How do you get better at playing the saxophone? (TIPS)?

Question

BESIDES THE OBVIOUS... LIKE PRACTICING.

Answer 1

Well, let me expand on "practicing".

Did you know you can "practice" for 2 hours but not really get anything accomplished? It's true! How many times have you "studied" for 2 hours but didn't really learn anything?

Practice with a PURPOSE. That's key! Here's what you should do first. Take a piece of paper and write down the following things:

1)Your long-term goal(s) as a saxophonist. Don't just put "to be a better musician"; too vague. Be specific! You didn't put your age. If you're in high school, goals might be "to make All-State", "to major in music at college", etc. If you're in college, your goals might be "to get into grad school for Saxophone Performance", "to become a professional musician", etc.

2)Write down your weaknesses as a musician. Again, be specific: "trouble with low C, B, and Bb speaking", "weak altissimo", "can't tongue at faster tempos". Be honest, and write down whatever you know are problem areas for you.

3)Next, brainstorm on ways that can help you overcome those obstacles. You may want to sit down with your band director or teacher (again, depending on your age and level) and have them guide you.

Now that you've written this down, it's time to put your plan into action! Before each practice session, think about what you want to get accomplished. Here's what I tell my students to do:

1)Decide how long you are going to practice.
2)Decide what you want to get accomplished in your practice session. (for instance: "I want to work on the cadenza in the Glazonouv and the last page of the Bonneau piece")
3)Warm-up on something that directly relates to what you'll be working on (if you're working on a slow piece, long tones/slow scales, faster piece, fast scales, etc)..
4)work on those things you decided you wanted to work on.
5)when you're done practicing, reflect on your practice session; did you accomplish what you wanted to accomplish? Did you improve what you wanted to improve?

You might want to write all this down for each practice session so you can monitor your practice.

Some other tips. You didn't provide any details about yourself, but these should apply to players of all levels.

1)practice and dedication are really key. Practice every single day. Remember: if you don't practice today, you know it. If you don't practice tomorrow, the world knows it.

2)LISTEN to other saxophonists. This is so important. Listening to good players helps you become a better musician because you have a good sound, technique, etc to model. You should be able to find some Eugene Rousseau recordings pretty easily, and there are many other good recordings available. Also, go to live concerts as often as you can.

3)If you don't already have a saxophone teacher, find one!!! I'm sure there is one in your area. If you're in high school, ask your local college's music department to refer you to a teacher. A good teacher will help you tremendously.

I hope some of this helps. If you would like any more advice or info, I'd be more than happy to help!

Answer 2

sorry to tell you, but practicing is going to be your best bet. As far as EFFECTIVE practicing, work on long tones (holding the note out as long as you can) and practice playing scales and arpeggios. Buy a methods book and maybe a book of some solos that you like (pop music or oldies tunes) so that you'll want to practice them.

make sure you have good equipment, good reeds (I use Vandoren blue box...depending how long you've been playing you'll want to use different strenghts. I use a 31/2...you might want to start with a 2.

It depends on what you feel your problems are...tone, intonation, rhythm, timbre, flexiblity...there are different ways to fix all of this. Your best bet? Getting a private teacher. It may run you from $10-$25 a week but it is WORTH IT. Especially if you want to get better. If you're in band at school, your band director could make suggestions on who to call. If you're not in band at school, you should get in one-the social aspect will help motivate you.

Good Luck and happy playing!

~i've played the saxophone for 4 years and loved every minute of it!~

Answer 3

Daily scalework helps alot. Just puttering around trying to get a great tone. Better ligature / mouthpiece can do a lot for an instrument. Listen to recordings of sax players you admire and try to figure out what they are doing to achieve that affect. Playing in a group is always great, because you are motivated to do your best, you learn from the other players, and its just a lot of fun.

Answer 4

Daily scalework helps a lot
If you have a book, it might help by putting little pictures of the fingering by that note if your having a hard time on just that note

Answer 5

All you can really do it practice....i have played the sax for 9 years and i get better everyday with practice

Answer 6

take lessons and practice frequently. choose song to play that you really enjoy

Answer 7

its a drawn out process but it involves monica lewinsky