November 6, 2018
As a saxophone player, you should expect to take your instrument to the repair shop every now and then- it’s part of owning and playing an instrument, and accidents are bound to happen. But did you know many of those costly repairs can be avoided if you take proper care of your instrument from the […]
November 1, 2018
Each year, the Give a Note Foundation honors the most creative and effective school music programs with the Music Educator Innovator Award. Although the deadline for Fall 2018 entries ended on October 31, you can always start preparing for your Spring 2019 submission now! Sean Smith, Board Chair/President of the Give a Note Foundation, encourages […]
The early 2000’s are longingly referred to as the ‘simpler times’. A time when everything smelled like cucumber melon and our only accessory was the Livestrong bracelet. This was the pre-selfie era, remember how we all crammed into photo booths with our friends at the mall? Speaking of malls, that was the place to see […]
October 26, 2018
There are four main components of an effects pedal setup: Microphone Preamp Effects Loop Power Source Microphone / Pickup Once you have your instrument, you will need a good microphone to play into. Another alternative for brass players is to use a Yamaha Silent Brass Mute: with a pickup in the mute it can be […]
Ah, the Fake Book. An essential tool for the gigging musician and for decades the bane of the publishing industry. The Fake Book, in case you’re not familiar with it, is basically the simplest version of sheet music available. It is a collection of songs written with only the melody, lyrics and chord changes over […]
October 25, 2018
Levels of Saxophone Saxophones are divided into different groups based on playing level: beginner (or student), intermediate, and professional (or performance) saxophones. Pretty much all student saxophonists start playing on a beginner horn, which makes perfect sense! But once a student has reached a certain playing level, they’ll probably start thinking about stepping up to […]
Trombones, trumpets and saxophones are all great sounding instruments that can present a few difficulties when you’re in the studio. For example, their large dynamic range can easily overload microphone capsules, preamps and A/D converters, making the instruments hard to compress. A delicate frequency response often makes horns sound harsh, too bright or too thin. […]
Altissimo is a funny word that is best defined as the high notes on the saxophone that start when the regular fingering scale ends. The saxophone normally goes up to a high F or F# (sometimes even high G) and the fingering chart ends there. These Altissimo notes are the high notes you hear pro […]
I hold the opinion that strings are among the most beautiful and expressive instruments in the world. Strings in popular music have brought us songs like “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins, “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith, and “Apologize” by One Republic. These are all great songs in their own right, but when […]
As most musicians know, various finishes can definitely have an impact on the sound of your saxophone. In fact, knowing the type of finish on the instrument you’re looking at purchasing is considered a crucial bit of information. Depending on the finish you’re able to know how bright or dark the tone will be without […]
