How can sax player improve his jazz improvization?
487046
Listen to the masters.  Listen, listen, listen.  It drills a lot of good technique into your head.  Practice your scales in all different orders, play them along to music to get a feel for the best notes.  Then, just improvise as much as you can.  It's amazing how much improvising in a group can help with your quality.  Oh yeah, that's another thing, no matter what you're playing, keep your sound quality up.  Good breathing and a strong sound will stand out no matter what notes you're playing.
504253
Sounds like you have a foundation. The more scales you know, the better (especially for jazz). There are many kinds, but make sure you know blues scales and other simple pentatonic scales. They're everywhere in music. \n\nNext, more chords. You can do so much with just chords. I'm a bass player, but I can about pass as a guitarist just on chords alone. I like how you put it as "chord construction." This is a wonderful wording that is conducive to learning. Once you realize a few patterns on how to construct a few chords (like diminished and 7th chords), you can learn them on all 12 tones. Then you'll really open up your playing.
1074984
He he, I went from flute to sax too. What you're doing is getting the fingering mixed up. A 'C' on the saxophone is with your middle left finger down, and index up, and a 'B' is only your left index finger down. It's like the recorder in that sense. My suggestion would be to pick up a cheap beginner sax book with a fingering chart in it. Seems like you're getting an ok sound too if you can figure out something's wrong like that.\nA quick talk with a saxophone teacher or experienced player to help you with youre embechure (mouth position) would be advantageous as well. Once you get in a good habit of how far down the mouth piece to be and find the right angle for your bottom lip & teeth you'll be fine. I had a bad teacher to start with & had to change my embechure twice to get it right several years later.\nOne more habit you'll need to change is how to tongue your notes. On the flute you sound the beginning of each note by touching your tongue on the roof of your mouth, but on the saxophone you need to just touch the tip of the reed. Again, I tongued each note like a flautist for years before learning how to do it right. It sounds pretty bad to start off with but once you get the hang of it, it sounds so much clearer.\nHope this helps, good luck!
269898
it depends on what kind of sax/mouthpiece/reed you're playing on. It probably is just your embouchure that will take some adjusting. My alto did that on the lowest notes until i adjusted it. If it's jumping an octave you might want to try relaxing your embouchure and opening your throat. It might be easier to help you if you posted what kind of saxophone you are playing on, what kind of mouthpiece, and what kind and strength reed.
581719
Good choice mate, I started on tenor too!\n\nWhat I found most important was getting my embochure right, but once that's sorted you're cruzin. Everyone else has given great advice on that already but I will suggest that you get a tooth-saver for your mouthpiece. It's a small oval shaped rubber pad you stick on the top of the mouthpiece where you sit your teeth to stop you from biting too hard and scratching out a dent.\nSecondly, make sure you're breathing properly with your diaphragm. You need to sit up straight and breathe with your stomach so that you can feel the wind going all the way to the bottom of your lungs. The best way to experience this is to breathe out for as long as you can (without passing out!) then quickly take a big deep breath. This is how you should try to breathe when you play so you don't run out of breath but still get the same power in your sound.\nThirdly, if you have a teacher they've probably already told you, but sometimes you can get keys sticking down when you're not pressing them. You can fix this easliy by rubbing a piece of cigarette paper (Tally-Ho's are good) between the pad and the opening and pressing down on the key.\nThere's stacks more stuff you'll learn on the way & the best way to do that is to get a good teacher & listen to some professionals.\n\nGood luck & have fun! ;)
559646
read\nlisten to music \ndrawing
924736
I have been playing handball for years and found it is best to do normal stretching exercises,like bending over and touching your toes or moving arms back and forth,then try throwing the ball against wall a few times throw the ball at bottom of wall a few times to see how close it comes without hitting ground this improves accuracy.remember practice makes a better player and never get upset handball takes alot of time to master learn to play with you brain as well as your hands,placement of your hits is as important as how hard you can hit the ball that's why when you warm up, practice placement of ball,after you have finished with your warm up exercises.
849171
Of the instruments you've listed, clarinet will be the easiest switch. In order of easiest to hardest it would be clarinet, flute, trumpet, oboe, french horn. \n\nFor saxophone players, learning to double on other instruments is always a good idea. The most common to learn to double on are the flute and clarinet as they are used in jazz music. Most doublers stay away from brass instruments because they require completely different embourchures than a woodwind instrument. Oboe is always a great one to learn as there are a much smaller number of oboe players out there professionally, so there is a better chance of getting a paid position with some organization (orchestra, symphony, etc) if you play oboe. \n\nPersonally, if you are just switching to switch, don't do it. Stick to the instrument you are playing and learn it until you can't learn any more (impossible to do).
743276
Congratulations on your first chair position - and on your efforts to improve your play.\n\nThe key to playing the piccolo (or flute) softly in the upper register is breath support, proper embouchure, and lots of practice. It is one of the more difficult skills to develop, and is therefore considered a mark of a good player.\n\nIf you're really serious about getting better, I'd suggest you find a private teacher in your area who can instruct, illustrate for, and coach you through improving your play. If private lessons are not an option for you, work with your band director. Ask him or her to recommend study books and other resources you can use to improve yourself.\n\nHere's a site with some good tips - you should be able to find more with yahoo or google. Best of luck!
164124
Make a tape first; if you're not willing to play in front of a crowd, create something that reflects your talent.\n\nAfter that, maybe some bloke might notice and give you a hand.
1124882
I'm a trombone player, been playing for 11 years.  Now I'm trying to figure out how I can play while I study abroad next semester.
845247
If he is going to play through it, loosen his strings(get them restrung and dropped by at least 5 pounds) This gives him less shock.  Build up his grip(make it bigger) This way he can't squeeze the raquet to tight.  You also can use a vibration dampener.  Lots of Ice and if it gets real bad have him get a cortisone shot.
720046
Maybe telling them the different parts before u play, like the snare, symbol. etc. Jus an idea and why they sound different even though they may look the same
821081
Low pitch or low volume?\nI would think a deep voice would be a good thing.\nPerhaps he needs to project his voice more.\nOr try talking in a falsetto.\n\nBeing nervous is a common thing for speakers.  I would try and be as familiar with the subject as possible, so that you aren't tied to your notes the whole time.  Remember to breathe deeply, take pauses, and make eye contact throughout the room.  The more you speak the easier it becomes.
68140
Yes, but nothing that size. There computers to which you can hook up microphones and find the key then, but otherwise no. What DOES exist is a chromatic tuner, which will identify a pitch that someone is playing. It has a microphone and also tells whether the instrument is out of tune and which way. I would recommend the Sabine Metrotune, a combination metronome tuner, that allows you to identify a pitch. That might help, but you have to be able to identify which note is the tonic note in the key. It's around 35 bucks, it's battery operated and I use it to work with my sax. You can also input a guitar chord to tune it, or hook up a mic to an instrument to tune it, or find out what pitches its playing.
535426
It might be your skill level.  Keep practicing!
1118843
i'd reccommend joe pass, ella fitzgerald, art blakey, monk, stan getz...\n\non the newest jazz, try "tourist" by st. germain and any album of "Pink Martini" (though this last one is not jazz but salsa with jazz touches)