getting started with jazz saxophone.

Noahbf · 2007-06-25

Hey, i've been playing classical sax (mostly) for about 4 years now, and i was wondering where should i start if i want to learn to play jazz, like what materials should i buy, and how should i practice, stuff like that. Thanks guys!

saxymanzach

· #2 · Jun 25, 2007

Jamey Aebersold Volumes 1 and 3. Make sure you really read them and not just play along with the tracks. I really don't like VOlume 2, it didn't help me understand the blues any better than in volume 1, so I don't reccomend it.

And ask your teacher. That's always the best way.

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rs1sensen

· #3 · Jun 25, 2007

Jim Snidero has a book called "Jazz Conception" which is awesome. http://www.jimsnidero.com/books/conception.htm (one on the bottom)

It's made of of 20some jazz etudes, all of which build up specific skill sets, but are actually quite fun to play. Plus, you get a great play-along CD. Highly recommended!

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rabbit

· #4 · Jun 25, 2007

If you don't have a taste for any particular jazz style yet
put the horn down & listen to a lot of different jazz,
especially stuff you DON'T think you'll like 'cause the album
covers look terrible and, if you're 21, spend a fair amount of this
listening time moderately intoxicated.

If you do have a taste for certain type(s) of jazz ignore that stuff
at least for a while & return to the paragraph above.

Listen to a lot of Billie Holiday.

Ask yourself if you can swing and if you have any difficulty
with this concentrate your efforts here (and in your listening too.)

Ask yourself also, why on earth would I want to bother with Jazz?

Good luck,

rabbit

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ksentine

· #5 · Jun 25, 2007

+ 1 for Jim Snideros Jazz conception,

these are actually transcriptions of his solos, Also apart from the written notes the chord changes represent a variety of styles and many hours of fun can be had soloing over them to improve your improvisational skills!

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rs1sensen

· #6 · Jun 25, 2007

ksentine said:
+ 1 for Jim Snideros Jazz conception,

these are actually transcriptions of his solos, Also apart from the written notes the chord changes represent a variety of styles and many hours of fun can be had soloing over them to improve your improvisational skills!

and most are based off of actual "jazz standards" and are similar enough that by the time you're done with the book, you'll have the skills to pick up the actual standards quickly.

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Pete Thomas

· #7 · Jun 25, 2007

As well as playing along with C tracks and backing tracks, transcribe solos. Learn them by singing them as well. Singing them will really help you get some feel.

Your classical training will not hinder you, but you need to be open to a less structured approach, personality and originality can become more important compared to learning the conventions.

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slobberchops

· #8 · Jun 25, 2007

I'd second rabbit's rinse-and-repeat: listen to jazz, then listen some more. Once you can't help yourself nodding your head and scatting along to one of Trane's early 60s solos (or Mobley's late 50s, or Trumbauer's 30s... you get the picture), you will be ready to hit the books. Once that sound is in your bones, you can say bye-bye to Marcel Mule....

S.

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jazzbluescat

· #9 · Jun 26, 2007

I'd get a book, e.g. Levine's JAZZ THEORY BOOK first, and do a lot of listening.

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Matt Kaesler

· #10 · Jun 26, 2007

You also may need to change your emrochure, where you direct your airstream, your perception of a 'good' saxophone sound and also the setup you are using.

The classical students at University look at the gear that us jazz people use, the way our embrochures are set and the sound we're going for/producing and just can't quite get their heads around it.

Make sure you really get the spirit of the music, it's not about lots of notes, or being polite, or even being smooth or precise necessarily, it's about rhythm, time and attitude, something I think every jazz saxophonist struggles with because those are the things that can't be taught.

That said, welcome to the slippery slope of jazz!! I hope it provides you with years of fun and frustration!

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Jazz House

· #11 · Jun 26, 2007

this is a link to my website.

It has some stuff on improvisation.

It is just what sounds right

I know nothing about chords.

These are some tricks for beginners that I use a lot.

www.geocities.com/saxophonous_b_b/improvisation.html

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Frank D

· #12 · Jun 27, 2007

rabbit said:
If you don't have a taste for any particular jazz style yet
put the horn down & listen to a lot of different jazz,
especially stuff you DON'T think you'll like 'cause the album
covers look terrible and, if you're 21, spend a fair amount of this
listening time moderately intoxicated.

If you do have a taste for certain type(s) of jazz ignore that stuff
at least for a while & return to the paragraph above.

Listen to a lot of Billie Holiday.

Ask yourself if you can swing and if you have any difficulty
with this concentrate your efforts here (and in your listening too.)

Ask yourself also, why on earth would I want to bother with Jazz?

Good luck,

rabbit

This is great advice. You need to be able to sing, hum or whistle the kind of solo you want to play over the tune before you can start to figure out how to play it. That means listen, listen and listen.

The rest of it's pretty accurate as well.

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coolsax2k7

· #13 · Jun 27, 2007 (Edited)

Before I picked up a saxophone, I was sitting on the toilet one day at around the age of 16 after I had been listening to some jazz for about a year or two, and I realized that I was 'scat' whistling to myself (not scatting with myself, that's something different) and I realized then that I could improvise, even without knowing it at first. But mainly, it was listening to jazz that made me want to play saxophone. Learning jazz is not easy on any instrument, but as people have said here I agree it's good to listen a lot and maybe start spending time after your practice session devoted to just playing along to jazz records, without any idea of what you should be doing, and let loose to get a feel for having fun with it. My first sax teacher taught me that, and even though it was painful at first playing a lot of wrong notes it got easier over time as my ears, fingers and mind started to form associations with the music.

Everyone has fun and learns differently, some people like to dig into huge books of scales for jazz, and practice exercises based on these, and others like to play transposed jazz solos that they learn from sheet music as a way to learn how to play. That's all fine but to me the most important thing is maintaining originality and freshness in jazz and that can only be learned from experience playing it! (or trying to..) Play-alongs (you can find them free on the net) are a helpful tool.

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Frank D

· #14 · Jun 29, 2007

coolsax2k7 said:
Before I picked up a saxophone, I was sitting on the toilet one day at around the age of 16 after I had been listening to some jazz for about a year or two, and I realized that I was 'scat' whistling ............

Whew, I thought you were going somewhere else with that one!

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Lament

· #15 · Jul 1, 2007

When I started working on my jazz playing I already had the "hands" part working fomr my classical playing. However I had trouble playing musical solos. One summer I sat in with a friends combo at a bar gig, had a few drinks, and didn't think about playing the right note but playing music. This is still a work in progress but I think that most important is to listen, second work so that your hands know what their doing without you thinking about it so that you can focus on music instead of notes, and last know that it does not have to be, and almost certanly will not be, perfect and thats fine its more important to enjoy what your doing than to be caught up in every little mistake.

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