Evan Tate's SaxTips eZine

Improv Etudes and their benefits

2009-12-30T15:09:00.000+01:00

All those who have read my articles and know my books, you’ve read that how I evangelize the benefits of “Improv Etudes”. In this article I’m going to attempt to explain some of those benefits.

First of all, “What are Improv Etudes?“

Improv Etudes are comparable to Jazz Etudes or Studies with the special hook. As Jazz Etudes are more like tunes written in order to help learn jazz phrasing, articulation and such, Improv Etudes are written in order to simulate improvisation, or an improvised solo in a jazz style.

My first acquaintance with Improv Etudes (as I call them) was during my lessons with saxophonist Steve Grossman. Part of my homework for my lessons were that he would write out a chorus on a blues or any other standard we were working on, all eighth-notes, without rests (more on that later), he asked me to practice it, and then demanded that I would write at least one more chorus myself, continuing the solo. At my next lesson, I play everything and we would review what I wrote in order to check out if I used correct voice leading, etc. Basically, to find out if what I wrote sounded any good. (Luckily, I did not make many mistakes. )

One of the coolest benefits of this practice was that I could be anywhere to write my choruses. I write them on the train on the way to school, I write them in the cafeteria during lunch, before going to bed at night, waiting at the dentists’ office, anywhere. That is, once I was able to get to the point of not needing my saxophone to write them.

It’s a good idea that one should use your horn at first to write your improv etudes in order make sure that they sound the way you imagine them.

After using the horn to write for a while, you should be able to evolve to the level that you know how your instrument sounds without having it with you. You should be able to literally hear what you write as you write it.

What about the “all eighth-notes, no rests” thing?

Basically, this is about learning how to develop your linear thinking in improvisation by keeping a continual flow of melodies. Secondly, this also prevents you from just memorizing your solos ant then just playing them on stage.

On top of that, you’ll improve your timing immensely. Take a breath when you need it but keep the time and don’t go back to play what you missed. That won’t happen on the bandstand, so don’t do it in your practice session.

Take a breath when you need it but keep the time and don’t go back to play what you missed. That won’t happen on the bandstand, so don’t do it in your practice session.

Eventually, after practicing the improv etudes, creating your own and practicing them as well, most of this will become a part of your playing style. It will also happen sometimes that your ideas my wind up being longer than what you have air for, but that’s ok. That will change as well.

And this is by far the coolest benefit of them all – you are engaging in an intense, focused, practice of working only on how you want to play. If you want to play like Charlie Parker, you can incorporate his licks in your improv etudes. Want to add Coltrane?Brecker? Cannonball Adderley? Kenny Garrett? Work intensively on your own licks? You can do all this with Improv Etudes and do it faster than any other method to do so.

Do you want to play like Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Brecker, Cannonball Adderley or Kenny Garrett? Or work intensively on your own licks? You can incorporate all playing styles in your improv etudes.

In closing, I can only highly recommend that you start on the practicing of using Improv Etudes to improve your playing. You’ll find plenty of them in my books “Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys”, “250 Jazz Patterns” and “Coltrane Changes”.

SaxTips Vidcast # 1 - One Note Theory

2008-09-28T09:11:00.002+02:00

Download the Exercise

News from Evan Tate and "The Way To Mastery Workshop Series"

2008-05-19T16:17:00.001+02:00

Hi!

I've got news! The "Way To Mastery Workshop Series" are now available on DVDs!

Each DVD is available in English or German language and PDF files of all exercises.

The "W2M Series" is divided thusly;

The W2M 100 Series - Basic techniques in saxophone playing including Embouchre, Tonal development, Intonation, Ear-Training, and Technical Development.

W2M 101 - Embouchure, Intonation and Tonal Development
W2M 102 - Technical Development
W2M 103 - Altissimo: Preparation and Development
W2M 104 - The Soprano Saxophone

The W2M 200 Series - Beginning Jazz/Pop Improvisation Series including common chord progressions and soloing techniques.

W2M 201 - Beginning Improvisation - Minimalist Approach to Improvisation
W2M 202 - Cycles, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, Blues, Minor
W2M 203 - Turnarounds, ii-V7-I, Major and Minor
W2M 204 - Rhythm Changes with variations

The W2M 300 Series - "Improv Etudes" for intermediate to advanced improvisers.

W2M 301 - Improv Etudes I
W2M 302 - Improv Etudes II

Go to Evan Tate.com for more info and to order.

Many thanks,

Evan Tate
Parkstr.10
80339 Munich,Germany

Discover The Simple Five Step Process To Having Financial Independence Each Month As A Committed Musician

2007-04-08T22:13:00.000+02:00

Dear Musician,

Why do most musicians fail to make money? Why do some musicians just make a measly couple of hundred a month, and even that's not consistent?

Maybe you're the kind of musician who's in a 9-5 job and doesn't have much time to live the life you want to making music.

Maybe you're the kind of musician who in the past has set up your music career as full-time work but have had to go back and get an evening job or a full 9-5 because your music career wasn't working and you couldn't sustain yourself financially?

Well no matter what kind of musician you are and what you've been earning before, I have a proven way that will allow you to become financially independent as a musician - and it doesn't involve working a 9-5 job.

Would you like to learn my strategy? Continue...

An Interview w/ saxophonist Sue Terry (Part II)

2007-03-15T10:50:00.001+01:00

SaxTips Podcast # 26 - An Interview w/ saxophonist Sue Terry (Part II)
Call in your comments or questions: +1-302-476-2517

Download it here.

Show Notes
# Intro
# An Interview with Sue Terry (Part II)(www.sueterry.net)
# Outro - About "Gilly's Caper"
# "Gilly's Caper" (Sue Terry) - "Gilly's Caper"- Sweet Sue Terry

Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys promo

2007-03-15T10:47:00.001+01:00

Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys

An Interview with saxophonist Sue Terry (Part 1)

2007-03-09T14:14:00.001+01:00

SaxTips Podcast #25 - An Interview with saxophonist Sue Terry (Part 1)
Call in your comments or questions: +1-302-476-2517

Download it here.

Show Notes
# Intro
# "Jam Thang"
# An Interview with Sue Terry (www.sueterry.net)
# Outro
# "Slow Journey" (Sue Terry) - Sue Terry (Solo Alto Saxophone)

An Interview with multi-instrumentalist Tim Price

2007-02-22T02:18:00.000+01:00

Check out the first part of this interview on the SaxTips Podcast.

Go here now!

The Way To Mastery: Saxophone "Workout Book"!

2006-09-22T18:14:00.000+02:00

The newest saxophone publication from Evan Tate - The Way To Mastery: Saxophone "Workout Book"!
This book is designed to give the intermediate to advanced saxophonist a powerful regimen to keep sharp on all necessary skills for today's saxophonist.
Included in this ebook:

Tone Exercises
Embouchure Exercises
Scale Exercises
Interval Studies
Ear-Training Exercises
Exercises for the Extreme Ranges
Altissimo Exercises
Develop your saxophone skills faster with consistency.

Available NOW for only EUR 10,-. Go here to order!
For other products, go to: www.evantate.com

Vintage Saxophones

2006-05-17T14:19:00.000+02:00

by Kristy Annely

A saxophone is a musical instrument belonging to the woodwind category. It is one of the youngest musical instruments, invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian, in the 1840s. Later, many people made their own alterations to the instrument. Saxophones
were generally used in the military and in big orchestras but are now found in smaller bands as well. They are generally used for big band music, pop music and jazz. There are many kinds of saxophones but the four most common ones are: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones.

Vintage saxophones may not be in great playing condition, but are generally bought for collection purposes. Some suppliers also sell vintage saxophones that are repaired and in good condition. They can also be custom-restored to suit individual
requirements. Some manufacturers offer one-year guarantees on restored saxophones.

Otherwise, vintage saxophones are sold in "as is" condition to retain their original and antique value. Vintage saxophones can have frills like hand engravings on them. They are also generally gold- or silver-plated instead of being lacquered like
the new saxophones.

Here is a sampling of the vintage saxophones available at one dealer: King - super 20 and zephyr; Selmer - mark VII, mark VI, super balanced action, balanced action, super, radio improved, and cigar cutter; Buescher - true tone, aristocrat, and 400 top hat and cane; Conn - Chu Berry, conqueror (26 and 30M), and lady face (4M, 6M, 10M, and 12M); Martin - handcraft, magna and committee.

Vintage saxophones can be found at local music stores or in antique shops. They can also be found by browsing some special sites on the Internet, which provides hundreds of choices in vintage saxophones. However, some Internet dealers sell fake
vintage saxophones. Some suppliers of vintage saxophones offer certificates of guarantee, or even warranties.

About the author:

e-Saxophones provides detailed information on saxophones, jazz saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones and more. Saxophones is affliated with Violin Music .

Saxophone and Concert key

2006-05-15T09:41:00.000+02:00

This is a great little article posted by "Simon" at Jazzwise (UK) about the saxophone and concert key.

Quote:
"Concert key is perceived as irrelevant or a bane to most saxophonists. When new sheet music or instructional books are published, the first question some saxophonists ask is "when will the Eb or Bb versions appear?". This article presents reasons why maintaining this attitude is a limitation to your playing ability and reduces the opportunity to learn more about music in general."

Read the rest of the article.

Sax Lessons on CD-ROM

2005-10-30T22:28:00.000+01:00

Get a private lesson with me through my "Way To Mastery" CDs!

Each of these Lessons contains an MP3-file (approx. 60 minutes long) and accompaning exercises to the lesson in Adobe Acrobat PDF Format.

Available in English and German languages!

ALL Lessons are priced at EUR 15,00 each. FREE SHIPPING!!!

Orders within Germany can be made per Bank transfer and are sent free of shipping costs!

Bestellungen innerhalb Deutschland kann per Überweisung getätigt werden und sind Versandkostenfrei!

Lesson Topics:

Embouchure, Intonation & Tonal Development -
This lesson will involve the theory and practice of an effective embouchure, a sure-fire method to improve your intonation, and the theory and development of good tonal quality. Many exercises are included and demonstrated.

Ear-Training and the Saxophone -
This lesson involves learning to hear the most important intervals of western music. The concept is based on using the instrument you hear the most (your sax) to fine-tune your ears. Here you will also learn and develop relative pitch and perfect pitch.

Theory of Technique: How To Develop Fast Fingers -
This lesson will be introducing a theory of technique, a methodical way of approaching your goals and plenty of exercises!

Advanced Tonal Development through Overtones -
This lesson features more exercises and an advance philosophy of tonal development.

Altissimo Range: Preparation and Study -
How to prepare and approach learning the range above high f#. Tuning systems will be discussed and plenty of exercises are used to build consistency and great intonation.

Developing a Practice Regimen -
How to practice getting the most done with the least amount of effort. This lesson will involve goal-setting and planning.

Upcoming topics:
Jazz Improvisation (Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced)

Go to: "www.evantate.com" and then "Lessons" to order!

Way To Mastery: Saxophone Workshop

2005-08-08T09:00:00.000+02:00

"Playing the saxophone should be just as natural and relaxed as talking. The key to mastery of any instrument is to be able to have access to all your abilities and acquire new abilities in a stress-free manner." - Evan Tate

All Photos: Rock Shop, Karlsruhe, Germany

The "Way To Mastery Workshop: Saxophone" was created to promote this philosophy. The major part of these techniques are those taught by the Late Dr. Joe Allard, instructor of many world-known saxophonists. Among them are;
David Liebman
Steve Grossman
Michael Brecker
Eric Dolphy
Dave Tofani
Harry Carney
Paul Winter
Steve Lacy
Bob Berg
Ken Radnofsky
Paul Cohen
... and many others.

The "Way to Mastery" philosophy is based on basic laws of physics that help the saxophonist to accomplish more with less effort. Go against these laws and one makes it more difficult to reach the desired goal.

I have taught hundreds of saxophonists privately and through workshops over the past 15 years and the "Way To Mastery Workshop" is a compilation of these skills taught.

Here at the "Rock Shop" in Karlsruhe, Germany, I was greeted by over 80 saxophonists of various playing niveaus with great interest.

