I Received this email this week and have seen many just like it over the years.

Many sax players ask how to get better. They want to sound better, play cooler notes, play higher notes, get an aggressive tone, play pop music or rock music - the details go on and on - BUT THE ANSWER IS THE SAME!

HOW DO YOU GET BETTER on SAX OR ANYTHING - SAME BASIC ANSWER --------- SAME BASIC PRINCIPLES




The following email asks the question really well, so I will drop you into the question and answer sent online......



In a message dated 9/18/2010 le writes:

Hi Greg, Nice to meet you, my name is Le C and I am from Brazil.
I was browsing on your website and I liked it so much. You have a really good and beautiful sound on alto saxophone, I like it a lot.

I studied classical music on saxophone here in Brazil in a conservatory from a city named Tatuí and I graduated in this style. Then I studied pop music, but just for a few years.

I have a Selmer Saxophone Mark VII, my mouthpiece is Beechler S7S and I use La VoZ medium hard reeds. But I don't think that my pop sound is right.

What should I practice to have a good and beautiful pop sound on my alto saxophone?

I would like to have a sound like yours or like Gerald Albright that I like so much as well.

Congratulations for your job.

It was nice to know your music. I really liked it.


Bye

All the Best

Le from Brazil

____________________________________________________________________________________


Hi Le,

Thanks for writing! Emulation is how we learn. You learned to walk, to talk and everything else you can do by observation and emulation. You saw it, you tried to copy it!

You want to fill your ears and mind with a sound you really like and try to move in that direction. The idea is all 'direction' and 'goals'. Get a 'goal sound', which it sounds like you are developing, and move in that direction!

Listening a lot, is the most important thing to develop a sound concept. I will listen to a sax player I want to sound more like, every day and sometimes all day while working on something else.

BUT - Moving in that direction will imply changing a few things.

I remember a lesson I took with Eric Marienthal years ago. I walked out of the lesson and went straight to the music store and bought 3 mouthpieces. As I listened to his sound and heard mine - I was amazed and sad, at how much better he sounded than me! That day I started trying to move toward a bigger, fuller, louder sound.

The mouthpiece was a start but I needed to play with reeds some too.

I think a big difference from classical and pop is the 'set up'.

Classical tends to be a smaller tip and harder reeds. Pop tends to be bigger tips and softer reeds. Small tip and hard reed will have less pitch issues and easier control. Bigger tips and softer reeds will bring control issues but more vibration will be more sound and can be better sound. Harder reeds will have thicker hearts and sound more dense. Some reeds are designed more density. You might start with a little softer jazz reed or Rico Royal type reed to see.

The balance between these 2 things is 'direction'. Head toward it, with a sound in your head. Don't go to far to fast. You just want to move in that direction. Get used to the new set up and then decide if you are really closer. If you find something else that moves you MORE in that direction you try it.

Make sure you let each change settle into your voice on the sax! If you are changing things every week for the next year, you will have huge issues getting any kind of sound! Let it be slow and natural.

Over time - you will arrive at your goal because you have the goal very strong in your mind, and you keep testing it so you can feel good about it.

I think we spend a lifetime finding our voice on an instrument and I think it is always changing. It will change a lot when we are young. It changes much less as we get older.

If you want to go to San Paulo - You need directions. You go online and the first question is your starting point. Where are you.

The next question is - Where do you want to go?

You have to start there!

If you print the direction, you now have a list of detailed steps to get there. I have to look many times to make sure I am still on course. Sometimes it might say '40 minutes down this road' - I know the big direction and don't worry knowing I am going SOUTH! Other times the direction are one right after another and I have the paper in my hand for a every detail.

If you follow them well - you will arrive at your desired location.

Most sax players set off on a journey and forget what they are trying to do, and where they where trying to go. They don't check the directions as the travel and quickly forget the destination! Then they wonder why they are not where they wanted to be.

Developing a sound concept, studying that sound to understand it better, and moving in that direction takes deliberate actions. Simply wanting to sound like Gerald Albright doesn't make you a sax player with that sound any more than wanting to go to New York will make you magically appear there one day.

Changing your saxophone sound / getting better on an instrument is even more complex than this! The directions you get are vague at first - simply a general direction - like HEAD EAST! It is not until you are heading EAST that you will get a clearer idea of where to go next.

The concept is the same. The directions are less helpful. This requires constantly checking for better directions along the way. BUT - The direction needs to stay firm in you mind and in your ears.

The last thing I have to mention is time! These kinds of life issues; direction, concepts, goal tones, ect.... They can not be measured in a week, or a month. They take years to see and hear! You must understand you are on a LONG JOURNEY! Enjoy the drive! Meet people along the way! Take little breaks along the way! Keep it interesting! BUT, keep the goal in you minds eye and keep moving in the direction you decided you wanted to go.

You will grow your ears, mind, playing and music as you travel on the Saxophone Highway. You will find other sax players you want to include in your listening and learning time. You will begin to develop your sound and playing, and one day have people asking you - "How do you do that!"

If you got there, you will know how you got there - then you have the blessing of trying to explain it as best you can so others can find their way too!




Greg Vail

www.GregVail.com
www.SaxPlayersBlog.com

Email - gvsaxboy@aol.com - saxboy@gregvail.com
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