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(UPDATE - When I posted this, I was unaware of certain sections in the forum which make some of this question redundant-however I will leave the post as it is)
This question is really aimed at Pete, the site owner (but first a two paragraph preamble).
I found the articles on embrochure elswhere on this site very useful. This article includes scanned images from a book published by Selmer. (I would very much appreciate it if Pete can give the details of this book even though it is out of print, I am interested to see what the rest of the book says).
I had been using the embrochure style recommended in the articles reproduced by Pete but it was still very useful to see this in print. Until I saw these articles, the received wisdom from the classic texts such as Larry Teal's made me feel that I was 'unorthodox'.
Anyway, my question for Pete is whether he thinks it would be wise to encourage students to compare techniques and offer each other advice?
Whilst this may sound like an "obvious" good thing, I do actually believe that the idea needs to be approached with caution.
In retrospect I have doubts regarding advice I might have offered other players in my earlier years, and even after over a decade of playing I am not sure that I would want anyone to follow any advice I might have to offer in any more than an "experimental" frame of mind.
People like Pete have not only huge amounts of playing experience but also have teaching experience and are probably much safer sources of information than the rest of us.
After stating all these reservations I still think it is worth floating the question.
As an indication of possible directions, the following topics are ones I would like to discuss relate to tone quality.
1. "Vooh" and "Four" "whispered vocalisation" pertaining to advice offered by Sonny Rollins.
2. Aspects of releasing air and tension or strain with high notes.
Perhaps, (if Pete does like the idea) people who go on to offer each other advice could say what type of sax they play, for how long and what type of style so that others are given a context.
I am hesitant to pre-load this suggestion with my own personal view but my conscience dictates I offer the following advice that follows.
I would like to suggest that any intermediate sax player who decides to follow advice on breathing from an uncertain source does so very gently and slowly. There are singers and wind players out there who have suffered problems after following radical advice with a strong will. Your breathing mechanisms are very delicate and do not take kindly to having ideas forcibly thrust upon them, tread delicately and with patience.
This question is really aimed at Pete, the site owner (but first a two paragraph preamble).
I found the articles on embrochure elswhere on this site very useful. This article includes scanned images from a book published by Selmer. (I would very much appreciate it if Pete can give the details of this book even though it is out of print, I am interested to see what the rest of the book says).
I had been using the embrochure style recommended in the articles reproduced by Pete but it was still very useful to see this in print. Until I saw these articles, the received wisdom from the classic texts such as Larry Teal's made me feel that I was 'unorthodox'.
Anyway, my question for Pete is whether he thinks it would be wise to encourage students to compare techniques and offer each other advice?
Whilst this may sound like an "obvious" good thing, I do actually believe that the idea needs to be approached with caution.
In retrospect I have doubts regarding advice I might have offered other players in my earlier years, and even after over a decade of playing I am not sure that I would want anyone to follow any advice I might have to offer in any more than an "experimental" frame of mind.
People like Pete have not only huge amounts of playing experience but also have teaching experience and are probably much safer sources of information than the rest of us.
After stating all these reservations I still think it is worth floating the question.
As an indication of possible directions, the following topics are ones I would like to discuss relate to tone quality.
1. "Vooh" and "Four" "whispered vocalisation" pertaining to advice offered by Sonny Rollins.
2. Aspects of releasing air and tension or strain with high notes.
Perhaps, (if Pete does like the idea) people who go on to offer each other advice could say what type of sax they play, for how long and what type of style so that others are given a context.
I am hesitant to pre-load this suggestion with my own personal view but my conscience dictates I offer the following advice that follows.
I would like to suggest that any intermediate sax player who decides to follow advice on breathing from an uncertain source does so very gently and slowly. There are singers and wind players out there who have suffered problems after following radical advice with a strong will. Your breathing mechanisms are very delicate and do not take kindly to having ideas forcibly thrust upon them, tread delicately and with patience.
