Great post. Thousands of posts about sax tone/sound - this one of the most useful I've encountered. I'm encouraged to hear you found a way through your tone anxieties - you've pointed to a way to escape inevitably cringing every time I hear a recording of my playing.
Been playing sax for almost 4 years now. The first 3 years I played alto and switched to tenor a year ago. I am self taught and like everyone else struggled with my sound development, doing long tones till I was blue in the face as well as overtones and everything else in order to develop a good tone. Nothing seemed to be working until I heard this one thing that totally changed my sound (thanks to Scott Paddock) so that I was decently happy with it: Play any note while standing immediately in front of the corner of the room you’re playing in (where you were sent as a kid before there was time out). It will sound full and fat. Immediately turn around so you are in the middle of the room and try to emulate that full, fat sound you just heard. Do this for every note. The change was almost immediate and within a week or two I quit stressing so much about my tone. But now, combined with what you just said, I think what this exercise does is force you to use more air to emulate that full, fat sound you get from playing in a corner and hearing those acoustics bouncing back at you. If I do this exercise now, I don’t really hear much of a difference, especially in the low to mid-range. Every so often, though I start getting lazy and going back to old bad habits in the higher register (pinching the reed) and I have to go stand in the corner again. However, there is always room for improvement and I don’t think I will ever stop trying to improve my tone. I also don’t think a beginner can do this as a shortcut without spending the necessary time on tone development. There are no shortcuts, especially on a sax. Thanks for the great advice!
@ Let me know how it works. However, you have such a good sound, even when you’re trying to play badly that you may not notice as much of a difference. But try it with some of your students and see if it makes any difference. I just got onto your channel, but like what I hear so far. There is so much to learn from the sax community on TH-cam.
I watched a video on YT called "The Genius of Jazz" with Wynton Marsalis and Jon Batiste, WATCH IT if you haven't seen it, should be standard learning/knowledge for Jazz. BUT, what I found "spellbinding" as you said, Wynton was Mic'd up, WHILE he was playing trumpet! He sounded like a boxer! You could hear how HARD he was compressing his air and abdomen for each breath while playing. He kept SO much pressure while playing, that when he stops playing you hear a LOUD 'PSssssshhhh' of him releasing air. It immediately made me reconsider my tenor playing. Yes it's a trumpet not a tenor, but there has to be something behind CONTROLLING all that pressure for the sound we all want. Great video and info, enjoyed it.
Excellent information and advice, Mr. Banks. You sound great on everything. Glad you are finally finding some peace and tranquility and acceptance and monstrous sound projecting air-fueled tones.
I love your sound, thanks for sharing this. To me, the sound wasn't that different, but that doesn't matter, you know when you are doing it right, I guess the wavering in the note was more obvious with less air.
Nice 'rich' overtones in the fundamental tone. Ben Harrod from Otto Link captivated the 'Tone Edge' thanks to the tonal advances of Jazz players. This effect is the articulate mid range 'buzz' that is present upfront in the attack. This is the projecting formula that seems to carry your tone faster and farther through the room. You play so well and thanks for sharing your insights!
Ah excellent! Well I'm assuming in your earlier years you worked on the harmonics and wile in college you worked with the vocalize... I was fortunate to be a student of Joe Allard and later Joe Viola, Donal Sinta an Eugene Rousseau. So soud was a mayor thing with these teachers. So all you are addressing is on the dot! Thank you... Excellent . All the best and my regards to David .... Excellent my friend!
Its hard to explain w/o being in the room with you, but you take the same deep breath and get the same pressure from your abdomen, but you just blow slower and more controlled. This isn't about blowing harder, it's about using more air. Subtle difference.
If you always blow relatively hard, then how do you control loudness, softness? Like Crescendo Decrescendo? That’s what I have problem with personally, I can only make the sound more quiet by blowing less hard, or by subtoning, but than that’s a different sound and feel.
Great post. Thousands of posts about sax tone/sound - this one of the most useful I've encountered. I'm encouraged to hear you found a way through your tone anxieties - you've pointed to a way to escape inevitably cringing every time I hear a recording of my playing.
