(Part 2) Top products from r/Saxophonics

Since this post hasn't gotten any responses, I'll do my best

You've covered a TON of ground in one post, it comes of as a bit scattered, and therefore pretty hard to respond to, but I'll do my best.

>Are there any recommended books with or without accompaniment (I need recordings since he isn't here)? I bought this book, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0769233775/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .

I have no experience with that particular book. There's a frequently referenced book, Klose's 25 daily exercises for saxophone, that I'm fond of and is held in high regard. Also look on the sidebar on that top link for some ideas.

> I think that I've adopted a double lip embrouchre; when I try putting my teeth on the mouthpiece pads the vibrations sometimes kind of hurt my teeth.

Okay. Some people do better with that, I hear, just be sure that you are staying in tune with all your notes and that your tone is good across the range of the horn. I've always found that I sound best with the standard embouchure, and people I've played with tend to have the same experience, but there are people out there that do the double lip embouchure and sound good.

> So right now I'm trying the 2.5 orange box reeds on my Yamaha YAS62. I just recently bought Hemke 2 reeds because I wondered if it was the reed.
I also own a YAS-275 which is sharing this problem.

I'm assuming this is about your lip hurting. A common problem that this sounds related to could be that you are using too much pressure on the lower lip and pushing on the reed. A symptom of this is that your upper range will sound sharp and the lower range comparatively flat. If that's the case, push in your mouthpiece and try to use less pressure from your jaw on the reed.

> When I play the notes don't sound smooth they sound a little bit abrupt. They sound a little bit restricted like the notes are singular or alone with the other notes around. Am I playing too staccato?

I have no idea what you're saying. You could be dampening the reed by pressing on it with your lip like I've mentioned above. Without hearing your sound, I won't know. "playing too staccato" doesn't make sense to me. Typically, you're maintaining air pressure when you're playing, and staccato is tonguing in such a way as to stop your tone put space between your notes. Given that tonguing in such a way is deliberate, I don't think that you're doing that?

> I can play the C Major scale and it sounds fine legato. When I play the arpeggios it sounds really bad at the top going back down. I play the lowest C, E, G, C, E, G, C going up. The problem is going down from the C when you are pressing your middle finger with the octave key then transitioning to the G. It almost sounds like a little bit of vibration or it is going inbetween the notes. I tried looking up online and it says that I should increase the speed of my air stream. I did this and the problem largely went but was still slightly there. It just made this kind of fluctuation shorter and less obvious basically. I think this thread means what I mean: https://www.saxontheweb.net/SOTW_Archive/alto/08-04-02/boardset-saxweb-boardid-alto-thread-83-spec-4558793.html
Also I left it on the stand for like a month last year when I was thinking of getting back into it and my mum hit it off the stand a while ago which I was wondering if that would ever need to be checked again (the other suggested solution to the weird st I found online was taking it to a tech). I'm thinking that I'm just out of practice but I do remember the YAS-62 used to sound really good.

Work on your intervals. If you can hit the note just fine on a scale but you're having issues with arpeggios, then there's a couple of things that can go wrong. Things that could go wrong include:

• your fingers aren't closing all the tone holes at the same time. Try the problem interval with the notes completely separate, then start narrowing the space between the notes gradually, working on moving your fingers together.
  
  
• The sax's mechanisms might not be fully responsive, due to a sticky pad, weak spring, etc. If the step above did not resolve the issue, watch in a mirror to make sure that everything is moving right, and right away when you go between notes.
  
  
• It might be a voicing issue. Get the note in your head. Sing the note, make sure you know what notes you're going from and to. If you have the wrong (or no) note in your head, you may actually disrupt the primary pitch of the note you're playing and that can result in that "in between" sound.
  
  
• Also, keep an eye out for leaky pads. If you're not sealing right, it can cause an issue. You'd have problems with the scale though, too.
  
  > Also if I do have to take it to a tech, I'm in London what is the best value one (not priced, best value)? I really hope I'm just shit and I don't need to take it to a tech but tell me what you think thanks.
  
  Sorry, can't help here.
  
  
  > Also my mum is only paying for half of my lessons since she would only pay for every other week and I think that I probably should have weekly lessons. What is a fair price for lessons (I'm guessing half an hour)? I don't know if I could get a discount since I'm paying for half of it; is that a reasonable reason to ask for less?
  
  Respect the people that are trying to teach you. If you can't afford their rate, then either find someone else or explain that you can't afford their rate. Not sure how old you are, but if you're in middle or early high school, you might be able to get someone a few years ahead of you to give you lessons, and that should be somewhat cheaper.
  
  > Thanks for reading and getting back to me (if you do)
  Not sure if it is the reed hardness since I can play the low Bb and B okay.
  Edit: Oh wow the PDF links for the real book in the FAQ are actually legible Another dumb question, when sheet music has chords like Bb7 or whatever is that transposed? If someone was trying to play guitar accompaniment could they just play those chords?
  