"Your Saxtips on cybersaxophone and your website have been a source of creativity to me." - Bidemi Treasure (per Email)

The Workshop handles the following topics and more:

The Basics - What does a musician have to be able to do in order to perform well consistently?
Theory of Tone Production - How is tone produced? What makes a "good tone"? How can you develop your own, personal, good saxophone sound?
Embouchure Theory - How do I develop a good, effective embouchure easily?
Breathing Theory - How do I develop good breath-control?
Tonguing – various techniques.
Intonation - How do I improve my intonation - FAST!
Technique - How do I develop Amazing fingers in a short period of time?
How do you practice? - How do I practive effectively and get the most work done and improve my musical skills at the same time?
"Mouthpiece–Reed–Ligature" - Combination - How do I get a setup that I can stay with for a long time?
The Altissimo Range - What is the best way for me to learn it and improve my sound and intonation?
The Soprano Saxophone - What are the challenges and how do I overcome them easily?
Further Recommendtions - Some of the best literature for jazz, classical, etc.

The Way to Mastery: Saxophone Workshop is just the beginning. Soon, I will be creating podcasts and CD-ROMs of the workshop for the benefit of all those who cannot attend or who I otherwise cannot visit personally.

So far I have given these workshops in Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, other cities in Baden-Würtemberg, Nordrhein-Westpfalen, and in Linz, Austria. Parts of these techniques you can read in the other articles in this blog. But for the full information listen and/or download the upcoming podcasts.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime at the email address in my profile above.

Enjoy!

Evan Tate on the Web

2005-06-28T00:07:00.000+02:00

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My Meeting with the Master

2005-03-27T16:24:00.000+02:00

Just before I ever heard of Joe Allard, I spent my freshman year in college as a Composition/Jazz Studies major at a University in Connecticut. After deciding that I wasn't learning my instrument the way I wanted to, I decided to audition for admission to the Manhattan School of Music back in my hometown of New York City.

At that time I had almost no knowledge of classical saxophone literature. I only had a few transcriptions from G.F. Handel. But I was going to go for it. I did not meet my future saxophone instructors at my audition, but I had read about them in the Manhattan School of Music admissions handbook. Both names were unfamiliar to me, but hey, this is the Manhattan School of Music! They had to be good.

A few weeks after my audition I received my letter of acceptance. I told the news to a couple of colleagues of mine and informed them that I would be studying with a guy named Joe Allard. Suddenly their eyes got really big. "Man, you're going to be studying with Joe Allard? Oh, I envy you." It seemed that with nearly everyone who I had talked to mentioning Joe's name, he got the biggest praises. I made the acquaintance of a professor of saxophone in the Virginia / Washington, D.C. area, who again, was astounded to hear the news that I would study with Joe Allard. I asked him; "Who is Joe Allard?" He explained to me that anybody who's anybody studied with him: Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Eddie Daniels, Eric Dolphy, Harry Carney... the list goes on. You can imagine I really got excited and eager to start the Fall Semester.

Well, the time finally came. After going through admissions and meeting fellow saxophone students, I was advised to go to Joe's teaching studio right away to schedule an appointment to make sure I got a good time. Before I entered his room, I imagined Joe was a man in his mid-30's to 40's with dark hair, tall with a medium build. Why did I imagine all that? I don't know. I could hear that Joe was still giving a lesson, so I waited patiently outside his room until it was over.

A few minutes later, a student left the room. I nervously knocked on the door as not to disturb him. As I entered the room, I saw a white-haired man with a close cut beard; he had a slight build, medium height and was about in his early 70's. He had a big bright smile and was full of energy. I first thought to myself; "Is this the master that everyone's been talking about?" I explained to him that I was a new student and that I was advised to come to him right away to make an appointment. The only slot he had left in his schedule was Monday mornings at 8 am. I agreed, although I wasn't too excited about having to get up so early.

I arrived at the school building the following Monday at 7 a.m. in order to warm up before the lesson. I came into his studio at 8 am. Joe was already there, reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of tea (I think. I can't recall all details). He was in a good mood and full of energy (in fact, he always full of energy). I sat down, packed out my horn, we exchanged a few words, and he asked me play something. Not knowing what to play, I began to play that what I did at my audtion. He stopped me not even midway. He spoke with me a while, explained a few things to me, showed me a few things. Joe never had his own horn with him. If he did play an instrument during the lesson, he played your horn and got a better sound than you did!

The concepts that he explained to me in that first lesson blew me away! It was almost like receiving a revelation! I became convinced immediately that this man is a Master Teacher. After I got home that day, I sent Joe a postcard. I thanked him for the lesson and that I was eagerly looking forward to the next lessons.

Joe was a very friendly, youthful man. In the school cafeteria, he always sat with the students and did not sit in the designated area for faculty. He wanted his students to call him "Joe" and not Mr. Allard or such. Joe was a very positive man, a supportive man. He had a no nonsense attitude about making music and playing the instrument. So many things he taught were based on simple laws of physics. He concepts challenged many previously held concepts of saxophone technique, embouchure, you name it. Joe stated that his job was not to teach you how to play, but to help you discover how you want to play, and give you the necessary tools and techniques to realize that goal.

I have taken as much of Joe's concepts to my more than 100 students that I've had over the past 15 years. Of course, I don't have the magic that Joe had, but I try to transmit what I can.
The years that I spent under his tutelage were some of the most productive and influential times in my musical life. I miss the Master as a teacher and as a person.

Many thanks to you, Joe!

We all miss you.

An Interview with Greg Osby

2005-03-22T11:20:00.000+01:00

This interview was conducted on the 28th of May 2003 at the Jazzclub Unterfahrt in Munich, Germany. Greg was currently on tour with the 'New Sound Collective' along with Terri Lynne Carrington, Steve Khan, and Jimmy Haslip. I spoke with Greg after the gig in the musician's room.

ET: You were born in St. Louis. How did you come to play saxophone?

GO: Well, you know (in) the junior high school band, 7th grade, 12 years old; there was a choice of playing trombone or clarinet. And of course I jumped to the clarinet because it looked more interesting. And one year later, this is 1972 actually, I got my hands on a saxophone and immediately fell in love with that because it was applicable to more contemporary situations. But I stuck with the clarinet as well because of the challenges. So I was doubling. And a year later I got a flute. So, by the time I was 13 I was playing saxophone, flute and clarinet. So, I took to it very rapidly because I enjoyed it so much. And after two years from the beginning, I was good enough to play with some the local bands. I was playing in Blues band, pop bands and soul bands, and R&B. Because you know in the 70's, they didn't have synthesizers so they had to have a horn section. So, I learned to play in the soul bands, and to play in a section. It was really good. It was important.

ET: Do you come out of a musical family?GO: No, no musicians at all. It was just a stroke of fate, and I'm really happy that it happened that way. Because I would stand out and it was unique and music posed a whole set of challenges, and it gave me something to work on and to work towards.

ET: You mentioned that you played with local R&B bands and such. What brought you to jazz?

GO: Well, I guess while I was playing in those bands, it was frustrating for me. Although we did take solos it was usually over one chord like a groove or some vamp. And even though I didn't know much about the higher properties of music, I knew that there was a lot more that could be done. There was a lot more potential. So, a friend of mine, he gave me a Charlie Parker record and I had never heard anybody play like that. I never heard saxophone played so intricately and with so much complexity. So, I got my hands on every Charlie Parker record I could. And then Cannonball Adderley and Sonny Stitt followed. You know, technicians. Players of my instrument. So that started it. Because I said; “Wow! I didn’t know that this was possible.” And then I studied on my own and I questioned a lot of the older players around St. Louis. I asked a lot of questions. Not formal study, but badgering them. Actually, following them and being a pest. And when you you’re young you have to be shameless and full of will. You can’t be shy. And you can’t be afraid of rejection and you can’t be afraid to expose the fact that you don’t know something. Wherever the information lies, you have to go for it. From players in your peer group, or players who have been playing a little longer, or older players. So, I just jumped in headfirst.

ET: Who were some of the older players in the St. Louis area?

GO: People like Willie Aikins, and Freddy Washington, and E. O'Harra Spearman, these were local players in St. Louis, though. People really don’t know them, but they were very inspirational to me, because I was able to see at a young age, players on that level, of that caliber, on a professional level. They were actually very generous with the information (they gave me). They told me exactly what I needed to study, and what I need to approach and do. So, it was good. I was informed properly at an impressionable age.

ET: You studied at the famous Howard University and Berklee College of Music. Could you tell us what were the greatest “highlights” of what you got out of these institutions?

GO: Well, interestingly enough, while I was there (Howard Univ.) I was very resistant to what was being taught. The fundamentals that were being presented were primarily Western European choral writing, counterpoint and things like that. I was resistant because I didn’t see the value in that. I couldn’t see how that could be applicable to any kind of contemporary situation. I called it “powdered wig” music.

[Outburst of laughter]

[Terri Lynne Carrington: “Powdered wig” music?]

Yeah, I said; “I can’t make any money playing this. I’m not going to play in any orchestras playing saxophone.” So, then I became very impatient after my second year and visited the Berklee College of Music. I had some friends studying there. And after sitting in on a couple of ensembles there, those teachers wrote letters of recommendation about me to the Directors of Admissions. So, I got a scholarship to go there. So, I transferred from Washington, D.C. to Boston. There was a higher caliber of players, there were more players and it was much more intense because it wasn’t a university, but a music conservatory. So, it was great. Now, in retrospect to look back at the things I learned initially, the choral writing, figured bass, and all that· now, that encompasses a great deal of how I approach music. Dealing with form and structures.

ET: Now that you found a medium where you actually can apply it, it makes sense.

GO: Yeah. So, it’s all relative. There’s really no such thing as disposable information for me. Some things you may not see the purpose for or value in, but there are various ways you can incorporate that information into your craft.

ET: You display a phenomenal technical ability on your instrument. Do you have a certain type of philosophy about how you approach the saxophone on the technical aspects?

GO: Well, during my formative years, the years I was in college, I endeavored to try to develop a technique that was unique, that was exclusive to me, that was readily identifiable. When people heard it, they would know that it was me. This was as a young player. I really had no business thinking that, but that is what I wanted to do. I knew I would be up against legions of saxophone players, all going for the same gigs, and I said; “What can I do?” So, as opposed to be exclusively studying Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins and other established players of my instrument, I also studied a great deal of piano players. It almost superceded my study of saxophone. I transcribed a lot of Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, Herbie Nichols, um… Nat Cole, Fats Waller, Teddy Edwards, Phineas Newborn, Errol Garner, like really technical… Jaki Byard, those kind of players.

ET: It’s funny that you mention that, because that’s my impression when I hear you play. To me it sounds like you’re trying to play piano. I mean, I can hear the influence.

GO: That’s right on the head. I’m trying to play polyphonic technique on a monophonic instrument, like a two-handed duality kind of thing. A pianist can play in different directions, they can “comp” with themselves, and they can do different kind of things because they have two hands and ten fingers. So, I’m playing a simulation of that. You know, jumping registers and doing real technical kind of things and larger groups, and smaller intervals and smaller clusters· so, that’s exactly what it is. I would take a 4-bar, or 8-bar or 16-bar phrase from Bud Powell, so to speak· transcribe that. Sometimes the whole solo but more likely, exactly what

I wanted which would be a great run, or a great passage. And I would put that on the top line of some manuscript paper and consequently, I would transpose it into all twelve keys. So, as opposed to working on that line in one key, I would work it in all keys. So, I would work on that until I have it under my fingers, for a week or two. Then I would that take same line and start altering accidentals, changing rhythms, changing the stress points and accents, and stuff. So, that by the time I had modified it after a month or two or so, it no longer sounded like the original line. It sounded more like a Greg Osby line. So, therefore I could retain it a lot more readily on the bandstand or in a jam session because it sounds like something that I made up, but its origins came from somebody who really knew what they were doing.

ET: So, you were really going through the process of getting the most out of the material that you were picking up.

GO: Sure. It’s an evolution, it’s like theme and variations and it taught me how to modify things and think quickly on the spot. Say, for instance, you’re on a tour and you’re playing the same songs in the same sequence every night. You have to figure out different approaches.

ET: Right.

GO: So, by doing that, if you have four variants of the same line, I have four different ways of doing it. I can change rhythms and delete things, add things, and stagger things, you know, it’s endless. So, it really baffles me when I hear younger players say; “I don’t know to practice.”, “I don’t know what to study.” You know, there is a great deal to be done with smaller fragments of information. You can just change rhythms, you can add accidentals, and you can delete things but you have to have an imagination and just say to yourself “What if?”

ET: Along the way, did you have any saxophone instructors that were most memorable to you, or had the biggest influence on you?

