[aljosah]

Hello,

I have a couple of questions regarding playing Jazz music. Saxophone is not a new concept to me, having played for more than 10 years and finished musical high school (now I am studying physics ).

But, most of the time I just played classical music and while I love classical saxophone, I would also like to start playing Jazz. Here comes the problem, because I don't know how to start. First, my goal is not to play some ultra-modern free jazz, like Peter Brotzman or Ornette Coleman, it would be more like dixieland, and early John Coltrane. So, how can I start? How can I get the "jazz sound"? I play a Selmer Serie III alto, so gear is no problem, I am technically on top of things (in the past I played Tomassi concerto, Glazounov concerto, Hindemith Sonate,...).

My brain is just not working fast enough for jazz, or so it seems :treble::line2::line3:
Oh, I forgot to add, that I plan to buy a tenor sax in the future, but not for a while...

 

[toughtenor]

start by listening to jazz. a lot. and intensively. so that you can hear ? sing every note of your favourite solo's. after that listen to what the bass players is doing, sing the bass lines, try to work out the voicings of the piano players, listen to how the drums complement the rythm.
One Cd will keep you busy for quite a bit that way.

 

[HornForHire]

What do you mean exactly with a "jazz sound"? There are many different players with many different sounds: dark, bright, soft...

The best way to start is by listening to a lot of jazz and when you find a sound you like, try to emulate it.
This could mean you have to buy another mouthpiece or to use other reeds, but not necessarily.
It all depends on the sound concept you're aiming for.

It wil take lots of practice, so be prepared!

 

[Kelly Bucheger]

start by listening to jazz. a lot. and intensively.

The best way to start is by listening to a lot of jazz and when you find a sound you like, try to emulate it.

Also: Listen to jazz, a lot, and intensively, and when you find a sound you like, try to emulate it!

In other words: what THEY said! Listen a ton, and find players that grab you, and try to sound like them.

Or, in other other words: The first step in how to get the "jazz sound" is to develop your personal conception of the jazz sound -- and that's only done through listening and emulation.

Have Fun, & Good Luck!

 

[magical pig]

Those guys are all wrong, don't listen to them. What you need to do is listen to jazz constantly. :twisted:

Jazz is a language. The first step to learning a language is to listen and try to understand how it works by imitating it.

 

[SaxTMan]

start to read chords as if they are your main language, and more important, start transcribing solos. In this way you will be listening jazz over and over again, and develop the language and swing

 

[dwalker]

of course the best way to learn is by listening to jazz music, for starters listen to those music artists whom you look up to in the field of jazz or probably those whom inspire you the most because that is where you can really get things going. I say the best way to learn is if you get to ask advise or listen to jazz players because the best teacher is always through actual experience.

 

[JL]

+1 to listening to the music you want to play! I would suggest you start with the blues, since it is the foundation of jazz. In technical terms, you'll want to learn to play everything by ear. Chord arpeggios, scales, and so on. Learn the form and structure of tunes: blues, AABA, etc.

 

[Jazztenor87]

For sound, I would suggest experimenting with the "bottom lip out" embouchure and working on voicing the overtones with the new embouchure. You can find info about this embouchure and overtones by searching the forum.

For learning lines and "the language", try starting with ballads played by people like Lester Young, Sonny Stitt, and Coltrane.

 

[skeller047]

What everyone has implied, but no one has actually SAID, is that you learn jazz by playing, not by reading. So you have to spend a lot of time "copying" or "transcribing". You say your brain is not fast enough for jazz. So speed it up... by slowing it down. Find a few tunes that you like, by players that you like. Then copy the tune to your computer, slow it down and learn it so that you can play along with the record. Once you have done a few tunes this way, start on solos. Obviously, real fast stuff will be difficult, so select solos that are slower or easier.

Expect to spend a few months doing this before your really start to "get" it. It is exactly like learning a language, and submersion in the sound is the only way that really works.

After you have learned a few tunes, go to a jam session. Don't worry if you suck just do it!

 

[click]

I would listen to this to start with. It is well worth the money, and moving along with the development makes it easier to follow.


Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology [Audio CD]:
http://www.google.com/products/cata...-v2FTZmIOvCD0QHdjvjcCA&sqi=2&ved=0CFwQ8wIwAQ#

 

[differencetone]

Although I encourage people to teach themselves, in this case, you ought to get a jazz teacher. Please explain to him or her that this is temporary because they feel very bad when you quit.