  If the real book does not specify what key it is written in, it's likely C. You'll have to transpose the chord if you want to read it as a saxophone. For instance, a Bb7 would be played as a G7 on alto or a C7 on tenor. A guitar could just play them.
  
  > Also does the dent in the neck matter?
  
  Probably not if it's small. I'm assuming it's small because you didn't mention it till now.

For what it's worth, I'll tell you what I used to teach myself to play sax. Hope you find this information useful.

I already played clarinet since I was a kid, and had wanted to learn to play sax for many years. Finally picked up a used alto a few years ago, and I taught myself the basics entirely from "Play Alto Sax Today!". I bought what they call the Beginner Pack, which comes with a DVD, a book of sheet music (Level 1), and an audio CD -- currently about $15 US on Amazon. It's published by Hal Leonard. Here's a link...

www.amazon.com/Play-Alto-Today-Beginners-Pack/dp/0634052993

I liked the Level 1 package so much that I when I finished working my way through it, I bought the Level 2 book. It's currently about $10 on Amazon...

www.amazon.com/Play-Alto-Sax-Today-Level/dp/0634028928

It's also worthwhile to pick up a cheap electronic metronome (get one that also has a chromatic tuner, maybe $15 or $20 -- Korg has some decent ones). You can find free metronome and tuner programs for computers online, if you don't want to buy one -- as long as you can sit in front of your computer when you practice.

Spend a week or two just practicing with the mouthpiece, without the sax, just to get a workable embouchure and good air support. You want to be able to blow a nice steady concert A (880 Hz), for about 60 seconds or so, before even thinking about putting your sax together.

I saw a good description of correct embouchure on a sax website. Insert mouthpiece, and then try to saying, "EEE" - "YUU" (pronounce like "you"). It's like your lip and face muscles are doing a tug-of-war between the EEE's and the YUU's. You've got the correct embouchure if you let the YUU's win, with the corners of your mouth pushing in against the sides of the mouthpiece. Hope that makes sense!

There are a few really great websites you might want to look at -- Sax on the Web is a great one, as is Best Saxophone Website Ever.

Finally, I'll mention one really great classic book of sax exercises. It's cheap, and it's worth having. It's called "25 Daily Exercises for Saxophone", by H. Klosé. You may very well be able to find a PDF somewhere, but I think it's worth buying.

For getting better at the saxophone as an instrument -- playing mechanics like finger technique, tone production, air support, tongue position, articulation, etc -- there's no substitute for a private teacher combined with lots of individual study and practice of recordings. Charlie Parker learned how to play by thoroughly absorbing a few records by his heroes (Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, etc) and then developing his own ideas from there. It's a good way to go.

In terms of practical theory that'll help with improvisation, writing, and just generally understanding and internalizing how things work in jazz (and most American music for that matter), I always recommend Dan Haerle's book "The Jazz Language." It's skinny, inexpensive, and extremely well put together, with everything you need to know about modern harmony as a gigging musician. Dan is a fantastic teacher and musician, and his book is a staple in many university jazz programs. It's worth a look!

It's obviously going to all come down to personal preferences, but if you're looking for more modern, recognizable stuff (particularly if you're looking at busking), you might take a look at Chromatik -- they've recently rolled out a subscription-based plan, so I'm not sure how "free" it is at this point, I think if you're willing to sit through the advertisements, you can still get at all the sheet music.

I've generally had good luck using Google Image search to lead me to places to find the sheet music I'm looking for, just search for <song name> tenor sheet music, and in general, you're pointed to either a free or low-cost option for finding that song.

I haven't made a serious search into finding duet music, but I have been using the Rubank Saxophone Duets book with my daughter, who plays clarinet, while I play my tenor. I also play in the Horn Players Jazz Jam at my local Sam Ash store on Sundays, that seems to vary by location, but at ours, we use primarily the Hal Leonard or Jamey Aebersold play along books & backing tracks.

Use a metronome and play the root chord tones in time through out the entire tune. Then roots and 3rds. Then roots, 3rds, 5th. And then the 7th chords. You want to be able to sing/play roots of the entire tune by yourself, in time, with a good feel. Do this with every tune you play.
Make sure you have a solid foundation when in comes the basic ii-V-I and their resolutions.
Also some of their extensions and how they resolve.
This will give you a start on how to construct a solo through changes.
Some books that may help
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Jazz-Language-Developing-Improvisor/dp/157623875X
http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Jazz-Theory-Composition-Improvisation/dp/B008LX27OU/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1345573762&sr=8-9&keywords=jerry+coker+patterns+for+jazz
Start listening to a lot of players who play with more melodic feel to the solos. (Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon) and not necessarily just sax players. (Miles Davis, Chet Baker)
If you do purchase transcriptions, be sure you can analyze what they're doing.Then take that idea and transpose it into 12 keys.
Charlie Parkers Omnibook is great cause it has the chord changes above the solos. Pick a few or all of the ii-V-I's from that and take them through all 12 keys and work them into your solos.
Most importantly. This will take you where ever you wish to go as an improviser.
SING EVERYTHING!!!
If you can sing it, you can play it!
This simple concept is kinda hard to grasp at first, but once you fully understand it, it unlocks so much.
Good luck!