GO: When I was playing in these funk bands in high school; we were playing exclusively by ear. We would learn Earth, Wind and Fire songs, Tower of Power, you know, we played them from records, we were playing by ear. So there was no written music. So I developed a great ear, so that I can hear things and play it back. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, we had this turntable that was really temperamental. The turntable was a belt-driven turntable. It was affected by humidity, and heat. If it was too hot, it would run fast, if it was to cold it would run slow, so the key was always different. So, if the tune was in “C”, we would invariably play that tune in “B” or “C#”. If it was “F”, it was “F#” or “E”. So we’d always played tunes in the most difficult keys, with the most sharps and flats. We didn’t now. We didn’t know any better, we just thought that all tunes were in “C#”, and “F#”. So, that gave me a great deal of facility in these really difficult keys. I developed a great deal of fearlessness, when I saw key signatures, because I didn’t know any better. And I also learned to play saxophone in a very unorthodox way, because I didn’t have formal instruction until I got to college. I was fingering things really uniquely and unorthodox, it was quite interesting. So when I did get to Howard University, there was classical instruction, you know, all the saxophone majors had to study classical. And I was really resistant because I really didn’t like the sound of that French school of classical saxophone. I didn’t like the discipline, you know, they tried to make me play a small mouthpiece with a really soft reed and all that. I just didn’t like it. So, I was reluctant but I did it anyway just for the grade. But in retrospect, he helped me out a lot. There were keys on the saxophone I didn’t even know what they were for. I played all my “Bb’s” with two fingers and a side key. I didn’t even use the “bis” key at all, or even “one-to-one”. So, I had the most difficult fingering for real easy things. When I learned other options, I had a lot of alternate fingerings and that’s what I do now. I have alternate fingerings for different keys, different passages, different tempos and stuff, which allowed me a greater flexibility than some players who had only one way of doing things.

ET: What advice would you give a young saxophonist today, according to the instrument and to playing music in general?

GO: Well, first of all, I’d encourage any player, young or old, to try to maximize what they are working with. “Play the hand you are dealt.” A lot of players have this illusion that if they buy an Otto Link mouthpiece, they are going to sound like Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon or whomever. Not only has that been done to death, there is no guarantee that you will succeed. These players were dealing with a very personalized physiology; their oral cavity, chest cavity, lung capacity, bone structure, those issues factors into how they sounded.

ET: It all pays a role.

GO: Right. So, the thing is to really examine how you play, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and capitalize on the strengths and to develop and hone the weaknesses. So, you have to be honest. If your technique is faulty or if your tone is weak, or you don’t have any endurance, you can work on these things. It’s pointless to drill yourself in areas where you excel. If you can play your scales flawlessly, and play your arpeggios great, there’s no point on doing that everyday. What you need to do is work on the stuff that is weak. If your high register is thin, you need to work on your long tones. If in your low register you have to honk out notes, you need a softer reed. A lot of people won’t do that. They’re playing the setup that their idol played, not realizing that Cannonball was a really big guy, and Charlie Parker had a lot of power, you know that kind of thing. You have to deal with your sound, and polish it. The sound that I’m playing with is basically the sound that I’ve always had. It might be stronger now, and more centered and focused, but it’s basically the same sound. I never endeavored to sound like Sonny Stitt.

ET: There’s a certain “Kernel” to your sound that’s always you, because it is you. It’s your jaw, your teeth…

GO: It’s like your speaking voice you can’t change it. You can’t really change it. So the best thing to do is, you try to enunciate and try to have as much focus and proper musical diction as possible. It comes from dealing with articulation, you know, tonguing exercises, and good reading, good posture, good attack, not to be sloppy and not developing lazy and bad habits. My saxophone teacher· I’m happy now, at that time I was really angry at him. He used to hit our hands with a ruler. Gary Thomas, and me we were at college at the same time, so we had the same teacher and he was into the “sticky fingers” technique, where your fingers don’t leave the keys too much. That’s the Charlie Parker technique. He used to say, “Don’t flap your fingers”, “Don’t show people what fingerings you’re playing”, “Don’t use excessive body movement”, you know, focus. My other teacher at Berklee, Andy McGhee, he would talk about; “Play to the exit sign”, “Don’t play to the people in the first row, play to the people in the back row. Throw your sound back there.” I want to give the simulation that, if you’re a smaller framed cat, like me· if somebody hears me on tape, they should think that you weigh 300 pounds. He wanted your sound to be wide, and fat, and broad and distinct… projecting. You don’t want it to come out of the bell and let it drop to the floor, you want to throw it like a ventriloquist. To the back. So, those types of things, you get a visual picture and· it was some very helpful information. He never told me what to do and what not to do. He said, just follow your instincts and just be honest. If you know that you need work on in a certain area, you have to do the work.

ET: No one else is going to do it for you.

GO: The results are directly reflective of the work.

ET: Who was your instructor at Howard?

GO: At Howard, his name was Reginald Jackson. He was a renowned classical cat on alto. He made the alto sound like…it didn’t even sound like an alto anymore.

ET: More like a cello probably.

GO: Yeah, it was a Buffet and he had half-moon cork in the low Bb and B keys and when he played he just had so much control. He could whisper a low Bb and come from complete silence. I just marveled at his control. However, he could never improvise, he couldn’t sight-read jazz rhythms, -syncopation. He used multiphonics and played tricky fingerings. He was from the French school. He studied in France. So, I listened to him and extracted from that experience what I could. But I never wanted to pursue that as a lifestyle. But there are still remnants of those studies still in my playing. The control. Even though, I don’t fancy myself as a practitioner or die-hard fan of classical saxophone.

ET: I noticed also when I hear you play; I hear a lot of classical saxophone technique, as far as the control is concerned. I had wondered if you had seriously spent any time doing that.

GO: That may be by default. I never really paid attention, even when I was studying.

ET: That’s why I didn’t assume. It could happen without having to deal with…

GO: Sure, because I would just cram for the lesson an hour before. [Outburst of laughter] I had a whole week to study the stuff, and I tried to shed an hour before, because I hated it. So, it’s just by default.

ET: So hey, that about wraps it up. It’s been a great pleasure talking with you and you’ve shared a lot of great information. Many thanks to you Mr. Greg Osby.

Greg Osby is one of the most innovative voices of the saxophone and of jazz today. You can visit Greg at www.gregosby.com. You’ll find MP3 and MIDI files to download, photos, more interviews and more. His latest recording “St. Louis Shoes” is available at Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009L52P/ntnmedianet0b-20

Alternate Fingering: High Notes

2005-03-13T16:50:00.000+01:00

This week, we'll shortly explore alternate fingering for notes in the higher range. Alternate fingerings have the purpose of making things easier for us to perform and extending our technical ability. Some alternate fingerings serve the purpose of changing the timber of a certain note. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to play your left palm high "D" without the octave key to alternatively play middle "D". This "D" is more "open" the regular fingering for this note. Try playing low "C#" with the octave key in order to play middle "C#". This produces a "C#" that has a more "closed" sound rather than regular open C# fingering.

I'd like to present two sets of alternate fingerings here that are used to enhance your technique for playing high "E", "F" and "F#".

The first set involves using the alternate high "F" key found above the "b" key on the left hand. If you depress this key with your left index finger, and then your middle finger depressing the "C/A" key, and your ring finger depressing the "G" key, and using the octave key, you'll produce a high "E".

To produce high "F", use the same fingerings mentioned above omitting the ring finger on the "G" key.

To produce high "F#", use the same alternate fingering for high "F" as above and include the side "A#" key (right hand palm key).

The second set of alternate fingering are a bit unusual and may at first be difficult to produce the desired tone, but if you play them often, they will speak as they should.

To produce a high "E", use the normal fingering for a high "G#" and include the high "E" key (as played by the right hand when you play a nor mal high "E").

To produce a high "F", use the same fingering for high "E", minus the left hand ring finger.

To produce a high "F#", finger the "Bis Bb", depress the "G#" key and the high "E" key on the right hand palm.

I've prepared some exercises to begin using these fingerings, which you can download under http://www.evantate.de/media/altfingeringex.pdf

Evan Tate is a freelance musician/instructor and the author of "Way to Mastery: Saxophone". He holds a BM of Music from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Allard and has over 20 years of professional playing and teaching experience and has performed at various jazz festivals and radio broadcasts. Since 1993, he is an endorser for Julius Keilwerth saxophones.http://www.evantate.de or mailto:evan@evantate.de

"So you wanna play saxophone, huh?"

2005-03-12T16:29:00.000+01:00

No other instrument enjoys so much popularity as the saxophone. People love its sound. How many times have you heard people say; You play saxophone? Thats my favorite instrument! Whether its jazz (where the sax is the number 1 symbol of the music), pop music (next to a screaming guitar solo, fans love a hot sax) or any other contemporary style of music, the saxophone has secured a place in the hearts and minds of avid listeners.

That much more pressure is on you, the saxophonist, to live up to many expectations. Now, dont get me wrong. I am someone who believes in setting personal standards and not chasing after the ideals of others as far as how one should play. Nonetheless, we are all confronted with the desires and ideas of others and somehow must give a little compliance to these ideas in order to lead a successful saxophone career.

Think about it. What made you choose the sax as an instrument to play? Was it the sound? Its popularity? The desire to play modern music? Was it forced upon you? Were there certain saxophonists that you heard that inspired you to play it, too? You see, you also had your own ideas, desires and expectations and you still do.

What are you doing to live up to your expectations? Are you practicing what you want to play, or are you just practicing? Do you have an idea about what sound youd like to have, or are you hoping to develop a sound some day?

The saxophone carries a long history behind it with many master players in very diverse directions of music. The sax may be a little over 100 years old, but it has come a long way from Adolphe Saxs attempts to have it included in the orchestra, and it having to settle for a place in military bands.

Saxophone technology has come a long way. There have been attempts to re-invent the instrument. Jim Schmidt tries it. Check out http://cvip.fresno.com/~js210/. Simultaneously its experiencing a retro phase (Check out the Selmer Reference, Julius Keilwerth saxophones).

In my humble opinion, I believe that saxophone pedagogy is still in its baby shoes, but more techniques are being discovered to advance this area as well.

Mouthpieces mad from different metal alloys and woods have also taken their place next to the standard hard rubber and plastic models. Cane reeds have to share their place with plastic-covered and fully synthetic reeds as well. Ligatures have taken all forms and are made from several materials.

Today, we have such a wide choice in equipment; its baffling trying to keep up with it all. But be glad! The up side of it all is that we have more choices than ever before, and we will probably continue to have ever more choices in the years to come. Adolphe Sax can actually be proud if he were alive today.

Think about it. Where do you fit in amongst of all this? What statement do you wish to make to contribute to the vast history of the saxophone (if at all)?

Many more composers have taken on the challenge of writing for saxophone as for years gone by. Some attempts have been successful. Many have been failures. But the beat goes on. (Or is that the honk?)

So, you wanna play saxophone, huh? Well, do your best and honor the instrument by being the best you can be.

Have fun,

Evan Tate

More Tips on Self-Promotion

2005-03-10T19:11:00.000+01:00

Hey! Here are some more self-promotion tips I think that one really needs to think about and implement. Playing your instrument well is great and often necessary, but promoting your talent is the "A and O" of your career.

* If you have a CD (regardless if it's "official" or self-produced) or a music cassette of your music - Give it away! Hand it out to your friends, family, colleagues, students, anyone who you'd think should hear it and could eventually help your name get around. If you've recorded a CD and had it reproduced say, 500 times, give about 50 of them away. Yes, 10%! Don't think of it as losing money, but as investing in your career.

* If you teach lessons, make special offers. For example, offer a block of 5 lessons and give the student 10% off the fifth lesson. If you hand out your own materials during your lessons, see to it that your name is on every sheet of paper. For example, I use a music notation program on my computer.

I print out my own manuscript paper with my name and my email address and telephone number ("Evan Tate - evan@evantate.de") on the bottom of every sheet. In case, that sheet of music paper should wander elsewhere, someone else has seen your name and can contact you in the future.

* Send out a regular newsletter to all your students and/or contacts. Inform them about your projects, concerts and activities. And I do mean regularly. It is extremely important that your contacts should see your name on a regular basis - weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, whatever you choose but DO IT!

Collect those mail addresses and Email addresses and get that information out.

* Produce flyers and postcards advertising your band, concerts and music lessons, and bring them by every music store you deal with personally. Build rapport with the clerks and storeowners. These people are an important source for repeat business. They recommend you to customers who ask about where to get music lessons, a band for a wedding, school dance, etc.

