Looking for online sax lessons? Steph Jackman compares Sax School Online with the Better Sax Mastery Bundle.
Nigel McGill’s Sax School Online and Jay Metcalf’s Better Sax both offer hundreds of popular and free videos and tutorials which can be viewed on YouTube. But I was interested in their paid products – comparing Sax School Online with Better Sax to find out how they might each help me on my saxophone journey.
I spent several months working through lessons in the Better Sax Mastery Bundle (BSMB) to check out how it stacks up against the resources offered by Sax School PRO.
Comparing Sax School Online with Better Sax Mastery
There is a lot of common ground in the technique lessons and exercises provided by both platforms, particularly for learning the fundamentals. Both offer clear and helpful lessons on how to start playing and improvising using pentatonics, the blues scale and harmonic motion. Music theory is clearly explained by both providers and there are numerous guided exercises with practise backing tracks provided by both Sax School and BSMB. There are also ear training/jam sessions/call and answer challenges provided in the lessons from both providers which I find really useful.
I have been playing saxophone for about 10 years and I found there were plenty of lessons in both courses that were beneficial to my playing. I think the same would be true for players with abilities from beginner up to advanced intermediates.
Sax School Online Summary
At the time of writing (May 2022), a one year membership to Sax School Online (PRO) costs $230 (US dollars) and gives you access to well over 650 guided lessons, with new materials being added every week. There are technique and theory lessons, both stand alone and integrated with lessons or mini courses guiding you to play a song using the technique you are working on.
There are also numerous songs, pieces and challenges in a variety of music genres to learn and enjoy playing. The vast majority of lessons have practice and/or full backing tracks provided, which make it easy to have fun whilst putting your learning into real music.
- Pentatonics and how to use in improvising
- Library of pop songs and solos with sheet music and backing tracks
- Blues Theory
- Blues songs and artist profiles
- Harmonic theory and chord progression training
- Jazz standards
- Ear training / Jam / Call and Response exercises
- Diverse genres (pop, funk, ska, classical)
- Masterclasses with pro players
- Monthly Challenges
- Warm up lessons
Masterclasses are also regularly added from outstanding professional players from a variety of genres, covering such diverse topics as songwriting, how to get emotion into your playing, becoming a dynamic performer, getting a killer sax sound, improvising tactics and how to be a solo sax player.
There is a lively and supportive community of players, and in my experience it is really easy to get feedback and help from Nigel and his talented team of tutors, as well as your fellow students.
Better Sax Mastery Bundle Summary
BSMB consists of 6 courses – 2 pentatonics, 2 blues, essentials/warm-ups and harmonic theory and can be purchased outright for a one-off fee of $349 (US dollars) at the time of writing (May 2022). These courses are primarily theory and technique training.
The format feels like a series of online method books with the addition of a video explanation and backing tracks for you to use when practicing the exercises. I counted 54 lessons.
- Pentatonics and how to use in improvising
- Blues Theory
- Harmonic theory and chord progression training
- Ear training / Jam / Call and Response exercises
- Warm up lessons
- Q & A, tutor support and feedback and live workshops available for additional subscription
In addition to paid courses, Better Sax does also offer some free courses on their website. I found the 6 lessons in “Learn & Play Songs by Ear ” course fun and helpful.
Playing by ear is a theme throughout most of the BSMB courses, detailed exercises are usually provided in a single key and you are encouraged to use your ears and scale degrees to transpose the exercises into other keys.
There is a forum attached to the courses, but it seemed to be less active than the Sax School Online community. If you are looking for support and feedback on your sax playing, Better Sax offer an add-on monthly subscription product (at present $39 per month) called “The Studio”, which includes live Q & A sessions and workshops as well as the opportunity for personal feedback. However, I have not reviewed that product.
In Conclusion
For me, the best thing about BSMB were the plentiful warm up and technique exercises. There’s enough here to keep you improving on your skills for a lifetime, whatever your current level. I have been enjoying working on pentatonics patterns and have incorporated some of the exercises from the Pentatonic Patterns course into my regular warm up.
BSMB encourages mostly playing by memory rather than reading music. I personally found this a challenge (although I am sure it was good for me). The courses present a good grounding in music theory alongside plentiful technique exercises to get scales, finger patterns and some licks securely under your fingers.
Personally I would have liked a bit more “fun” to keep me interested. However, if you are looking to work on your technique, playing by ear, and theory knowledge, – and you’re well motivated – then this is a great course bundle.
Sax School takes a different approach. Your annual membership fee gives you access to the wide range of resources for one year (although many members choose to renew year after year). The library of lessons and courses is that is constantly growing, with new lessons added weekly. There is a fun and supportive environment that I found kept me engaged .
There’s a wide range of lessons and masterclasses, suitable for beginner to advanced intermediate level sax players. These include theory and technique lessons, however they are not quite as extensive as those within BSMB.
The Sax School format encourages and supports learning by both reading music and memorising or playing by ear. Most lessons include a PDF download, but there are also courses to help with ear training and improvising.
Sax School offers lessons on a wide range of styles from from classical to pop, rock, ska and funk, commercial music, blues or jazz. If you are looking to grow your repertoire to get out and perform on your sax, of if you just want to enjoy playing at home, there’s a great choice of songs to learn, including backing tracks and PDF sheet music.
My Verdict
I found that there is a lot of benefit to be gained as a saxophone player by working through the lessons in either Sax School or BSMB. However, if I was going to spend my hard earned cash on just one of them, personally I would choose Nigel McGill’s Sax School Online for value, support and the sheer amount and range of content available.