The content of many "jazz" methods can be applied to most styles of music, even though delivery would be different and certain exercises specific to the style. Here are a few books you can check out:

• "Daily Warm-Up Exercises for Saxophone" by Jackie McLean ($10). Covers the basic scales and chords with some additional info about tone and some solo transcription.
  
  
  
• "Around The Horn" by Walt Weiskopf ($17). A book strictly about scales & chords (although a little atypical) with some etudes. Although the concept of the book is based around the most common jazz chord progression it can be used as a refresher of basics as well and presents a great challenge to fully master. If he's an intermediate player, this book would definitely be something he could use to practice with.
  
  
  
• "Comprehensive Technique for Jazz Musicians: For All Instruments" by Bert Ligon ($18). Covers scales and chords with an amazing amount of exercises and detailed explanation as well as many other exercises which are more "jazz" related. Still a worthy book to get even if jazz isn't his focus.
  
  Finally, make sure he checks out this free ebook: "The Scale Omnibus". No chords but it's an incredible resource. From the description:
  
  > The Scale Omnibus is a FREE book that describes as many as 399 distinct scales in all 12 keys,with synonyms,historical notes,chords over which the scale sounds well,summary tables,and more. It took hours of researching,typing,read-proofing,and double-checking and might easily be the most complete book on this topic.

Girl from Ipanema is one of the easier songs to play, definitely a beginner level.

I would recommend this book -

https://www.amazon.com/Antonio-Carlos-Jobim-Bossa-Nova/dp/0634048899/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1E8YMSW7G556D&keywords=jazz+play+along+hal+leonard+bossa+nova&qid=1568768851&sprefix=jazz+play+along%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1

All the songs are excellent. Playing at the same time as the recording of them playing makes it easy to get the timing right for someone who is a beginner.

I don't have any direct experience with reed making but as nobody is answering the question, and from what I've read online: it's not worth it. Reed making tools are really expensive, as is good quality cane and you'll more likely need at a lot of time to learn the skills and yield consistent results.

If you're interested in this subject, I would recommend you buy The Saxophone Reed: The Advanced Art Of Adjusting Single Reeds by Ray Reed and start working on factory reeds first (maybe buy a 1/2 or whole strength up and "shape" their profiles down).

This was the first jazz book I played and it was a great intro to the style. It has sample solos which are great for learning phrases and articulation. I didn't start improvising for some time later though.


https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Elements-Jazz-Play-Along-Instruments/dp/0634091840/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1556704408&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Hey, I stumbled across this thread even though it's a bit old and thought you might be interested in this if you're playing DMB transcriptions. I've had a copy for a loooong time, only has their older stuff but IMO that's their best music anyway.

I've had this album for years, and absolutely love it. If you haven't already heard it, also check out "Gate of Dreams" by the Claus Ogerman Orchestra, which is another gem of an album featuring Michael Brecker on one or two tracks.

-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000002KGS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1394810159&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40

These are some favorites in my combo:

Angel Eyes

There Will Never be Another You

Anthropology

All of Me

This Masquerade

Oleo (Same changes as anthropology)

Well You Needn't

Autumn Leaves

Four

St. Thomas

Triste

All these tunes (and several hundred more!) can be found in the [New Real Book in Bb] (https://www.amazon.com/New-Real-Book-Vol-Version/dp/1883217253/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1524414089&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=new+real+book+bb)

(Edited for formatting)

The Rubank Method books are a great place to start. Some may suggest Essential Elements and Accent on Achievement books, but for independent study I wouldn't bother.

Jump in the deep end: Search the web for community band your city

Refresh your reading skills and have at it.

But since you're asking, here's a small book of 12 easy songs: https://smile.amazon.com/Kenny-G-Easy-Solos-Saxophone/dp/0793539056

I briefly worked in a music store and we sold a few books from a series called "I Used to Play X" Haven't used one myself but they're designed around people in situations similar to your's.
http://www.amazon.com/I-Used-Play-Alto-Sax/dp/082588358X

Here's an amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0769260527

$13, damn. I paid $25 for it 25 years ago, back when my minimum wage job was $4.25/hr. Ha!

Paquito D'Rivera tears it up on One More Once with Michel Camilo. Most of it is on YouTube.

Do it. #17 is a beast. Rascher's got a book of 124 (224?) 158 scale exercises too.

And when you decide you really hate yourself and want to do more, there is another set the exact name I can't remember. I'll update later.

EDIT:33 Concert etudes by G. Labanchi. Originally oboe studies. They're insane. 3 books, 11 etudes each. Book 2 and 3 out of print. (http://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Three-Concert-Etudes-Saxophone-BK/dp/0825826365)

If you don't have it, get DeVille's Universal Method - out of copyright and available online in PDF