I like the sax playing in this number also the geetar solo.

Gestalt said...

lol, that's so true......

i got myself in to a lot of trouble when i was young playing in school bands because i used to adlib regularly. apparently hogan's hereos theme isn't meant to be given my version of the coltrane treatment.

You sound like you were a Lisa Simpson wanna be!

I took up the tenor Sax many years ago, but had to stop when we had kids as it scared the crap out of them. I still have it in the cupboard and will get it out again one day. One thing I found you need to play the Sax is a big block of land and a solid brick house!

Its not one of my favourite songs but this was the hardest tune I was taught by my teacher:

I really got into Louis Jordon at the time:


Check out Charlie Parker too:

get a few lessons, bad position on the mouthpiece is a killer. lessons will get that sorted up front.

yes it's normal to struggle with the low notes at first as more air is needed to get further along the instrument. where lessons will help with that regard is posture and breathing technique. playing sustained notes is also very handy, first up it helps you build your embouchure as you hold the note plus it encourages you to breathe out from deep in your lungs (as with singing) allowing a longer note. also you get to train your ear as you hold the note. small adjustment in embouchure position will alter the tone.

playing scales is good for embouchure, tongue and fingering technique, (yeah, go to town with that one) it takes a long time to build the technique to be able to control the note from start to finish so all notes are even in pitch. also practicing triplets is handy as it teaches you more advanced reed control. the faster and smoother you can do them the better.

then there's fingering, in the high register there are alternative fingering techniques that can be used depending on what scale you are playing to make it easier to play fast runs. that's more for advanced though. once you get better control you can squeal very high notes without fingering.

the guy in the vid is very good. i'd say you would need to play every day for at least 7 years to get that type of control. maybe longer.

or maybe he's been playing for 3 years and i'm wrong. still i'm going 7 years or so.

oh i forgot to mention, no biting!

Gestalt said...


playing scales is good for embouchure, tongue and fingering technique, (yeah, go to town with that one)

then there's fingering, in the high register there are alternative fingering techniques that can be used depending on what scale you are playing to make it easier to play fast runs. that's more for advanced though. once you get better control you can squeal very high notes without fingering.

still i'm going 7 years or so.

oh i forgot to mention, no biting!

Whats that? You can make em sqeal with out fingering. Now thats a boast if ever I heard one!
But seriously, you are right. Constant practice will get you there. Quite often when you seem to get stuck on something going back to basics will help you get past your stuck point.
I have only been playing Brass instrmuents(cornet, trumpet, flugal, tenor horn, baritone, euponium and double b & e flat basses) since I was five(196?) and yet I go back to basics when I get a sticky point. Good breathing techniques are a must also. Practice long notes with deep breathes in between. A good tip for breathe control:- as you breathe out playing a note push your stomach out. It seems counter productive at first but it will give great breathe control