I hope that you find these tips very useful to you. Of course, there are many more things one can do to promote oneself. Brainstorm a few things and get going!

Evan Tate is a freelance musician/instructor and the author of "Way to Mastery: Saxophone". He holds a BM of Music from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Allard and has over 20 years of professional playing and teaching experience and has performed at various jazz festivals and radio broadcasts. Since 1993, He is an endorser for Julius Keilwerth saxophones.

http://www.evantate.de or mailto:evan@evantate.de

How to Quit Playing Sax

2005-03-10T11:18:00.000+01:00

Before you get the wrong idea, I'm not trying to get any of you to give up playing the sax. During the careers of nearly every musician, (and many of them quite famous) there comes a time when one has doubts whether all that they are doing, playing, etc will ever amount to a successful career as a musician. Ive always said that every artist has quit the profession at least 5 times in his/her career. No joke. They'll come a time when your technique seems to not be good any more, you won't get any calls for gigs over a longer period of time, you may be working a day job and you feel that you'll never be able to quit it because you dont make enough money as a musician to support yourself or your lifestyle. The list goes on.

First of all, I'd like to say that this is actually healthy. Really! When you get to one of these points, it's always a message to you and one should treat it as an opportunity and not as "bad luck". Personally, I don't believe in "bad luck". Luck is the meeting of preparation with opportunity. "Bad Luck" is therefore the meeting of no preparation and therefore no opportunities. Get my drift? When you get to the point of doubting yourself, find out what's getting you so upset. If youve got no gigs maybe you've been relying to much on other people to hire you and not having enough self-initiative to keep yourself in work. If youre playing plenty of gigs but they're not the type of gigs you can be proud of "maybe you're not setting your standards high enough. If your technique is lacking " maybe you're ignoring other things about your playing. If youre having a relationship crisis maybe youre paying too much attention to your sax. ??? Who knows? You do!

Take the time to evaluate what youre doing and/or not doing. Take a break! Go fishing. (By the way, I've read that Phil Woods had done this regularly. Every Sunday, he wouldnt play his horn. He'd go fishing.) Read a book! Go places! Meet new people. Get around places where lifes more positive. Itll supercharge you and give you new ideas and new courage to keep on keepin' on.

Have fun!

Jazz Improvisation

2005-03-08T23:20:00.000+01:00

If you've read the interview with Greg Osby, you'll noticed that Greg talked about the need to optimize whatever techniques that you pick up and/or transcribe to improve your playing in general and for improvisation in specific.

I'd like to introduce you to a technique that I have used over the years teaching students jazz improvisation with varying levels of ability. The most popular "school" method of learning improvisation has been the "Chord/Scale" approach. That is basically learning to use certain scales over certain chords in order to learn the different sounds of the scales and accompanying chords. Along with this method I like to use what I call as a "Minimalist Approach" to improvisation. It is based simply on the premise that in improvisation, we need to construct melodies, much in the same way a composer composes a melody. A composer starts with a single musical idea, a germ or "motif" if you will. This motif is then expanded, turned upside-down, transposed, interpolated, rhythmically varied, etc. in order to use the material to the maximum. We can approach improvisation the same way.

On the "SaxTips eZine" website, I have provided a link to a PDF document displaying various exercises for improvisation that you may use to your benefit and to illustrate the concept somewhat better. You may also download this file directly by going to http://www.evantate.de/media/Ex4Improv.pdf.

The first exercises display an exercise for beginners using a simple dominant 7^th chord progression in coasting along the Cycle of Fourths. You can use the Play-along recording provided by Jamey Aebersold "II-V7-I, Cycles and Turnarounds" for this purpose. It starts with playing just the root tone of the chord on every change. Then the first 3 notes of the scale are played. Following that, the first 5 notes of the scale are played. Then it gets a little more "jazzy" by playing the first, second, third and fifth tones of the scales (this is the famous 1-2-3-5 pattern). Next, the pattern is varied using 1-2-5-3, then 5-3-2-1, then 3-5-2-1. This is just a beginning to illustrate what can be done with just 4 notes of a scale.

In the next segment, using 8^th notes, we are mixing patterns "1-2-3-4-5-3-2-1. Then, 5-4-3-2-1-2-3-5. Following that, I've provided a simple bluesy V7 lick " 1-2-3-5-b7-5-6-6-5-1. Next, a linear approach to chord connecting is introduced " 3-2-1-b7-3-2-1-b7, etc.

Now the first II-V7-I pattern is introduced "b3-2-1-b-7-3-5-b7-9-5. Then using a couple of simple ii-V7 sequences.

Next, more advanced players can incorporate a basic Be-Bop lick over the Dominant 7^th chord.

Finally, for the really advanced players I've provided what I call a "Jazz Etude" or "Practice Solo". It is based on a concept that I first learned from saxophonist Steve Grossman. If Classical etudes are used to learn and convey the language of classical literature, then it may be just as helpful to do the same in a jazz context. Here, I've provided a basic blues progression. I wrote a solo using entirely eighths notes, without rests. The purpose here is three-fold. One is to help develop a linear thinking in your playing. Two, to improve your technique. Three, it is done this way in order that you don't just memorize the exercises and then play it on stage! (You have to breathe some time!) Steve Grossman contends that part of the difficulty in playing tunes in harder keys is not so much as the lack of technical ability, but more so the lack of being able to hear in those keys. Blues in concert Bb sounds great. We all know it. But as soon as we have to play blues in A or Ab, or B we seem to not only stumble and run out of ideas, but we can't seem to "hear" blues in that key. Using an exercise such as this is used solely to give a key (as opening a door) to learn to hear in those "difficult" keys by using material that is familiar to our ears already. Subsequently, after you've gotten this exercise under your fingers and in your ears, transpose it to another key, a harder one, and learn to play it and hear it in that key. Eventually, add on a chorus or two to the exercise. This way you can concentrate on the way you want to learn to play and integrate it into your playing. Take licks out of a transcribed solo from one of your favorites and build it in!

If you'd like more exercises like this, download it here: http://www.evantate.de/media/PracticeSolo.pdf

Have fun!

Being and Staying Prepared

2005-03-08T16:57:00.000+01:00

Today I'm going to tell you about an experience I had when I was in the early years my profession. I was a hard lesson to learn, but also one I never forgot.

I had just graduated college and had gotten a "dream job" (which was any regular gig playing music and making good money at it). I got an opportunity to tour with the musical "Bubblin' Brown Sugar", a jazz musical, throughout Europe. I played Tenor sax and clarinet. Things were riding smooth. Soon, I was able to memorized the whole book and play with reading. I saw a little bit of the world, met interesting people and played with some fine musicians. After a few months, I go back home to New York City and I got a call from a colleague who I was just on tour with. Jackie Byard's big band (the Apollo Stompers) was playing a weekend gig in the Village and they needed a sub on 2nd alto. I thought, "Great! I can get to read some charts again, and possibly make some more contacts for more jazz gigs. I asked, "When is the rehearsal?", I was told that there was no rehearsal. I just needed to show up to the club and play the gig.

Well, Friday evening came and I showed up nice and early for the gig, ready to blow. Most of the band was already there, too. Jackie Byard wasn't there yet. I heard from a couple of the other guys in the band that there were a number of subs in the band that night. Almost half the band!

The guy next to me playing lead alto sax asked me if I'd like to play lead. I declined saying I was hired to play second alto. He told me that he was a sub too and didn't know the book! Well, Jackie Byard showed up 10 minutes before the downbeat and brought the music with him. Just so you understand, none of the "new" guys got to see the music at all before we had to play. Tough!

Anyway, Jackie passed out the charts and called out the first tune. We all flipped through the book, looking to the tune and Jackie started counting off! The tune was a "Rhythm changes" at break-neck tempo with a sax soli. You can imagine how many of us panicked! On top of "fluffing" through a lot of the notes, the big moment came: the first solo with a solo break. Who was it? Yes, you got it. Me! The second alto was to play the first solo! I was barely able to keep the tempo and just made it through by the skin of my teeth. After my solo there was even more sax soli to play.

After the first tune was over, you can imagine how I felt. I was shaken! Jackie was cursing at the band (so that the audience didn't hear it), and I felt 2 inches tall. The rest of the evening was a little quieter but there were always surprises.

On the way home that night, I was determined to play the next two nights better than ever and really fight to play everything in sight.

The next two nights went a lot better, but nonetheless, after it was over, I got paid, no "thank you"s, and didn't get a call to play with the band again.

Lesson here? You always have to be ready. Ready to read anything, solo over anything at any tempo, and keep your chops up. You see, although when I was on tour, I always kept practicing (which can be hard to do on tour) but forgot to keep my reading chops up. Well, I paid a dear price for ignoring that.

Now, you all may not live near a metropolitan city where the music scene is so intense as it is in New York, or Chicago, Philadelphia or Los Angeles, but it pays to keep your skills at the highest caliber you possibly can - just in case.

Have fun!

Music, Midi and Sax

2005-03-08T06:50:00.000+01:00

Here we are in the next Millennium! The music industry continues to evolve and musicians are being afforded more opportunities to create music.

What's definitely here to stay is the marriage of traditional acoustic music and computers. Whether you're performing music with a combination of acoustic instruments and electronic instruments (such as samplers and sequencers), solely electronic, or just using the computer to write your acoustic music scores, MIDI (that's Musical Instrument Digital Interface for those who've still shied away from electronics) continues to play an integral role in all of this.

In the electronic perspective, as synthesizers are for pianos, electronic wind instruments are for wind instruments. Over the years there have been many instruments that have sprung up to meet the challenge with varying degrees of success. Starting from the low-cost "toys" like the Casio MIDI sax, to more professional models like the AKAI EWI, Yamaha WX7, WX11 and WX5, and the seldom used or heard of Synthophone from the Swiss saxophonist and computer specialist Martin Hurni.

We've come a long way from the first electronically amplified saxophone using a wah-wah pedal or other effects to fully electronic instruments that use saxophone-like fingerings (like the EWI and WX-models) to actual saxophones jam-packed with electronics, such as the Synthophone.

Many saxophonists have experimented with this new challenge in different ways. Greg Osby and Gary Thomas electronically amplified their horns and used Pitch-to-MIDI converters in order to drive synthesizers and sequencers on various recordings with Jack De Johnettes band "Special Edition" and their own recordings. Michael and Randy Brecker used a wah-wah pedal in earlier recordings of the "Brecker Bros", and Mike later picked up the EWI with "Steps Ahead" and his own recordings. Concert saxophonist John Sampen has used the WX-7 in specially hired works for the instrument. Saxophonist Chico Freeman used a Synthophone on a live recording while on tour in Germany. Steve Coleman has also used the Synthophone although solely in his home studio for sequencing purposes. I've even heard that Branford Marsalis has experimented with it.

Whether you're considering using one on stage, in the studio or just for fun, there are a few obstacles connected with these instruments, but may be well worth the effort to investigate them.

The Yamaha and AKAI models are what I call "new animals". They are intended to use saxophone-like fingers but they are not saxophones in any sense. That may please you in the way that you will treat it like a new, unfamiliar instrument. It may bother you because you have to learn to play another instrument and not just let loose and play as you do a sax. The Synthophone is an actually saxophone stuffed with electronics but mind you, it generates no acoustic sounds at all, just like the other instruments. You may like that because the learning curve is a lot smaller. Again, that may bother you that it is a sax because it doesn't really respond the sax way as a sax does. All in all it is a matter of personal preference which electronic wind instrument may be worth your time and money. They can be expensive.

If you use music software such as Steinberg's CUBASE, Elogic or CODA's Finale, you can hook up your "e-sax" to your computer to enter notes into your scores the same way you would do with a MIDI keyboard. Instead of struggling to play a piano solo for your sequencing project, maybe you want to play it with your "e-sax" instead.

I personally have experimented along this direction. I've used a Roland VP-70 Digital Voice Processor (in Pitch-to-MIDI mode) with Korg Poly 800 (Monophonic/Analog sounds) and Yamaha TX81-Z (Polyphonic/FM-Snythesis) synthesizers with a contact microphone on my sax bell. This worked very neatly in the studio, but it was a catastrophe on the stage. The problem there was that a Pitch-to-MIDI converter can only process one note at a time. Fine in the secluded cabin of a recording studio. But on stage you get "spill over" from the guitar, the drums, the bass, etc. - too many signals - the VP would just shut down. I had to change programs in order to get it to kick in again. I should have used a built-in microphone, but really didn't want to have a hole drilled into the neck and I really didn't want to change necks in the middle of gig.

