[simso]

Hey folks, been playing a short while now about 6 months have had lessons ect, but a few friends came over to my place and we did a bit of a jamb session just for the fun of it, we had drums keyboard me on sax and the guitar going, didnt sound to bad. But the guys were saying that my sound is still very stagnated per note, I mean like duh duh duh each note is individualised, I said thats the way you play the sax, and then I did a quick burst slurring all my notes, and the response was yeah thats the sound were after. So heres the problem how does one learn to minimise the tongue effect when playing, ive sat and listened to a few players and damn I cant here that tongue action happening, is this something that you learn over time or is this something that ive got to retrain my approach again with now.
Any help would be appreciated.
Steve

 

[Reedsplinter]

my sound is still very stagnated per note, I mean like duh duh duh

Stagnated?:shock:

Do you mean staccato?

 

[hakukani]

Oh man Oh man. Articulation has been one of my big bugaboos all of my playing life--and one of the things that I've worked the hardest on.

It sounds like maybe you're stopping the air whilst tonguing. The idea is that the air potential is there, the tongue merely stops the reed from vibrating.

Blow a long tone, and tongue crochets with a metronome. Try for there only to be the smallest interuption of the sound, right with the metronome. Rinse and repeat, a little faster.

Then, when practicing scales, practice
-no tongue
-tongue every note
-tongue every other note
-tongue two, slur two
-tongue every four notes

Happy Articulating

 

[jbtsax]

It sounds to me like you are after a nice "jazz legato" sound. If this is the case practice your scales in 8th notes using a very gentle Du Dah Du Dah Du Dah articulation. Move the tongue like the tip of a feather and keep the airstream blowing through the notes.

To get the feel of a gentle, liquid legato play a scale up and down slurred and then tongue the scale using Du Du Du making it sound as if you were slurring. It takes a bit of practice, but these exercises will unlock a whole new area of style in your playing that is critical in many styles of playing.

John

 

[simso]

Thanks guys, Im home for the day, so I just went and had a quick play and tried to just stop the note gently whilst the air was blowing, and even though I didnt think I was doing it before, im actually cutting the airflow of completley. I think half my problem is I use the top surface of my tongue to do the notes not the tip, Im gonna have to go back to basics on this one I think. At least I have a new problem to tackle
Steve

 

[Pure Magic]

I wonder how you would sound playing the solo from the Wander by Dion and the Belmonts 1960? Because your style would sound real good in that song.