John practiced his saxophone for 60 days. Here’s what happened.
We’re always told we should spend more time practicing saxophone. But how much is the right amount? And do we do what we’re supposed to do?
Well, today I’ve got a great story for you. It’s about one of our Sax School students called John, and he’s taken a challenge that we’ve got inside Sax School called the 30-Day Challenge.
But he’s gone a little bit further with it. I think it’s just amazing to hear how it improved his playing, and it also gives you a bit of an idea of what’s possible.
Practicing Saxophone Challenge
John didn’t just practice for 30 days. He ended up practicing saxophone for 60 days straight! I wanted to know if John had ever set himself a challenge like this before.
“No, your course was the inspiration for doing that,” says John.
Of course, it’s great to hear that Sax School inspired John to practice his sax every day for 60 days. But did he see any difference in his playing as a result?
“It had a profound effect,” says John, “because the embouchure did get stronger, and the breathing. The low tones, the high tones – everything that your course has offered me to this point – using it has helped. And doing it for 60 days over and over and over, I have improved immensely with the saxophone. It makes playing a lot more fun!”
Effective sax practice
So we all know that practicing saxophone regularly – or even every day – will make our playing better. But hardly any of us do it. We’re all guilty of it.
I asked John if he had a clear idea of how to structure his sax practice every day.
“Yeah, I did,” says John.”And your course [Sax School], the way it’s structured, makes learning easier.”
Like many saxophone learners, John started out with in person lessons with a teacher. But John found that with his weekly 30 minute lessons, he wasn’t making very much progress. “Thirty minutes were gone [so fast]. And it was like, what am I learning here? By the time you take your instrument out, you start talking, then you start playing. He gives you a couple of exercises to do, then it’s, well, see you next Sunday… And I thought,there’s got to be a better way than this.”
That’s when John discovered Sax School’s online video lessons. With access to a comprehensive library of lessons and courses, John found he could make better progress. “You have so much information there, there’s no way you’ll get through this course in a year, or two years! … But playing through the techniques that you employ and how you present a song, then you play the song, then you help us to learn the song, and then the challenge is to play the song. It has helped. It really has.”
Keeping up the momentum
It’s great to hear that John got all of this momentum going from practicing saxophone for 60 days. I wanted to know whether this had helped him get a great practice routine in place to keep up that progress.
John has discovered he learns best by practicing saxophone during the day. “Rather than practice later in the evenings, I’m trying to build some time in during the day when your mind is fresh, and you’re more alert,” John explains. “I love getting up every day trying to figure out, okay, how am I going to play the saxophone today? And how am I going to fit this into my schedule?”
As John sees the progress he’s making, he’s enjoying his practice and that motivates him to do more.” The more I have learned is like the more I want to learn. Improvising and things like that. And I just went to a jazz concert this weekend and I saw Michael Lington and Paul Taylor. And I just sit there in amazement thinking, how do they do this? But I know it comes with years of practice.”
Michael Lington is a really good performer and sax player. And there’s a fantastic masterclass with Michael actually inside the Sax School members’ area.
Future plans
As he’s a fan of Michael Lington, it’s no surprise that John loves smooth jazz. “I listen to all different types of genres of music and I’m a jazz lover,” he says. “I love jazz music and even some of your songs that I’ve learned [in Sax School], I’ve tried to make them a little jazzy…. That’s kind of what I want to play”.
With the practice habits he has created, John is well on his way to achieving his goals on saxophone. It’s just brilliant to see somebody like John, who is so excited about learning and putting in those hours practicing saxophone, working on his skills. I’m sure he is going to be achieving amazing things in his playing.
Next steps for you
If John’s story got you thinking about how you could improve on saxophone too, then come check out what we’re doing over at Sax School.
There are thousands of other students like John who are using Sax School every single day. And as a member, you’ll have an opportunity to take part in the challenges like John has done with the 30-day Challenge. Plus you can join in all the live monthly classes we’ve got going on, and access our huge library of lessons.
But most importantly, you can get direct feedback and support from a teacher. And you can connect with our huge community of other learners inside Sax School.
Get started with a 14 day free trial today.