of saxophone, which occurred during the golden era of classical saxophone.
Saxophone Knowledge
Even though I never met Marcel Mule, I'm connected to him. In other words, many important principals he taught have been handed down to me.
Because these principals are in my teaching style, anyone who takes lessons from me receive the teaching benefits of Ray Smith, Eugene Rousseau, and Marcel Mule. This doesn't even tap into my lineage through Joseph Wytko and Bobby Watson.
Improve Anything
Think about the weakest part of your saxophone playing, without shuttering. Did you know there is a way to fix that issue. Whether it's technique (fingers), time, articulation, tone, endurance, or time, there's a way to improve.
Basically, if there's something that needs improvement, there's an exercise, technique, or method to fix it. This knowledge brings motivation to your playing, as you will begin to realize there is always a way to improve and become better on the saxophone.
Past Blogs
There is so much to write for future blog posts, but there's also a huge amount of information that we've written in the past. Since more people are joining our saxophone family every day, we want to make sure you don't miss out on past content that is essential to improving on the saxophone.
To help find our blog posts that can really boost your playing, we wanted to post them below. We've been writing content since 2014, but don't thing that it's outdated. The information shared in this post is decades old and is at the foundation of many great saxophone players. Check them out below.
How to Practice
Articulation
Learning By Ear
Technique (Fast Fingers)
Tone and Response
Breath Support
Intonation (Tuning)
Improve Your Time
Vibrato
Buying Saxophones and Equipment
- Post #1
- Post #2 - Choosing a mouthpiece
- Post #3 -Mouthpiece Playing Test
- Post #4 - Get reeds to last longer
- Post #5 - Reed recommendations
- Post #6 - Jazz and classical mouthpiece recommendations
- Post #7 - Multiple recommendations
Jazz Posts
Miscellaneous
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