Gilbert joined in with our Sax School September Challenge to learn a classical tune on saxophone and share a video in our Facebook Community.
Gilbert shared a great video of the beautiful classical saxophone tune, “Melody in F”. He is our Student of the Week!
Gilbert has been playing alto saxophone since 2014. “Before starting the saxophone, I had played flute for a long time,” explains Gilbert. “I taught myself the fingering, and how to read music, but I didn’t reach a very high level.”
So, Gilbert decided to switch to saxophone. “I thought the saxophone would be more fun, and there are lots of different styles of music you can play on sax,” he says.
There are lots of different styles of music you can play on sax
Finding Sax School
Like many of our members, Gilbert first discovered Sax School through Nigel’s lessons on YouTube. “I liked Nigel’s teaching style, and I finally signed up for Sax School in 2016,” he explains.
For Gilbert, this was a turning point in his saxophone journey. “Joining Sax School changed the pace of my progress,” he says. “There are new lessons every week, and Nigel’s style really helps to motivate me to learn.”
Joining Sax School changed the pace of my progress
The first tune Gilbert learned with Sax School was “Moonlight Serenade”, but he has a varied taste with what he chooses to play, including pop and classical tunes. “There are lessons for every level of player, ” he says, “with lots of advice on how to make progress.”
Learning Community
Learning an instrument at home can be difficult, but Gilbert finds the Sax School community a great source of support. “There are some really good players in the group who are very supportive,” he says, “and it’s good to have the motivation to share a video when you are learning something new.”
Gilbert also finds the Masterclasses very useful. “I can always pick up something for my own learning, and it’s great to see other Sax School students dealing with the same challenges as me”.
Saxophone Goals
Now that he’s learned “Melody in F,” Gilbert is tackling another beautiful classical tune on saxophone, “Pachelbel’s Canon” – another of the lessons in our Classical Mini Course. “It’s a great melody for improving technique because it has long notes as well as faster sections,” explains Gilbert. “I can play it at a slower speed but I’m aiming to get progressively faster.”
As well as learning classical tunes on saxophone, Gilbert is also developing his improvisation skills, with the Blues Mastery Course. “I want to keep on learning saxophone and making progress,” he says. “It’s good to learn new things!”
Thank you Gilbert for sharing your video and your saxophone journey with us – and congratulations on being our Student of the Week!
Want to learn saxophone like Gilbert?
Get started with Sax School membership today and see how our Student Pathways, Mini Courses and huge lesson library will help you make massive progress on your sax. Get Started Here!