When you take your solo and you can see the people in the crowd watching and listening, it feels good. Then standing up on stage and hearing the applause from the audience right after you finish your solo gives you a rush.
Here’s What I Got:
I have been running teaching about saxophone online for a while and I keep getting requests to learn about improvisation on sax. So I decided to put together another online class that would focus on improvisation.
My background is mostly with jazz and from there I played reggae, blues, salsa, and some other styles. There’s a clip of a solo I took with my salsa band on the right side of the page.
Week 1
M: Welcome/Overview, Listening & Picking a Favorite Sax Player
W: Saxophone Maintenance
F: Notes vs Groove
Week 2
M: Improvisation Philosophy & Anxiety
W: Tone
F: Feel/Emotion
Week 3
M: Technique
W: Classical Music with examples
F: Resources
Week 4
M: learning tunes
W: Chords and chord movement
F: Breaking tunes down & simplifying your approach
Week 5
M: rhythm breakdown- the protractor analogy
W: Articulation/Duration
F: Tempo
Week 6
M: Interacting with a group
W: Space/rest
F: Phrasing
Week 7
M: practicing improvisation
W: Solo development
F: Dynamics
Week 8
M: Chords & active ingredients
W: ii V7 I Progression
F: Transcribing
Here’s What It Will Do For You:
For each lesson, I’ll share simple, but powerful techniques that will take your sax playing to a whole new level. We’ll have a brief lesson and I’ll demonstrate techniques with online videos, then I’ll give you a little something to practice for that day. The videos will be like a classroom environment. I will include examples and you can also send me clips/videos of yourself playing. Those parts will depend on your questions and level.
I’ll even have additional call-in times when you can ask questions and get feedback on your playing.
Here’s What You Gotta Do Next:
Just click the button below to reserve your spot.
$197
$97
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Neal, this is a great idea, but we have to make sure that our equiptment is compatible to view the lessons. And I would be glad to come your monterey workshop.
I’ve always wanted to learn the saxophone. I played the flute in high school (which, btw, was a LONG time ago) but I’ve seen saxophone players on the streets and it’s so cool!
YvonneM that will be a good transistion for you, and your great sound will come natural. Have you chose your sax yet?
Neal, in the improv class can you explain the solo notaions that many of the play along books contain. Like “Summer Time” it sound bluezy but it’s not a hard bluezy song and I do not know how to adjust my playing to make it sound more jazzy with a dab of blues.
Hey Yvonne, I think I can do that. You’re talking about the chord notation and what to play over it?
You should learn to play! The fingerings are similar to flute. Having a reed is a little different, but you could learn.
Learning to play any instrument is a lifelong process. There are many highs and lows during your journey. You have to be patient and realize that music is a journey. long tones, overtones, bad notes, screeching, scales, theory, improvisation, people tellingbyou to stop playing because you are bothering them, other musicians sometimes trying to discourage you because you are getting better and their ego can’t handle it. parents telling you to become a doctor. Then there is that moment when you realize that music is something you love and cannot do without because it makes you feel joy. you can’t explain it but when you create something from nothing and it sounds beatiful you know you have hit on something. don’t let anyone tell you you are no good. keep playing no matter what. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. i teach music and play the saxophone because i love it. when i was younger i wanted to play like charlie parker. i studied the parker omnibook of transcribed solos and was never ever to play the solos the way parker did. i stopped playing for about a year and finally had to pick up the horn again. at that moment i knew i would never be able to play like parker because there was only one BIRD and i had to be me. when i accepted my own sound i reached the next level of musicianship. its a journey , enjoy the ride.
there is alot of info out there. if it can be shared, cool. you have to woodshed. there are no shortcuts. you can’t buy dues, they have to be earned. i have spent years practicing and i continue.
i need to learn saxophone, id love to, but i cant find a book to teach me that
I need exercises please.thanx.
I would like to be able to bebop as smooth as connonball Aderly and as fast as charlie parker. i need help.
Hey Sam, that’s going to take some work! To be smooth and fast, you have to start off slowly and master the saxophone. Practicing with a metronome will help a lot with speed. And you’ll get more comfortable with mastery.
Hello Neal, Welcome from the midwest Topeka Ks.I am a 52 yr. old young guy, with a passion and love for this gift that I’ve been blessed with MUSIC!! I find your Sax Station site very helpful. I need a young pro like your self to help me with questions,or tips that I may have;like sight reading music, a quick way. Thanks for your time. Check out our cds on CD BABY .COM!!! I will get back with you later got to go. KEEP JAMMMING!!!!!