Been playing sax for almost 4 years now. The first 3 years I played alto and switched to tenor a year ago. I am self taught and like everyone else struggled with my sound development, doing long tones till I was blue in the face as well as overtones and everything else in order to develop a good tone. Nothing seemed to be working until I heard this one thing that totally changed my sound (thanks to Scott Paddock) so that I was decently happy with it: Play any note while standing immediately in front of the corner of the room you’re playing in (where you were sent as a kid before there was time out). It will sound full and fat. Immediately turn around so you are in the middle of the room and try to emulate that full, fat sound you just heard. Do this for every note. The change was almost immediate and within a week or two I quit stressing so much about my tone. But now, combined with what you just said, I think what this exercise does is force you to use more air to emulate that full, fat sound you get from playing in a corner and hearing those acoustics bouncing back at you. If I do this exercise now, I don’t really hear much of a difference, especially in the low to mid-range. Every so often, though I start getting lazy and going back to old bad habits in the higher register (pinching the reed) and I have to go stand in the corner again. However, there is always room for improvement and I don’t think I will ever stop trying to improve my tone. I also don’t think a beginner can do this as a shortcut without spending the necessary time on tone development. There are no shortcuts, especially on a sax. Thanks for the great advice!
Never heard this till your comment. I love playing the in the corner lol, but I've got to try this out for sure. Thanks for the recommendation.
@ Let me know how it works. However, you have such a good sound, even when you’re trying to play badly that you may not notice as much of a difference. But try it with some of your students and see if it makes any difference. I just got onto your channel, but like what I hear so far. There is so much to learn from the sax community on TH-cam.
You played 'the wrong way' and I was instantly transported back to high school. Wish I had seen this video then.
I watched a video on YT called "The Genius of Jazz" with Wynton Marsalis and Jon Batiste, WATCH IT if you haven't seen it, should be standard learning/knowledge for Jazz.
BUT, what I found "spellbinding" as you said, Wynton was Mic'd up, WHILE he was playing trumpet! He sounded like a boxer!
You could hear how HARD he was compressing his air and abdomen for each breath while playing. He kept SO much pressure while playing, that when he stops playing you hear a LOUD 'PSssssshhhh' of him releasing air. It immediately made me reconsider my tenor playing. Yes it's a trumpet not a tenor, but there has to be something behind CONTROLLING all that pressure for the sound we all want.
Great video and info, enjoyed it.
Excellent information and advice, Mr. Banks. You sound great on everything. Glad you are finally finding some peace and tranquility and acceptance and monstrous sound projecting air-fueled tones.
I love your sound, thanks for sharing this. To me, the sound wasn't that different, but that doesn't matter, you know when you are doing it right, I guess the wavering in the note was more obvious with less air.
Nice 'rich' overtones in the fundamental tone. Ben Harrod from Otto Link captivated the 'Tone Edge' thanks to the tonal advances of Jazz players. This effect is the articulate mid range 'buzz' that is present upfront in the attack. This is the projecting formula that seems to carry your tone faster and farther through the room. You play so well and thanks for sharing your insights!
Thanks for the video. Ill atart experimenting with these techniques today.
Ah excellent! Well I'm assuming in your earlier years you worked on the harmonics and wile in college you worked with the vocalize... I was fortunate to be a student of Joe Allard and later Joe Viola, Donal Sinta an Eugene Rousseau. So soud was a mayor thing with these teachers. So all you are addressing is on the dot! Thank you... Excellent . All the best and my regards to David .... Excellent my friend!
have you checked out Rich Perry's playing? I love his sound
Yes, big fan
How can i blow with a lot of air but still play quietly? When i blow a lot of air i play LOUD
Its hard to explain w/o being in the room with you, but you take the same deep breath and get the same pressure from your abdomen, but you just blow slower and more controlled. This isn't about blowing harder, it's about using more air. Subtle difference.
@@banksdaniels976 Maybe make video about this. it might help a lot of people
@@banksdaniels976 The first rule of the Dunning Kruger Club is that you don't know that you are a member of the Dunning Kruger Club.
If you always blow relatively hard, then how do you control loudness, softness? Like Crescendo Decrescendo? That’s what I have problem with personally, I can only make the sound more quiet by blowing less hard, or by subtoning, but than that’s a different sound and feel.
Thanks, bro!! Where did you find an Otto Link copy?
It was made by a guy named Adrian Chia, from Singapore
@ Adrián is great!!