Anyway, while using an "e-sax" many things have to be learned and taken into consideration. Sounds are the biggest issue in my opinion. I've heard many failed attempts at it. The most common mistake of the "newbie" is to use synthesizer sounds that are really made for a keyboard instrument in mind. If you try to play the sound as though it's a wind instrument, it really sounds terrible. One really has to pick sounds that are more adept for a wind instrumentalist's technique.

Have fun,

Evan Tate

"Tales from the Crypt"

2005-03-06T21:55:00.000+01:00

This weeks issue is NOT about the old television horror program that played in the 70s (although it may still run now, and I imagine many of you are too young to have even heard of this program. Whatever.), but it is another story about my early experiences as a young musician. I often feel that these are horror stories in their own right, but I find that they are also useful as I think back on these experiences.

Like (or unlike) many saxophonists today, I started as a saxophonist, and not as a clarinetist that later switched to saxophone. In fact, I avoided playing clarinet for the longest time. Although my middle school band teacher tried to encourage me to learn clarinet I listened to my schoolmates play it and, of course, they sounded terrible I didnt listen to him, and the clarinet and I were like a string of garlic and Dracula.

In High School I picked up the flute and learned to play that with a lot of dedication. I even considered playing oboe, but I was told that there were too many oboists in the school already and not enough instruments to go around. Anyway, my mother advised that I stay away from oboe due to the massive pressure to ones head.

By the time I got to college I had to finally face the fact that clarinet was going to become a part of my life (at least a small part, if any). I finally bought one. I forgot which brand it was. The next day, a colleague of mine called me up and told me that a High School in Brooklyn was putting on a student production of the musical West Side Story. The organizers of the production were looking for college music majors to form the orchestra. I asked him, What do I need? He said; Your alto sax, flute and CLARINET. I thought, Cool. So I can start using this thing and get a return on my investment. I told him that I was up for the gig.

West Side Story is a beautiful musical. A beautiful piece of work. I had no idea how difficult, or should I say musically challenging it was.

Since the production was low budget (almost all budgets are), the musicians had to double-up on books. What do I mean? Well, I played the first reed book, AND the second reed book. I had to play music for two musicians! I had to figure out which were the most important cues to play, and play them regardless of which book they were in. the whole band played this way.

On top of that, the clarinet parts were not for someone who was just learning to play clarinet. The most challenging part was the Rumble Scene. It is like a very modern classical work and the clarinet is VERY exposed. No chance to cover up anything here.

Believe it or not, I learned to play clarinet playing that musical. I shedded clarinet for hours a day. Mainly practicing the music to West Side Story.

Lesson here? When an experienced musician or teacher wants to give you some advice, listen to it. Even if at that moment you didnt think it was the coolest thing, take heed. You can save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress in the future.

Have fun!

Ways to Cultivate Creativity

2005-03-06T21:54:00.002+01:00

Whether or not you're an improvising musician or not, creativity is an integral part of this profession. We need creativity not only to find the best ways to play a passage, express a cadenza, whale a bluesy solo, or play the most interesting chord progressions over a modal tune. We need creativity first and foremost, in my opinion, to solve problems. We need it to adjust our intonation when blending with other instruments, to find an effective way to master our scales, arpeggios, chord progressions, trills, interpreting pieces and styles of music. Yes, we are called on to be creative more often than we probably have ever acknowledged.

Here are some tips you can try to cultivate and nurture your creativity:

1. Listen to music everyday. If you already do that, take advantage of listening to various styles of music. Go to your public library and dig out archived recordings of music you've never heard of and give them a listen. Please do this regularly.

2. Practice something your usually don't. If you're a jazzer, practice some classical etudes. If you're a classical saxophonist, explore some jazz exercises and articulations. Nothing expands your creativity as much as expanding your musical horizons.

3. Learn to play another instrument. If you don't have the time or patience for that, play the music of another instrument. Get a hold of an etude book for flute, oboe, violin, piano, recorder, guitar - and do some sight-reading.

4. Transcribe solos of another instrument. It's been known that Miles Davis often listened to guitar players. Dave Sanborn listened not only to Hank Crawford, but also Stevie Wonder's harmonica playing to get his soulful sound. Greg Osby listened to and transcribed piano solos. Expand your horizons! (You've heard that before, haven't you? :-))

5. If you're not already an avid reader, I suggest you take on this habit. Read! Read! Read! Read a book. Read a magazine. Read the music industry periodicals. Read lifestyle mags, fashion mags... If you don't read this stuff already, you can borrow them from your sister, brother, mother, father, girlfriend, boyfriend, neighbor, whatever the last guy left sitting on the seat in the bus, etc. Read stuff you've never read before. Read stuff you'd never had an interest in before (you may just be surprised).

6. Take 15 minutes a day, or an hour or two a week and think about how or what you could improve on in your present situation. Get creative! Write it down and put it into action. Today!

A Minimalist approach to improvisation

2005-03-06T21:54:00.001+01:00

Often times when we are improvising in jazz or any other idiom for that matter, we come to a point where we are in search for new ideas. There has never been a shortage of scales and patterns to try and utilize. Improvisation can also be looked upon as spontaneous composition. So what about using one of the essentials for composition? The Motif.

A Motif is a germ, or small musical particle that sets the mood and direction of a composition. We find similar qualities in all music genres. The best examples in jazz music are blues tunes. One can follow the same logic in many swing and Big Band tunes and arrangements from the swing era up through the Hard Bop era.

This has of course, been a great tool for improvisation, even in the most modern and avant garde idioms.

Lets try this with a blues. Create a four-note motif, preferable chord tones, with a specific rhythm. With every change chord either transpose, or modify the motif to fit with the chord. Continue this pattern throughout the form. In places where you have two bars of the same chord (i.e. bars 3 & 4), extend the motif to spill over into the second bar. If you transposed the motif in bar 2, transpose it also in bars 5 & 6,or use a transposed version of the motif as you did in bars 3 & 4. In bars 7 & 8, use the same version of the motif as you did in bars 3 & 4. In bars 9 & 10, you may either create a new motif or modify the original motif to fit the chords. Then in bars 11 & 12, repeat what have done in bars 3 & 4 and 7 & 8.

Using this pattern as a template or cookie cutter, you can create several blues tunes. Whatever you didnt do in your first tune (i.e. if you transposed, now modify), do this now with same motif for your new tune. From the same motif, youve now composed two blues tunes.

You can also use this technique in regards to intervals. Say for instance, you decided to use a perfect fifth interval as your motif. The tune High Fly from Randy Weston is a perfect example. Play, compose or improvise through the entire form of the blues using only a perfect fifth as your motif. Transpose it, modify it, do whatever you have to do keep the interval. Ive also used this technique during a jazz workshop with the tune Lady Bird. Although, there were some advanced players present, it still was not easy at first to think in this way, and try to improvise. It is a challenge and will in any case give you new ideas for your solos.

Analyze a few of few of your favorite tunes for motifs, intervals and sequences. Learn to play them in all keys. Try quoting from one tune over the changes of another tune.

Have fun,

Evan Tate

Calisthenics for the Saxophonists

2005-03-06T21:54:00.000+01:00

As we all know, playing the saxophone (or any other instrument for that matter) is not a natural activity for the human being. Therefore, it can be at times physically challenging playing an instrument for long periods of time. Although we have purchased our instruments (therefore, it must do what WE say) and not the other way around, the instrument should be designed to fit us. But there is still the action of actually playing the sax that we still have to modify ourselves a little in order to get the best out of our instruments and ourselves.

Here are a series of light, physical exercises designed to facilitate our playing and lessen fatigue. The beauty of these exercises is that you dont have to have your saxophone with you to do them. You can perform these exercises on the train, bus, and car, while walking, anywhere! (Make sure people arent staring at you. They may consider you for medical treatment. ;-)

Exercise No.1: Stretching the neck/jaw muscles.

This exercise gives you more support to the lower jaw. Tilt your head back slightly. Put a big smile on your face so that your teeth show and feel the muscles underneath your lower jaw stretch and pull. This is similar to chewing. Hold each position for 2-3 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Exercise No.2: Doo-wee

This is an exercise for the muscles involving your embouchure. Say the word Doooo with exaggeration, protruding your lips forward. Then say weeee, again with exaggeration. Pull the corners of your mouth back toward your ears. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Exercise No.3: Wrist exercise.

Holding your arm straight out in front of you, bend your wrist so that your palm faces your chest. Hold for 2-3 seconds. Then bend your wrist so that your palm faces away from you to the front. Hold for 2-3 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times. Do not over-do it!

Exercise No.4: Palm Stretch

Open your hand, spreading your fingers as much as you can. Hold for 2-3 seconds. Relax your hand. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise No.5: Finger Stretch.

Hold your index finger with the thumb of the same hand. Apply tension by stretching the remaining fingers away from your palm. Hold for 2 seconds. Continue with the middle finger, then ring finger, and finally the little finger. Then do the same backwards. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise No.6: Finger Game

This is an exercise in agility. Touch the tip of your thumb with tip of your index finger (1), then middle finger (2), ring finger (3), and then the little finger (4). Do the same backwards. Repeat this as rapidly as you can. You may also play this game using other combinations:

1 3 2 4

1 3 4 2

You may even play this game with both hands simultaneously in sync or out of sync.

This article is also available with illustrations for download at: http://www.evantate.de/media/Saxtips_22.pdf

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How to get out of a Slump

2005-03-03T06:37:00.000+01:00

You know the feeling. You go to practice, put your horn together, start blowing and....you don't know what you want to practice. Everything bores you or frustrates you. You don't seem to be getting any further in your development.

What do you do?

GO CRAZY!!

No, really!! Get creative about what you can practice. Learn to play consecutive minor ninth intervals chromatically. Practice playing Half-diminished arpeggios. Learn to play any etude that you know a half-tone higher, a half-tone lower. Transcribe a solo off a record. Listen to a recording of yourself and transcribe your won solo. Do anything that will break your routine!

What are the benefits? First, the fact that you're breaking a routine is a good thing. It is through routine that we often why we get bored. Some of may need routines and that's OK. Through breaking the routines every now and then, keeps us creative in our thinking and obviously, can build our technique, our ears and much more.

So now, the next time you get stuck you won't have an excuse anymore as to "not knowing what to do".

Go for it!

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Practicing - How to do it with goals in mind.

2005-03-02T21:53:00.000+01:00

This week we're going to deal with practicing. Not just in the common sense of the term but in a special way. This week we're going to go through a type of "Goal-Setting Workshop". What do I mean by that? Let me explain.

Why do we practice? To get better? (Whatever that may mean) To master our instrument? To learn new material? A new technique? Why? The answer is different for everyone. In order to achieve the purpose we set out for practicing we have to do decide what we are trying to achieve. This week's tip is geared to show you how to find that out.

1. Ask yourself "What do I want to achieve as a saxophonist?" - Do I want to be a concert soloist? A fabulous jazz musician? A master improvisor? A great all-round studio musician? Write down on a piece of paper right now what you wish to achieve as a saxophonist in your lifetime. Dream, and dream BIG!

2. Ask yourself "Why do I want to achieve this goal?" - Before we set out defining what we have to practice and how we think we can achieve our goal or goals, we have to get clear about WHY we want to achieve these goals. Only when you know why you're doing certain things are you assured in knowing what to do and how to do, and then eventually achieveing the goal. Write it all down. Think of as many "Why's" as possible. The more reasons you have, the better chances you have to reach your goals.

3. Now ask yourself "What do I have to do in order to reach this goal?" - Write down all the things you believe what must happen, performance and professionly-wise, along with what you think you'd have to practice and know (theoretically, musically, etc.) in order to reach these goals. If you're having a little trouble figuring this out, start with a picture in mind of the goal and work backwards. "What has to happen BEFORE I reach this goal?", "What has to happen before I reach THIS goal?" and so on. Keep asking yourself these questions and write it all down until to you arrive at the point of where you are right now. This generates "mini-goals", steps along the way that you'll have to take in order to reach your main goal.

4. Next to all these "mini-goals" write down a time frame in which you believe you can achieve this goal. Use a time frame of 20 years, 10 years, 5 years and 1 year or less.

5. Pick out the top 3 "1 year or less" goals from your list.

6. Write a paragraph under each goal describing why you ABSOLUTELY MUST achieve this goal in 1 year or less. Make it strong! Write as many reasons as you can think of.

