Beginner (playing) Becoming a Better Player?

[TripleB]

What do you do to become a better saxophone player?

I'm 45, returning to the tenor sax after 27 years away, and once I relearn the basics, what type of practice or playing should I do to become the best possible tenor sax player I can be?

Thank you for your advice.

TripleB

 

[trimmy]

I'm not qualified to answer your question as i'm also at the basics stage but........

what type of practice

Lots and lots 🙂

 

[jbtsax]

Practicing a bit every day has been shown to be more effective than doing a lot on one day of the week. I would suggest doing lots and lots of listening. It has been estimated that playing a musical instrument is 95% mental and 5% physical. Becoming a better player is all about getting a concept of how you want to sound and working toward that goal. Find some recordings of good players you like and try to emulate their tone, articulation, and phrasing when playing the melodies of songs. Music Minus One has recordings in both classical and jazz style where you can hear the song played by a professional player, and then play the written part yourself with the same accompaniment. It is like having a private teacher with you at every practice session.

 

[Jazzaferri]

What lind of music do you like to play...want to play....??

 

[kevgermany]

scales, arpeggios, blues scales... And then the technical exercises. And some tunes.

 

[BUMNOTE]

Think all the above posts,tell you what you need.Bumnote.

 

[TripleB]

What lind of music do you like to play...want to play....??

See, there may be where my problem lies...I love all kinds of music (as long as there isn't profanity). I grew up with my parents listening to blue grass, jazz, Elvis Pressley, gospel, my sister (12 years older than me) listening to stuff like Herman's Hermits and the Beatles, and then I came along listening to things like Rush, Van Halen, Kiss, Bon Jovi, Stray Cats, etc.

I'd love to play it all but realize I'll probably have to get a little more specific in order to refine my skills in certain areas.

I guess if I had to pick one or two sounds to try to accomplish I would like my results to sound like what you hear with George Thorogood or rockabilly like the Brian Setzer Orchestra (what I'm listening to now).

Thanks for everyone's input.

BTW: the Music Minus One Series looks awesome, I'm shocked by the various kinds of music they offer!!! Since I'm listening to the BSO right now, this one really stands out: http://musicminusone.com/woodwinds-1/tenor-saxophone/stompin-struttin-6-swing-bands-on-a-hot-tin-roof-tenor-sax-mmocd4215.html

TripleB

 

[Jazzaferri]

Other than the obvious of getting a good teacher if you can and learning the melody and harmonic structure of the songs you want to play.I would suggest listening through the songs you like and pick a short phrase that really speaks to you each week and learn that phrase cold. Ddoesnt matter if its a sax player. Start to build up your vocabulary. Should be between a half a bar or at most two in length. After a few years of thisif you get one a week ypu will have a vocabulary of a hundred words and you will be starting to get the idea of when you can use them

if you play it a 100 times you know it a thousand times you own it.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Pick your repertoire for your concert at that big event and start learning it now.

Play what you like and what speaks to you.

If you want to improvise and compose on the hoof learn a little theory and practice a few scales and arpeggios, every day.

Emulate your heroes whatever they play or sing.

Keep it fun.

Be around musicians.

 

[trinifella]

Practicing a bit every day has been shown to be more effective than doing a lot on one day of the week.

I think that's where I've failed

 

[Bigtwin]

In addition, I'd say set yourself some goals, or it's easy to phaff about and never really progress. Might be learning a whole number start to finish by heart, might be mastering a solo, or a few bars of one, might be something more technical like a particular scale, whatever. Resist the temptation to "graze" on the bits of stuff you can pretty much do, and make yourself work to widen your envelope.

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

In addition to the above i would add, find a sax/mouthpiece/reed combo you like....then stick with it, so many people spend to much time faffing about with equipment when what needed is good honest practice with the gear you already have.

 

[Ivan]

In addition to the above i would add, find a sax/mouthpiece/reed combo you like....then stick with it, so many people spend to much time faffing about with equipment when what needed is good honest practice with the gear you already have.

Wot? Not even a smidgeon of GAS? A tiny little mouthpiece change or three, or a few reed experiments, or that new celebrity endorsed or horn or...

Oh I see what you mean

 

[TimboSax]

In addition, I'd say set yourself some goals, or it's easy to phaff about and never really progress. Might be learning a whole number start to finish by heart, might be mastering a solo, or a few bars of one, might be something more technical like a particular scale, whatever. Resist the temptation to "graze" on the bits of stuff you can pretty much do, and make yourself work to widen your envelope.

Lots of good advice, this one is my number one. Always try something you can't do yet.

In addition to the above i would add, find a sax/mouthpiece/reed combo you like....then stick with it, so many people spend to much time faffing about with equipment when what needed is good honest practice with the gear you already have.

This is also really good advice, and one of these days I hope to be able to stick to it 🙂