For the past several weeks I have changed my approach to practicing standard jazz tunes. I am learning to outline the chords of the song. Up until now, I had only learn how the chord progression works, and determined what scales I could use to improvise. Learning to outline the chords of a song seems … Continue reading Music or Life?
https://youtu.be/d68km44l4dI So, it has been around 5 years since I began practicing the saxophone again. I would like to think I have gotten better. For sure, I have not progressed as far or as fast as I once did when I was younger. I have managed to practice 2 to 3 times a week. However, … Continue reading Practice & Progress
After a couple of years of trying new mouthpieces, I have come to the conclusion that the Vandoren V16 hard rubber mouthpiece is the best mouthpiece I have in my arsenal. It is the one that gives me the least resistance. I am closer to the truest tenor sound with this mouthpiece than any other … Continue reading Mouthpieces I Use
https://youtu.be/DCxTNxK9dvY This used to be a popular song by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Mack Gordon. It was released in 1942, the year my mom was born. I'm not sure if my mom knew it though. She liked a lot of great music. I didn't discover tunes like this until I was in college. Only … Continue reading There Will Never Be Another You
If you have seen the last few videos I've posted, you've seen that I struggle with consistency, and I have not delivered an unflawed performance in a while, and I know it is because of my lack of consistent practice. I want to remedy the problem somehow, but I don't know-how. I work a lot. … Continue reading The Need for Consistency
https://youtu.be/OwvEjyi0tJY So, I have been feeling better lately. I got a chance to play the horn this week, and I wasn't in as bad a shape as I thought. My embouchure feels pretty good, and my technique is not horrible. I look forward to trying to improve. I no longer have any hope of playing … Continue reading A Fine Romance
For the past few days, including Thanksgiving, I have not been feeling well. I caught a head cold, and my nose has been stuffy up. My ears have been ringing and rumbling, causing me some dizzy spells. So I sat home alone all day on Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend. I did practice … Continue reading Still Practicing & Improving
During the first couple of months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found the energy to play my sax a few days. Also, about a year ago I had bought a new Yamaha tenor. So, I thought I'd record myself playing a song I thought I knew. Here is, "In A Sentimental Mood," by Duke Ellington. … Continue reading In A Sentimental Mood
I am still learning slowly. As I've said many times before, there are a lot of tunes I used to think I knew. I had never taken the time to figure out how the tunes actually worked or worked out the harmony or how it was put together. Green Dolphin Street was one of my … Continue reading Green Dolphin
Fishing for comments dammit! All of Me is one of my favorite songs. I first heard it in high school. It's a relatively easy song to play and was one of the first songs I ever learned to improvise on. I have had this horn for a little over a year now and I find … Continue reading All Of Me
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