My Blog

Play the saxophone softer - wouldn't you want to play louder? The saxophone is one of the most expressive musical instruments. From the breathy subtone of the jazz greats to the screaming high note rock solo, saxophones can cover all types of dynamic requests and...

Back in high school, I was really confident performing music on stage, whether it was in school or in the community.  My attitude was, "I own this stage; no one can take it away from me." But then, I hit a real low point in my life and my playing, and I experienced...

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  One after one, every person that tried out this new tool (the Klangbogen) was getting an amazing boost in their tone - it was so big, it was blowing my hair off the top of my head! (And I have a lot of hair ?) When I met Mauro...

Many saxophone musicians complain about reeds that either don't work, are unresponsive, or don't last long enough. They are told to just practice more, but more practicing doesn't work if the reed isn't in tip-top shape. One of the ways to have really responsive reeds...

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, here are 3 videos to jumpstart your Beginner Jazz Improvisation skills. Beginner Jazz Improvisation; Where to begin In this video from a recent Facebook Live session, I answered a great question on beginner jazz improvisation...

As a Band Director, or even a private teacher, you often wonder why your beginner clarinetists have poor intonation. The standard solutions to fix the intonation problems are to firm up the embouchure and increase the reed strength. Some teachers recommend changing...

Many view the saxophone ligature (and clarinet ligature) as just something to keep the reed on the mouthpiece so it can vibrate to produce sound. As a result, you will often see beginner saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces with that standard metal ligature - you know,...

Musicians have special concerns when dealing with their health. There are certain musicians' products that are vital for optimal performance. I never leave home without these special musicians' products. Why? Lip Eze You see, as a trumpet and saxophone player/teacher,...

When you first started playing saxophone or clarinet, did you ever feel like you could never get a good tone no matter what you tried? Did you try out every reed in the box, but still squeaked away? If you teach, were you stumped when your students could not produce a...

"Something about unbalanced reeds that get exaggerated in certain conditions..." There's nothing more frustrating than trying to perform and you can't stop your reed from squeaking no matter how much you soak it. If you live in a dry area, or even a high-altitude...

In my latest radio show for the BAM Radio Network, I had the great privilege of speaking at length with Tom Ridenour. Tom is a world-class Clarinetist, Educator and inventor who has created a product that can truly help clarinet and saxophone musicians of all...

When first starting out on the saxophone or any woodwind instrument, there are so many questions about saxophone reeds: Which brand of reed should I use? Which strength reed is best? Should I use cane or synthetic? How long does each one last? Why doesn't every reed...

If you are struggling for new ideas for improvisation and desperately need to improve your jazz vocabulary, you need to check out my latest radio show on the BAM Radio Network, with special guest, Nick Mainella, creator and host of the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast...

How important are warmups up to you? How long do you spend warming up? What exercises do you warm up with? All these questions and more are answered in my latest radio show on the BAM Radio Network with my special guest, Nick Mainella, from the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson...

Fitness exercises? How will that help me become a better improviser, or improve my tone? In this special guest post by Jasmine T. from TakeLessons, a variety of activities detail how your music performance can benefit when you take part in fitness exercises for...

The Rio Olympics are around the bend... I don't know about you, but I LOVE the Olympics.    I had the opportunity to attend the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (I was actually planning on moving to Atlanta because I love the city). It was such a magical time.   But for some...

We all know how important a good quality reed is to having a great tone on the saxophone or any woodwind instrument. But when we experience dead saxophone reeds, it can be really upsetting, especially if it happens in the middle of a gig. I don't know about you, but I...

If you're tired of your clarinet, saxophone, oboe or bassoon reeds dying out on you after only a couple of weeks, you need to listen to my recent interview with John Mackey from Reedjuvinate. Click here to listen to the episode. What is Reedjuvinate? Reedjuvinate is a...

We all commiserate over our bad saxophone reeds. Sometimes, it feels like every reed we pull out is a bust; it's either too hard to blow through or squeals like a pig. And then, when we finally find one, we cherish it like gold and hold onto it for dear life, playing...

Most musicians don't realize how their jaw position can have such an effect on their tone quality, and how jaw problems can be the secret culprit behind problems with tone. I'll never forget my first year of teaching, where I had some talented young musicians in the...

Is your Saxophone tone thin? Is your Sax Section not blending? In Part 2 of my interview with Tim Price, world-renowned saxophonist, we spoke about the importance of listening, getting a good saxophone tone, taking good care of your instrument, mouthpiece, reeds and...

Struggling with jazz improvisation? I recently had the honor and pleasure of chatting with Tim Price, world-renowned saxophonist, about how to teach authentic jazz language. I had been reading Tim's article's in the Saxophone Journal for many years now, and had gotten...

It's funny....people tend to think that professional musicians can learn tunes quickly and call up any tune at a second's notice and play it perfectly, without rehearsal. Look at the popular show, Nashville. (It's actually one of my favorite shows.) Those musicians...