You could be trying to learn every single thing on your saxophone, but unless you do the one thing we’re going to talk about today, you’ll struggle to make fast progress.
Today we’re going to talk about the most important sax practice you can do. I love this – and I know it’s going to help you.
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A simple idea
So that clip was from our recent Spotlight Session. It’s something we do every month with our Sax School PRO members, where the tutor team and I get together, and review videos that our members send in. Now, the reason I love these sessions is because they’re so valuable for our students.
It’s wonderful to see the progress they’re making inside Sax School PRO. But you know what? With the tutor team, it’s also wonderful for us to learn new things. And in this session, Joel shared an amazing a concept that I just had to share with you guys.
Because this simple idea is something that I use in my playing. Every pro player that I’ve ever spoken to uses it as well. But are you using it?
Well, we’re going to talk about why this is something that you should be doing right now. In fact it’s the most important sax practice you can do.
Joel’s on this Spotlight Session along with me, and Chris from our Sax School tutor team.
So here’s Joel explaining this idea. And then stick around because at the end I want to break this down for you. And I’ve got a couple of tactics that you can use to put this into action today.
How to think
Here’s how Joel explained his concept.
“Just like the rest of life, We tend to think about what we’re going to do before we do it. So what if I thought, after this Spotlight Session has finished, I’m going to go to my kitchen and make a nice cup of tea. As soon as I think about that, I imagine doing it. In fact, you’ll realise everything you ever do in life, you imagine it, before you do it.
And that’s how subconsciously your body knows how to get up. You don’t think about the muscles. You get up, you subconsciously walk and go and make yourself a nice cup of tea.
But on saxophone, we have this weird disconnect, where it seems a little bit abstract. And we tend to just play stuff and then we ask ourselves ‘was that what I thought it was going to sound like?’
But that’s the opposite way around to how we live our everyday lives. We need to think about what do I want it to sound like and then do it. Not do it, and then think, ‘did that sound alright?’
And it’s a subtle little thing. And it’s weird that we do this the wrong way round when we play saxophone. Because we think it’s difficult and we think it’s different and abstract, but it’s not. It’s just part of life. It’s a saxophone. It’s just another kind of tool. It’s like making a cup of tea. We’ve got to think about what we want out of it before we do it. Not ‘was that all right?’ after we’ve done it.”
The most important sax practice you can do
Here are 3 ways that you can put this into action in your saxophone playing right now. And this is the most important sax practice you can do. Plus I’ve got a pro tip for you too.
Just before I do that though, if you’d like to get involved with one of these Spotlight Sessions, you can! Get started with Sax School and come and have a look at what’s going on in Sax School PRO.
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Tip #1: Listen more
The first thing I’d suggest you do is to listen more. You need to have a clear idea of the sound that you’re going for.
What’s your dream saxophone sound? So find saxophone players that you love. Find tracks, and albums. Get an idea of the sound that you love, that you would like to have as your dream saxophone sound model. So make a list of those. Have a think about them.
Tip #2: Practice without blowing
Now, the second thing is to spend some time practicing without blowing your sax. I’ll tell you what I mean by this.
You can do this if you’re a beginner player or even if you’re an experienced pro player. All the pro players do this anyway, so you probably know what I’m talking about.
Once you’ve learned a piece of music, I want you to go through that piece of music just moving your fingers.
So you’re not blowing, and not sticking your sax in your mouth. You don’t think about your breathing. All you need to think about, is getting the flow of the music going. Zone in on how your fingers feel as you’re playing through this piece of music – in time.
Tip #3: Visualise
The third tip is to visualise the piece of music – and then play.
Now, here’s the thing. Visualisation is important. And everybody at the top of their game – whether they are an athlete, a performer, a speaker, a business person, a swimmer, or a golfer – all of these people use visualisation.
Why? Because it absolutely works. And that’s why even if we are just getting started on our journey with saxophone, we’ve got to use these tactics as well. They’re so important.
So with visualising, take a couple of minutes before you play through your piece of music and imagine it.
- Think about how it sounds.
- Think about how your fingers feel on the saxophone.
- Imagine yourself playing all the way through, particularly those difficult passages that you’ve been struggling with in your practice this week.
- But you can hear yourself playing it through and it feels completely effortless.
And then once you’ve done that, you are prepared.
Now it doesn’t matter whether you are getting ready to play it in your practice. Or if you’re getting ready to make a simple video that you’re going share inside Sax School. Maybe you’re going to play for your friends, or maybe to go and play at that jam session. You should still spend some time visualising. You can do it when no one else is looking and watching you if you like!
But take the time to do this and trust me – it will make a difference.
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Pro Tip: Feel the emotion
I promised you a pro tip. Now this is super important. It’s an advanced thing that all the serious pro players think about.
You need to understand what the emotion is behind the piece that you are playing.
So take some time to think about how a piece of music makes you feel.
- Is it happy?
- Is it sad?
- Is it anxious?
- Is it exciting?
- How do you feel in your body?
If it’s a happy song, think about a happy feeling. Think about a memory that makes you feel excited and happy in your body. And I want you to focus on that emotion and think about how it feels inside.
The reason this is important, is we need to train ourselves, to be able to recall that emotion next time that we play this piece of music. If you can do that, you’re going to add a whole other layer onto the way that you can perform a piece of music. And that’s going to help your audience to connect with you.
So think about what the emotion is, of the piece of music. And then recall that emotion every time you go to perform that particular piece. And honestly, your performances will be so much better.
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A reminder for you
I think these strategies are the most important sax practice you can do. So how are you going to implement these strategies in your practice now?
I’d love for you to have a think about that.
- Who is your favourite sax player?
- What sound are you going for on your sax?
Have you tried any of these techniques before? Did they help you?
I want you to take these things we’ve covered and think about them in your practice sessions over the coming weeks and months. Put them into action. I can guarantee they’re going to help you if you apply them. So this is your opportunity to put them into action and see how they work for you.
And if you are curious to check out Sax School PRO and our Spotlight Sessions, you can Get started with Sax School