7. For those goals pertaining to what you have to practice, write down what you think you'd have to practice or learn in order to achieve these goals. If you're not sure on some points, ASK more advanced players, teachers or professional musicians for advice. Investigate books, articles and interviews.

Now, what you have here is a basic protype of your practicing session. Add whatever elements you deem as necessary to round it out. Success leaves clues for their attainment. Achieveing desired goals is not a matter of chance or luck, it is deeply though about, methodical planning. Every successful musician did certain things on a constant basis in order to achieve his/her goal and reap the benefits thereof.

Take the challenge!

Have fun!

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"Jack of all trades" - Tips on doubling.

2005-03-01T21:08:00.000+01:00

Doubling. For those saxophonists who plan to make playing music their profession, playing several woodwinds is eventually a necessity in order to keep yourself in supply of enough work. There is also much to gain out of what you learn by playing other woodwinds that can augment your saxophone playing.

There are a few things that are good to remember when considering doubling. First of all, every woodwind is a different animal. What do I mean by that? Well, you can't take the approach that just because another instrument uses the Boehm fingering system that "you already know it" and that "it will be easy". Far from it! Every instrument has its own character, nuances and history that accompanies it - and its own problems. Even if you double on another saxophone say, alto and tenor, or tenor and soprano - you have to treat them as though they are totally different instruments in order to get the most out of them. The basic essential woodwinds to play besides other saxophones are the clarinet and the flute. Other instruments beyond that would be the oboe and English horn.

How do you go about starting to learn to play another instrument? First of all, you need to allot time to dedicate practicing this new "friend". That's right. You have to get friendly with the instrument and see it as something to help you and not make your life difficult. If you review the first newsletter you've received - "Mastering Basic Skills" - this will help you get clear on how well you should learn how to play this new instrument. You need to develop a good tone, good intonation and a decent technique. You must investigate music composed for the instrument and get some solo recordings of the instrument in order to form an idea of what is possible with the instrument and what sound you may want to acquire. And of course, very good sight-reading skills on all instruments.

Depending on the type of professional situation you may be involved in will more or less dictate how proficient on each instrument you should become. For example, if you're planning to play musicals, most of the time, the saxophone is going to be the least important instrument in your arsenal. The first reed book of the musical "A Chorus Line" demands good flute and piccolo proficiency, a little clarinet and very little saxophone is needed. "West Side Story" needs advanced clarinet proficiency. "Grease" needs mainly saxophone with a good grasp of playing different musical styles and some clarinet good clarinet skills. Musicals like "Bubblin' Brown Sugar", "Eubie", "Ain't Misbehavin'" need good skills in interpretation of sax and clarinet playing styles of the swing era.

What if that's not your goal? Studio musicians need to be proficient in many styles, on cue (!) and be particularly a master of at least one style. Show bands or Club Date bands also need a good grasp of various styles and various instruments. Whatever your genre you have to know in and out.

Some tips:

Sax/Clarinet double - here you need a lot of work on your embouchure and your reading skills. Clarinet is not built in octaves like the sax, so you'll have learn practically a different fingering for every note and you need to drill reading the notes far below and above the staff. Watch that vibrato! If you use it on sax, you need to get rid of it on clarinet (in the meantime).

Sax/Flute double - here you'll also need a lot of embouchure work and reading skills. For flute you'll need to practice overtones often and work on projection (getting heard)!

Sax/Clarinet/Flute double - You need to practice switching between these instruments for quick embouchure adjustments and reading.

Along with doubling on clarinet or flute, you may need to investigate other voices of those instruments such as bass clarinet, basset horn, piccolo and alto flute. If you add oboe to your arsenal, you may also need English horn too. With whatever doubles you have I suggest dedicating one hour (at least) a day (every day!) to practicing the instrument(s). You'll be amazed what you can achieve after 6 months! In that time, you'll also learn to develop a "feel"

for the instrument so that once you touch it, you'll trigger off messages in your brain that will dictate to your fingers, embouchure and ear as to how and what to do. You'll recognize the "new animal" instantly.

Get together with other doublers to play duets, trios or quartets with your doubles. Help and support each other in learning. This is also an important lesson in "networking". Letting others know that you play doubles for future reference. A lucrative gig may come out of it. And don't forget to offer then gigs when you have a chance to also.

Evan Tate is a freelance musician/instructor and the author of "Way to Mastery: Saxophone". He holds a BM of Music from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Allard and has over 20 years of professional playing and teaching experience and has performed at various jazz festivals and radio broadcasts. Since 1993, He is an endorser for Julius Keilwerth saxophones.

http://www.evantate.de or mailto:evan@evantate.de

Altissimo

2005-03-01T21:04:00.000+01:00

Wow! Did you hear that? Yeah, that high note that Micheal Brecker, David Sanborn, Sigurd Rascher, Vincent Abato, and many others, played? Playing those high notes have become a landmark for many of us as a personal and professional accomplishment on our instrument. For those who haven't started yet, or have been wanting to start, or who right in the middle of learning the altissimo register, this article is for you.

What is the altissimo range?

Simply said, it is the range above which the saxophone is played with "normal" fingering, above the high "f" or "f#", depending on the model of your sax. Theoretically, the saxophone can be played up to another full above the high "f".

What can I do to prepare myself for the study of the altissimo?

I find that the best preparation for the altissimo is regular practice of the overtones (See the SaxTips Newsletter - "Overtones") and then experimenting first with just a couple of altissimo notes.

On the follwing websites you can download some sample charts for altissimo fingering. You may have to use different fingerings depending on which voice you play (alto, tenor, etc.) and which make (Selmer, Yamaha, Keilwerth, etc.). These fingerings will respond differently from horn to horn.

[http://www.saxduo.com/exercises.html]

[http://www.geocities.com/jazzsaxamaphone1212/altissimo1.html]

I suggest first trying the altissimo "A". Why? Believe it or not, the hardest note to produce is the altissimo "G". It's comparable to the "break" on the horn (just like middle C# to D). Once you've experience the sense of achievement by producing this tone, you'll may feel more confident in trying to produce G# and G.

Always compare your altissimo tones with the lower octaves for the purpose of intonation. Practice a few simple major arpeggios and scales. Then try simple melodies.

I suggest working on extending your range up to altissimo "A" for a few weeks until you're comfortable before moving on to Bb, B and C. Again, always use simple arpeggios, scales and melodies at first. Once you've got these pretty much under your belt, move on to C#, D, D#, E and F.

Don't expect to master these notes within the next few weeks. Playing altissimo is a study that takes time, patience, imagination and a willingness to practicing them to keep fit and accurate.

Avoid practicing the overtones too high in order to match the altissimo notes. Due the fact that the upper partials of the overtones series (past the 4th partial) are too flat in comparison to the well-tempered scale, this may lead to you learning to play these high notes out of tune.

So, remember - Practice Patience and Diligence!

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Suggested books:

Breathing - Important for Life, Important for your performance.

2005-03-01T20:57:00.000+01:00

Breathing! You can't live without it. In regards to saxophone playing, without a proper breathing technique you may not survive as a performer all too long either. Really! Think about it: How would you feel about playing a duet or in a saxophone section with another saxophonist who continually breaks up melodic phrases simply because they keep taking extra breaths in the most inconvenient places? Would you, could you be satisfied with that? If you were this saxophonist, could you rely on getting gigs anyway? Don't bet on it. Saxophonists get hired not only by their friends and other who appreciate them, but also by their reputation - how easy or difficult it is to work with you.

Breathing is often soooooo neglected. We do automatically, so there's more of a chance to simply ignore it. Well, let's get on it!

In order to support your breathing technique to the max you have to assume a comfortable, upright position when play, both when you're sitting or standing. The most natural way the human body breathes is not by raising the shoulders and expanding rib cage, but actually by the movement of the stomach and belly. Think about it. When you watch a baby sleep (or whoever you want to watch sleeping) notice that it is the stomach that moves. This enables the lungs to be optimally filled. Breathing by raising the shoulders and expanding is much too shallow and only fills the upper part of the lungs. Remember, the lungs are not two empty bags, but rather bags that have several canal ways in them. You can think of them as bags with several little long balloons in them.

Let's try a few of exercises.

NOTE:

When Inhaling, protrude your abdomen and pull in your shoulder blades slightly.

When exhaling, pull in your abdomen and relax your shoulder blades.

1. The "1-4-2" Exercise:

Without your sax:

Stand straight and hold your hands on your hips.

Inhale for 1 count.

Hold your breath for 4 counts.

Exhale slowly for 2 counts.

Repeat 10 times.

2. The "2-1-8" Exercise:

With your sax:

Pick a note on your sax (middle C, or G as a suggestion).

Inhale for 2 counts.

Hold your breath for 1 count.

Exhale (Play) for 8 counts.

Repeat 10 times.

3. The "Rib Cage" Exercise:

Sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight.

Inhale and simultaneously raise both your arms above your head and hold your hands together, for 2

Hold your breath for 8 counts.

Exhale slowly and lower your hands to your sides for the length of 4 counts.

4. The "Floor" Exercise:

Lie down with your back on the floor.

Move your legs so that you can raise your hips and buttocks off the floor.

Inhale for 2 counts.

Hold for 8 counts.

Exhale for 4 counts.

Good!

Practice these exercises at least once a day.

In connection with breathing there is much talk about the using the diaphragm. To set the record straight, the diaphragm is NOT a voluntary muscle. That means you cannot directly or consciously control it. It works without you interfering. That's why you continue to breathe while you're sleeping. You CAN have access to it by way of the abdominal muscles as you just did in the above exercises. So please, STOP talking about "Diaphragmic Breathing"! It doesn't exist! If you want to be truthful, talk about and do "Abdominal Breathing".

There a nice side-effect to practicing these breathing patterns. Along side your circulatory system and your respitory system; you have another system in your body. That is the Lymphatic system. Lymph fluid is responsible for getting impurities out of your body and keeps you healthy. There's one catch; it can only be activated through bodily movement and deep breathing! So, do your exercises and improve your health dramatically at the same time.

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.com/, www.mp3.com/evantate or mailto:evan@evantate.com

Reedology

2005-03-01T20:55:00.000+01:00

The (almost) lost art of reed preparation. What is reed preparation? Quite simply it is the way you maintain and process your reeds for further use and eventually for longevity, or one may prepare their reeds in order to make corrections to them, such as the case when a reed has been cut unevenly for example.

I stated for "further use" above due to that reeds are rarely processed before its first use. Processed? What does processing mean here? Processing is just what you do to the reed to change any properties it may have. Even when you simply lay your new reeds into a glass of water in order to "soften" them up, you're processing them. There are other ways to process reeds. You may cut them, sand paper them, burn them, rub them, seal them with bee's wax... whatever! In this article I'll discuss a couple of basic techniques and the overall advantages of preparing your reeds and why this (almost) lost art should be brought back to life.

Why should you work on your reeds? Again, it's quite simple: It saves you cash money! We all know the scenario; you've bought a new box of reeds, you go through them in order to find the "good" ones and wind up throwing away anywhere between 25% to 50% (if not more!) of the reeds you just bought. Just imagine, you spent $15 for 10 reeds, and you've thrown away 5 of them! That $3 per reed now! (It used to be $1.50/reed before you trashed the others!) Now does this make any sense to you? Throwing away $7.50?!(And by the way, creating more garbage!) Well, after developing some decent reed preparation skills, you can keep up to at least 99% of your reeds and throw NONE away! Let's get to the basics!

1. What can you do when a reed is too hard?

You can sand them down with sandpaper on glass or acrylic, reed rush (also called "Dutch Rush"), or use a reed knife. Sandpaper we all know. "Reed rush" and a "Reed knife" may still be foreign words for us (depending on how old you are). Reed rush is a small tubular part of a very young bamboo stem (I believe I'm right - I may be slightly off) where the "bark" is rough like sandpaper. One rubs the outer edges of the reed - left, right or left and right side or in the "heart" of the reed - slightly in order to make the reed thinner at this area. How do you know which side? Hold you reed up to a light and see which side very less light comes through. Play the reed concentrating on one side and noticing the response of the reed. File down this harder side, just a little and then test again. Repeat this process if necessary until it's "perfect".

A "Reed knife" is a small, specially made knife for the cutting of bamboo reeds. You don't "cut" with a reed knife, you use it to file and scrape, very much like sanding. This tool is my personal favorite! Reed rush has the knack of getting crushed in my gig bag and is very brittle. I like to ise the reed knife and I only need to have it sharpened every couple of months. Both of these utensils should be found by your repairman. If not, ask him where to get them. These tools have seemed to fallen out of popularity over the years but - I'm from the "old school" and I'd rather use these. In fact, I have a "left-handed" reed knife! I tried to by another one a few years back and the merchant at the store swore that something like that didn't exist. Until I showed him MY left-handed knife! These tools are worth a try.

