Pictures From Class
Look at David Sunburn's set up
Make that vibrato controlled and accurate
Understand how to tune properly
Different embouchures for different ranges
Learning to tune by playing out of tune!
Throat exercises
Advanced lip positioning
Check out the Cannonball's setup!Who is this course for?
This course is for those who are proficient on the sax already but who want to address their tone. This is a technical course which looks exclusively at getting the best sound out of the instrument.
Can I really sound like my favourite sax player?
Ultimately, of course, the aim is to sound like you. This course will enable you to play the saxophone exactly as it is meant to be played. By the end of the course, you’ll have all the knowledge and practice exercises so that over the next few weeks, months and years, you’ll develop a controlled, flexible, in tune, resonant and beautiful sound. As David Sanborn once said, if you’ve got the sound in your head that you want, you’ll get there. But you need to master the techniques on this course in order to get there.
Are the exercises hard?
Yes, they are tough and Ed still practises the same exercises today. The lessons will be pretty straight forward content wise but executing the exercises will take months and years – this journey isn’t meant to be easy but if you stick to the plan and persevere, whilst always focusing on the sound you’re aiming for, you’ll get it. Ed did and you will.
Lesson 1: KIT
In the first lesson, you’ll be looking at various saxophone and mouthpiece setups, including the setups used by Michael Brecker, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, David Sanborn and many more.
Lesson 2: ADVANCED EMBOUCHURE TECHNIQUE
Lesson 2 shows you how to reform your embouchure (the way the lips, jaw and cheek muscles interact with the reed and mouthpiece) so that the reed sings and you get maximum resonance from the sax.
Lesson 3: BREATHING & OPENING THE THROAT
Keeping that throat open and breathing properly is vital for getting the right sound on the sax. In lesson 3, Ed will show you how you can train the throat to stay open at all times with a simple exercise (which he still uses every day!).
Lesson 4: TUNING
When you’re bang in tune, the sax will sing and resonate more than ever. There is nothing more pleasurable than hitting the centre of each note and knowing exactly where each face muscle needs to be to make that happen. In lesson 4, Ed will show you a tuning exercise which he still uses in his practice sessions today.
Lesson 5: VIBRATO
Vibrato is a great way of adding warmth to the sound but is counter productive if it is overused or used in an uncontrolled way. This lesson will get you trying different speeds of vibrato with the metronome and the practice exercise is also one Ed still uses today.
