In this episode:
Transposing for Saxophone
Have you struggled with playing along with backing tracks, when the track seems to be in a different key to the sheet music you are playing from? Or maybe you are trying to jam with a friend who plays a different instrument, and it sounds terrible?
Nigel explains how to transpose for tenor and alto from “concert pitch” (piano, guitar for example). Essential knowledge for sax players! Check out the link to Nigel’s Free Transposing Cheat Sheet – you’ll be transposing like a pro.
Transposing cheat sheet: https://saxschoolonline.com/articles/saxophone-transposing-guide
Earpieces for Recording
Nigel answered a great question from our Sax School members Facebook Group – how do you hear yourself playing when you are wearing headphones whilst recording? You might want to wear headphones so you can hear your backing track, but you will also want to be able hear some of your sound so you can monitor your tone and the balance with the track.
You could try just using the headphones in one ear. Better still, a lot of recording software has a “monitor” option to feed your sax sound into your headphones.
Using Online Lessons alongside In-Person Lessons (such as an evening class)
Can different types of learning work together? Absolutely!
This was a question from a previous live session, and Nigel explained how to get the best of both – and lots of you agreed in the comments!
Many people come to Sax School because of the huge range of lessons available, to learn whenever and wherever suits you. Getting involved with a community band is a great addition to this and teaches you a bunch of new skills about playing with others. Sax School can help you meet any new challenges you come across, like improvising, or rhythm issues.
It’s great to have lessons from a teacher in person, but they may not have expertise in all the areas you want to explore. So using online learning you can try blues, or ska, for example, to complement the lessons from your teacher.
Plus lots of chat about reeds, and mouthpieces with Nigel answering comments and questions that came up during the session. And did you know the answer to our quiz question?
Links for this episode:
Start your 14 day trial to Sax School here: saxschoolonline.com
Grab the free Saxophone Tool Kit: saxschoolonline.com/saxophone-tool-kit
Checkout my interview with master saxophone mouthpiece maker Theo Wanne.
New Music:
Check out Ben Vince here: https://soundcloud.com/hessleaudio/sets/hes034
I’ve also been listening to young USA saxophonist Grace Kelly. Check out this cool video of her with Leo P on bari sax: https://youtu.be/C0fj6Bwrp6M