2. What do I do if the reed is too soft?

You can use the "still" widely known reed clipper. This handy tool is used to just clip @ 10th of a millimeter off the tip of your reeds. Of course, you CAN clip more off but I wouldn't advise you do that. You can destroy a reed by cutting so much off. And please use a clipper. (I knew a guy once who used a scissor! Ugh!) Again, Clip, test, clip again if necessary, but PLEASE no more than twice!

Another Reed Tip:

Reeds are always packed away in boxes, sealed and store for long periods of time. In order for them to stay "fresh", they are always treated with a carbohydrate as a preservative. Naturally, when this carbohydrate comes in contact with your saliva, it begins to "digest" - or "process", rather. Slowly, small microscopic "plants" will start growing on your reeds (on the flat side of the reed facing the mouthpiece). This growth can and will effect your reeds by the way it plays and its longevity. My advice: every couple of days wipe off this growth simple by taking and reed knife and stroking the back of the reed once or twice to remove these growths.

Last but not least, have a reed case ready to carry up to four reeds in advance.

You can prepare a couple of reeds and rotate them in their use. You may be able to get reeds playing for weeks this way, and maybe you too can one day use ALL the reeds in that box you just bought! :-)

Notes to Reedology Download it http://www.evantate.de/media/Notes_to_Reedology.pdf

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.de/ or mailto:evan@evantate.de

Tonguing and articulation

2005-03-01T20:44:00.000+01:00

The use of the tongue is an issue that keeps many saxophonists busy. How the tongue is used differs between classical saxophonists and jazz/pop saxophonists. One thing remains constant, and that is that the tongue plays an intrical part in our performance of music, regardless of genre. Often the tongue is ignored when intonation is spoken of. The position of the tongue in your mouth has a lot to do with the timbre and intonation of your notes.

For example:

* Say the letter "A" really exaggerated, so that you form a kind of smile on your face. Do you notice how the tongue is raised toward the middle of your mouth? Do you notice how the tongue touches your teeth lightly on both sides?

* Now blow gently. Do you notice how the air is flowing from your mouth? Straight and center isn't it?

* Now play middle "c" on your saxophone with this position in mind. Notice how it sounds. Notice the timbre.

* Now play middle "c" again but with tongue towards the bottom of your mouth. Just say "Duh" (like a doofus) :-). Notice how that sounds? The intonation dropped didn't it?

* Now alternate back and forth between these tongue positions and take note as to what happens.

The think the choice will be easily as far as the tone and intonation you'd rather have.

Now with your tongue in the above "A" position, your tongue is kind of "balled-up", isn't it? The "tip" of your tongue is no longer a "tip", but nearly flattened and the outer edge of your tongue faces forward toward the back of your front teeth.

Consider this example for a moment: An oboist, bassoonist, any double-reed player has 3 options as to where he/she may articulate. The upper reed, the lower reed, or between the upper and lower reeds. We saxophonists have only two options.

We may articulate underneath the reed, or between the reed and mouthpiece. Tonguing between the reed and mouthpiece shortens the distance between the tongue and the point of articulation on the reed. Tonguing underneath the reed may be "more powerful", but it is also a longer distance and may be difficult to articulation quickly and softly.

Try this experiment, if possible with a tape recorder, or a microphone attached to your computer, MP3 recorder, Mini-Disc player, whatever you have at your disposal. Record yourself playing repetitive staccato on one note the way you normally play, and then with this above "A" position. Behind the saxophone (where we all stand) we may not notice too much difference in sound and attack. But in front of the saxophone, the results may be astonishing.

This "A" tonguing technique may feel awkward at first try, but with a little practice you may notice that you can tongue faster and cleaner this way. The main key here is that the distance between the tongue and the mouthpiece opening has been shortened. Give it a try!

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.de or mailto:evan@evantate.de

Choosing a mouthpiece, reed and ligature setup

2005-02-25T12:05:00.000+01:00

As Featured on ArticleCity.com

In the musical life of every saxophonist comes a time when a few very important decisions have to be made. Decisions that cannot be put off, nor should if be ignored. These decisions are: "Which mouthpiece should I use?”,” What reed should I play on?" And although it is often ignored but just as important, "What ligature should I use?”

These three objects make up the major portion of our sound and because of that, if things are not going our way these object can cause us some major grief. No only do we find ourselves on the edge of insanity, but we can nearly find ourselves bankrupt! (Well, almost.) Mind you, all of these questions have subjective nuances to their answers but there is some "hard science" to apply to answering these questions.

Let's start out with "What mouthpiece should I use?"

To answer this question we need to ask ourselves a couple of more questions such as,

- "What musical style do I wish to play?"

- Do I want a jazz mouthpiece?

- a classical mouthpiece?

- something for pop music?

- a good "all-rounder"?

Mind you, pre-requisite here is to have an idea of the sound you are looking for! Do you have a favorite artist who has that favorite sound of yours? Do you know what mouthpiece he/she plays? Go for it! Try it!

The basic "mouthpiece science" is this:

Jazz: A mouthpiece with a Medium to Medium-Large chamber, a medium to large opening (5* to 7* in some mouthpiece series).

Classical: A mouthpiece with a Small to Medium chamber, a small to medium opening (4 to 5 in some mouthpiece series).

All-rounder: A mouthpiece with a medium chamber and a medium opening (5, 5* in some mouthpiece series).

There are tons of mouthpieces out there and there are (thank god!) a few "standard solutions". I would not suggest relying blindly on one of these "standard solutions" i.e. "Meyer or Otto Link for jazz", "Selmer S-80 for classical", etc.

They all are good suggestions and your teeth, jaw size, bite, mouth cavity, etc are all unique to YOU, and a "standard solution" may not necessarily be the best solution for you. You should feel free to experiment, even with some "crazy" options. In my personal experience, I had the opportunity to perform as a soloist for a "classical" work for saxophone and orchestra. I first tried a "standard solution" of a Selmer S-80 Alto saxophone mouthpiece. I really didn't like playing this mouthpiece and I had a lot of intonation problems with it. I then tried a Hard-rubber Otto Link 5 ( a so-called "jazz" mouthpiece) and it worked GREAT! I really got a "classical" tone out of it and it felt great to play. So, please in any case keep your options open.

Next, "What reed should I play?"

The choice of reed is a sensible and or course, important issue. The physical feel of a reed has an effect on how we also emotionally feel when we’re playing. Everybody nows that feeling when we have a reed that absolutely “sucks”. We can go crazy over it! Well, luckily (or unfortunately) there is a large choice of reed manufacturers out here. To go with a certain strength of reed, say a “3” or “Medium” will serve you well most of the time. This strength varies slightly between the various brands of reed. But this difference can still make a lot of difference when playing.

The most popular brands are: Rico (including Rico Royal), Vandoren (including Vandoren Java and Vandoren V16), La Voz and Hemke. Of course there are more brands that I didn’t list but you know them. While you’re still experimenting with reeds, it only makes sense to buy about 3 reeds at first. Important is, is to inspect the reeds exactly. Some reeds (especially Ricos) are cut unevenly and can impede the response of the reed while playing. Inspect the color of the reed. Sometimes discolorations in the reed can produce another timbre than those that have almost no discoloration. They can sound even better(!), but leave that to your own discretion.

The basic “science” says: Open or wide mouthpiece opening = softer reed, close of narrower mouthpiece opening = harder reed. The same applies here as I mentioned with the mouthpieces above, don’t take this “science” for granted, and experiment.

I personally suggest that you avoid plastic or synthetic reeds. There is a danger to playing these reeds. Although you have a reed that plays “every time”, the fact that the reed doesn’t “breathe” can affect your ability to play overtones and ultimately destroy your embouchure. So please, STAY AWAY FROM THEM!! I personally have had a BAD experience with them.

Next, "What ligature should I use?"

The ligature is the most neglected piece of the saxophone setup. Why? I believe mostly because many have the feeling that is only something that holds the reed onto the mouthpiece and nothing other than that. Nothing could be farther than the truth! The ligature has a LOT to do with the sound! Just imagine, you’re trying to talk and you have a clamp around your throat. Depending how tight it is, where pressure is being applied and such, will affect the way you talk (if you can at all!). So, don’t ignore this important piece of apparatus.

Here we also have a large pallet of manufacturers and models to choose from. Should we play the ligature that came with the mouthpiece (if any!), meaning, a ligature of the same brand of the mouthpiece? For example; Selmer mouthpiece = Selmer ligature? Vandoren mouthpiece = Vandoren ligature? Nope, it doesn’t have to be that way.

We have models with:

Two screws under the mouthpiece
Two screws on top of the mouthpiece
One screw, either above or below
A metal band
A leather band
An open frame with small rubber balls as contact points
Etc…

The list can go on…

Well, we have to realize that the above scenario (trying to talk with a clamp around your throat) is the best example of what role the ligature has. Don’t run out an buy the “newest, latest”, experiment, ask your teacher(s), ask professionals, talk to your repairman, … research!

Above all, before you go on your search for the ULTIMATE SETUP, set a budget for yourself with exactly HOW MUCH MONEY you want to spend at all. You can surely find something satisfactory regardless of your budget.

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.de/ or mailto:evan@evantate.de

5 Tips to improve your technique

2005-02-24T09:31:00.000+01:00

This week we're going to look into some tips on how to improve your technical agility. One of the main abilities a musician must have is to have command of the technical aspects of his/her instrument.

Tip #1: Play everything slowly - "Slow is the same as fast". Maybe you've heard of that phrase. I'd like to interpret it as understanding that all movements that you make while playing rapid passages must have the same relaxed feeling as though you were playing slowly. What better way to do that than practicing slowly? You'll have to practice slowly and do NOT increase the tempo at any time! Breathe relaxed, concentrate but don't let your muscles stressed or tight in any way. Practicing slowly give you a chance to hear the music exactly, listen intensively and therefore make your brain learn it "inside-out".

Tip #2: Concentrate on problem areas - Learn to isolate difficult passages. Listen into them. Figure them out harmonically, mechanically and rhythmically. After your practiced the difficult passage, connect it back to the music a few measure before and after. This way you are "de-isolating" the passage back into the music.

Tip #3: Remember, it's about making music - Once a new student came to me for lessons and played a few things for me that he'd been practicing up to that point. He commenced to play an exercise in a very technical, non-emotional fashion. I stopped him and asked why he has played like that. He answered, "Well, it's just a technical exercise. It has nothing to do with music." So, I said, "OK, so throw it in the trash!" The point here is that we have to understand something. We play a musical instrument. We do it to play/perform music with it. In order to get the best performances out of ourselves on a consistent basis, we have to "practice performing". So it is imperative that every time we practice, we should make music. If something has NOTHING to do with music, we shouldn't practice it. Think about it. When you practice your major scales, why do you do it? Possible answer are "To better my technique", "To gain mastery of my instrument", "to learn to hear the major key", "to improve my intonation" , etc. Such answer as "because it's my homework" or "because my teacher said so" are weak answers and they are NOT going to inspire us to make good music. We need better answers. If an exercise is boring you, ask yourself "Why am I practicing this?" Look for an answer that is going to motivate you! If you don't come up with one, LOOK for one! Call a friend, ask your teacher, send ME an email! Do something! Give yourself good reasons and the HOW will take care of itself.

Tip #4: Practice with rhythmic variations - If you're practicing even scale material, instead of repeating an exercise over and over again the same way (and possibly boring yourself), try playing it with different rhythms.

For example, I'm playing:

* C - D - E - F - G - F - E - D - C. All eights. Play it 3 times.

* Then play it as a dotted eighth and sixteenth rhythm. (Or swing eighths) 3 times

* Then play it as a sixteenth and a dotted eight rhythm (reverse swing) 3 times

* Then play one group of eight note triplets and a quarter note. 3 times

* Then the opposite - a quarter note then a group of eighth-note triplets. 3 times

* Then mix this set - 1 group eighth-note triplet, quarter, quarter, eighth-note triplets. 3 times

* Then the opposite mix - quarter, eighth-note triplets, eighth-note triplets, quarter. 3 times

* Then play the original rhythm from the beginning. 3 times.

