Playing the saxophone What are the most common problems. Either for yourself or students if you teach?

[dexdex]

Reading, and precision of execution are becoming more and more acute issues for me.
Age is obviously taking it’s toll.
Playing written music on stage is generating much more stress than 10 years ago. This stress influences the performance to a point it also makes the more (supposed to be) laid back open for solo parts less … laid back.
Not sure how far I can fight or solve this. Or learn to live with it.

 

[mizmar]

If precision is, more or less, what I was waffling on about errors, above; that's not in the list

 

[Wonko]

I would tend to think of that as reading issue. Unless the part is actually too fast for your fingering technique in which case it’s a fingering issue. Or both of course.

I think it's just my brain that is trying to control too many thing at the same time. Things need to get automated (doing them without thinking) for them to start running smoothly.
The reading might be part of it. I suspect that I have dyslexia, not a severe form, but enough to slow things down and make mistakes in reading. I have heard that one of the symptoms of dyslexia is that it is difficult to get things (mental processes) automated.

 

[r. giuseppe]

I am with @Pete Effamy: Tightness and a tendency to biting. Only in my case not for students, but for myself. This could be an extra check box although it certainly affects sound, breath (support) and intonation.

On German clarinet as a kid, I trained the muscles to settle on 4,5 reeds. On the sax then it felt easy to control the whole range right from the start, but not with a big sound. It took me years to rethink and relearn a different, more open sound concept and let go of the control I had, learning a different sort of tone control. Whenever my chops are tiring now, I fall back to the old strategy.

 

[hedgehog]

It may depend on who you are asking, me or those hearing me. To my ears, tone is the weakest part of my playing, especially subtone. Obviously due to breath support, embouchure, mouthpiece, and reed.

But, what we would people hearing me play say? Like @mizmar I make mistakes, seemingly at random points in random tunes. Maybe that?

Improvising is less of a challenge now. Not that I am great at it but after reading some posts by @Wade Cornell I spent quite a few hours on Wikiloops. That helped develop my ear and ability to make up a tuneful melodic line. (Some Wikiloops tracks show chords, some show only the tonic key, some have only the track, so that's a fun challenge.)

So maybe another question would be: what practices have helped you most? Long tones? Scales? Memorizing? Improvising strictly by ear?

 

[Wade Cornell]

hedgehog​

"Improvising is less of a challenge now. Not that I am great at it but after reading some posts by @Wade Cornell I spent quite a few hours on Wikiloops. That helped develop my ear and ability to make up a tuneful melodic line. (Some Wikiloops tracks show chords, some show only the tonic key, some have only the track, so that's a fun challenge.)"

I sure wish a few more took up that challenge. Thanks for the acknowledgement, and very glad it's working for you.

 

[David Roach]

I would have to tick all the boxes in the vote! 🤣

 

[Pete Thomas]

I would have to tick all the boxes in the vote! 🤣

Yes I realise a lot of people would, I thought to limit it to 4 to see if there is a majority opinion. I know it’s tough to limit to just a few more important. Maybe add another choice to the poll: all of them

 

[Pete Effamy]

The list seems to be hurdles needed to overcome when learning to play. We’ve all been faced with them, some being more problematic / challenging than others.

Or, you can become fixated with some aspects and never be particularly happy with them when all other trusted listeners say otherwise. This has been me with my sax tone. I’ve always preferred many other players sound to my own.

- @Pete Thomas - you missed articulation from the list. Light staccato on classical clarinet was a problem for me for a long time. Playing sax cured it.

 

[thomsax]

Problems to play?? I solve my sax playing problems to stay out of the things I can't solve. I'm not a good player. But the few things I do well I try to do even better. To honk Rocksax is just something I do for fun. No money or prestige. Just pure fun and I like it.