What does this do? You've played the same exercise 24 times without it getting boring. You've learned to hear this combination of notes in different rhythms, which aids you to hear deeper into the notes. The speed of the fingers between the notes has varied, eventually strengthening your technique. <name>, I guarantee that if you practice your technical exercises with this method, you'll reach desired results faster than you have had in the past. You'll accomplish a lot more in less time.

Tip #5: Learn how to take a break - Practicing 6 hours a day, 7 days a week can be great if you have time to afford yourself this luxury. If you do, my advice is DON'T DO IT! After spending so much time to learn new techniques, new repertoire, new whatever, you can destroy it all by practicing too much! The brain can only take in some much information at a time and it does it best "piece by piece", in small relaxed dosages. Even then, the brain needs a rest. Saxophonist Phil Woods has been said the he always plans a day NOT to practice. This day for him is Sunday. He goes fishing. He even stays away from music on this day. It's good advice to follow. Plan a day right now that you will NOT practice. Learn to relax. Do something else on that day.

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.de/ or mailto:evan@evantate.de

Practicing Overtones

2005-02-24T09:19:00.000+01:00

The practice of overtones on any wind instrument is an important practice not only for the improvement of one's tone and intonation on the instrument but also serves as the foundation for extending the playing range of the instrument (i.e. altissimo).

To start out, let's ask the first obvious question: What are overtones? In music, with every tone there are additional tones produced that sound above the fundamental tone. These follow a certain mathematical sequence. This can be easily demonstrated when one plays a low tone on the piano while holding down the sustain pedal with your foot.

Example: C - C' (an octave higher) - G' ( a perfect fifth above C') - C''(two octaves above the fundamental tone) - E''(two octaves and a major third above the fundamental tone) - G''(two octaves and a perfect fifth above the fundamental tone) - Bb'''(two octaves and a dominant seventh above the fundamental tone) - C'''(three octaves above the fundamental tone) - D'''(three octaves and a major second above the fundamental tone) - F#'''(three octaves and an augmented fourth above) - G''''(three octaves and a perfect fifth above).

Each tone above the fundamental tone is referred to as a partial. According to the "Well-tempered scale"(a system of tuning established by the mathematician Pythagoras of Samos in the middle ages and a system still in use today) the 5th Partial (Bb''') and tones above that are slightly flat, so for our purposes we will not really use these tones for now.

[More on Pythagoras of Samos at: http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Pythagoras.html]

So, on the saxophone we first use low Bb as the fundamental tone and produce the following partials by slightly applying pressure from the lower jaw and constricting the airflow.

Bb - Bb (one octave above) - F (one octave and a perfect fifth above) - Bb'' (two octaves above) - D''(two octaves and a major third above) - F'' (two octaves and a perfect fifth above: High F).

One major pitfall we saxophonists face is that often we are taught to first practice overtones by starting on the low Bb and tightening our embouchure to produce the above mentioned partials. This unfortunately causes the unpleasant side effect of developing a too tight embouchure over a short period time which will affect our playing in a negative way. Our high notes become too thin and too high(intonation-wise) and we often have trouble producing our low tones softly. I'd like to suggest a method that will give us the same desired benefits of the overtones without the negative side effects.

We'll start with the 'middle' F and let the tone 'fall down' to the low F.

[Note: All tones are to be played without the octave key!] If the tone takes more than a few seconds to fall, it may well be an indication that your embouchure is too tight. Repeat this exercise with the tones 'middle' E to low E, 'middle' Eb to low Eb, 'middle' D to low D. Now, we'll continue by fingering low Db(C#) and producing it's upper octave first and letting the tone 'fall' down to the fundamental tone low Db. Do the same with low C, low B and low Bb. Practice only this exercise until it feels comfortable.

The next exercise has us start on the low Bb and first producing the 'middle' F (2nd partial on low Bb), letting it 'fall' down to the octave Bb (1st partial on low Bb) and then finally 'falling' down to the fundamental low Bb tone. Repeat this exercise with Low B, low C and low C#.

The final exercise here will start like the last one, fingering low Bb and producing the middle F (2^nd partial on low Bb) and then falling down to the Bb fundamental tone skipping the Bb octave (1^st partial on low Bb). Repeat this exercise on low B, low C and low C#.

So, what are we doing? We're applying the overtone technique in the opposite direction in order to attain the benefits of the overtone practice without developing a tighter embouchure. What are the benefits? Among them are; playing in tune better within the instrument and with others. Improving your tone and your ear. Ill have more exercises in the next issues that will concentrate more on ear training.

You can download this exercise for FREE here at: http://www.evantatede/media/Overtones.pdf. Remember, you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader (at least version 4) in order to read and print out this exercise. The Abode Acrobat Reader is FREE!

Have fun!

http://www.evantate.de/ or mailto:evan@evantate.de

Intonation

2005-02-17T10:04:00.000+01:00

The ability to properly intonate (play in tune) is essential skills
that all wind players have to learn. Whether you're an amateur or an aspiring
professional, the ability to intonate is a major pillar to your
development as a saxophonist.

In this week's Sax Tip I'd like to suggest a method and some helpful
tools toward your development.

Overtones - Much has been discussed about the practice and importance
of practicing overtones. It is an essential tool for intonation and tone
development. Practicing overtones, although essential, carry one small
downside with it. Practiced incorrectly, it can wind up tightening your
embouchure and making it inflexible rather than relaxing it. The
greater disadvantage by tightening of the embouchure is the lack
of good intonation. In such a case, your high notes may be too sharp,
and too thin in tone quality. Many students practice overtones by starting
the fundament tone (i.e. Low Bb) and over-blowing to reach the other
partials of the note (i.e. middle Bb, middle F, high Bb, high D, high F, etc.).
When one follows the partials of the overtone series, after a certain partial they are
no longer in tune (after high F - flageolets Ab, Bb, C, D etc.). Many
saxophonists who want to learn flageolet (harmonics, altissimo) have
fallen into this trap and learned to play these notes out of tune.

My suggestion:
* Finger low Bb and first try to produce the middle Bb, and let the
tone
"fall" down to low Bb without dropping your jaw.
* Finger low Bb and first try to produce the middle F, and let the tone
fall down to middle Bb, and then to low Bb. Again, without dropping your
jaw.
* Finger low Bb and first try to produce the high Bb, and let the tone
fall down to middle F, then middle Bb, and finally low Bb. Again, without
dropping your jaw.
* Repeat the same process with Low B, Low C and Low Db.

This is the exact opposite practice of how many students learn this.
Instead of tightening the embouchure, the embouchure learns to loosen. I
suggest practicing this the first 5-10 minutes of your practice session.
Remember to listen carefully!
Compare and try to match your overtone note with the
regularly played notes.

Download this exercise here or go to:
http://www.ntn-media.net/mediafiles/Overtones.pdf

Useful tools:
* A digital tuner to visually check your intonation.
* A tape recorder to record your session and listen to it afterwards.
Since we always stand "in back" of the horn, we must realize that the horn
does sound different "in front". Or play against a wall (an old veteran's
method).
* A well-tuned piano.

Remember:
"The EAR Rules!" - Everything in our playing stands and falls according
to how we hear everything.

Have fun!

Evan Tate

Evan Tate is a freelance musician/instructor and the author of "Way to
Mastery: Saxophone". He holds a BM of Music from the Manhattan School
of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Allard and has over 20 years of
professional playing and teaching experience and has performed at
various jazz festivals and radio broadcasts. Since 1993, he is an endorser for
Julius Keilwerth saxophones.
http://www.evantate.de/, or evan@evantate.de

The Extreme Ranges

2005-02-16T10:21:00.000+01:00

More on the importance of practicing the extreme ranges saxophone.

Last week I communicated the importance in playing the extreme ranges
of the saxophone. This week, I want to add a basic exercise. I call them Low
End exercises and High End exercises respectively. (Pretty ingenious, huh?)

Keeping the type of embouchure that I mentioned last week in mind
(Remember? "e"?),let's try this now:

Starting on low F, play downwards to low B in a pace of even
eighth-notes (medium slow tempo please), and back like this:

F - E - D - C - B - C - D - E - F

Be sure not to change your jaw position (don't drop it) but do not
cause yourself any tension or any pain. Repeat that about 3 times.

Now do it like this:

F - E - D - C - Bb - C - D - E - F

And then,

(The "Flat" keys)
F - Eb - D - C - Bb - C - D - Eb - F
F - Eb - Db - C - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F
F - Eb - Db - Cb - Bb - Cb - Db - Eb - F
Fb - Eb - Db - Cb - Bb - Cb - Db - Eb - F

(The "Sharp" keys)
F# - E - D - C - B - C - D - E - F#
F# - E - D - C# - B - C# - D -E - F#
F# - E - D# - C# - B - C# - D# - E - F#
F# - E# - D# - C# - B - C# - D# - E# - F#
F# - E# - D# - C# - B# - C# - D# - E# - F#

And now, for the High Notes:

Start on high B and play upwards toward high F and then back down, like
this:

b - c - d - e - f - e - d - c - b (3x)

And then,

(The "Flat" keys)
Bb - C - D - E - F - E - D - C - Bb
Bb - C - D - Eb - F - Eb - D - C - Bb
Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - Eb - Db - C - Bb
Bb - Cb - Db - Eb - F - Eb - Db - Cb - Bb
Bb - Cb - Db - Eb - Fb - Eb - Db - Cb - Bb

(The "Sharp" keys)
b - c - d - e - f# - e - d - c - b
b - c# - d - e - f# - e - d - c# - b
b - c# - d# - e - f# - e - d# - c# - b
b - c# - d# - e# - f# - e# - d# - c# - b
b# - c# - d# - e# - f# - e# - d# - c# - b#

What does this do? This helps you keep flexibility and improve your
tone and intonation in these ranges.
Be mindful to LISTEN to what your playing and really test yourself for
intonation. Try using any of the tools I suggested from last week's Sax
Tip (tape recorder, digital tuning device, piano, etc.)

This exercise is available for FREE download as an Adobe Acrobat file.
You'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0. If you don't have it,
you can download it FREE at www.adobe.com

Click here or go to
http://www.ntn-media.net/mediafiles/SaxExtremes.pdf

Have fun!

Evan Tate

Extreme Ranges Part II

2005-02-15T10:08:00.000+01:00

The importance of practicing the extreme ranges of the saxophone.

The reasons are twofold:
Most saxophonists play the low tones as "subtone" which is merely an
effect, but not the "kernel" tone, real saxophone tone. Once one can play the
clean tone, one has more control over the instrument. Most saxophonists drop
their lower jaw while playing low tones, which takes away the support that's
need for the reed in order to have a steady embouchure. "Subtone" is an
effect that is created by spreading more lip over the surface of the
mouthpiece and just a little less teeth underneath.

Many saxophonists are displeased with their high notes in ways that
they are too sharp, too thin or a combination of both. This is often due to
biting, having a too tight embouchure, thus restricting the movement of the reed.
This also causes tension in the neck,throat and eventually the shoulders making full,
relaxed breathing difficult.

My suggestion is this:

Say the letter "e" in an exaggerated way and notice the position of
your tongue, jaw, teeth, etc. You'll notice that the tongue touches your
teeth on each side slightly. When you blow, you'll notice that the air stream
glides over the tongue, in the middle and out. This causes a type of "jet
engine" effect where an amount of air enters into the larger end of the engine
(from your lungs through your throat) and is pushed out through a smaller
opening (over your tongue, out through you teeth/lips/mouthpiece). This focuses
the air stream. Keep this position (without stress) and try to play from
middle "C" down the scale toward the low note while keeping this position.
While doing this - look up! - yes, set your eyes toward the ceiling and even
raise the horn "rock'n'roll" style. Do the same playing from middle "c"
upward to high "c" and look at the floor. Bend over if you have to!

What does this do? It's a simple law of physics. Through the "axle
effect", when you position your eyes, head and arms (horn) upward, your lower
jaw follows and give continual support to the reed while you are playing
the low tones. At the same effect, when you lower your eyes, head and body,
your lower jaw follows and looses up! Thus no longer pinching the reed to
play high notes! Try it, you'll be amazed how easily and quickly that works.
After a couple of sessions practicing this you should be able to play
the notes better without the bodily motions.

With the above-mentioned "e" position, it will tricky at first but
you'll get it and the benefits will come. Practice while playing scales or
long tones - when playing high tones, bend forward looking at the floor.
When playing low notes, bend back looking at the ceiling. This will give you
crispness in your low notes and robustness in your high notes.

Have fun!

Evan Tate