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Dave Pollack
United States
Registrace 31. 12. 2009
Welcome to my channel! Here you will find many different types of videos relating to music and saxophone. For stopping by, I have something great for you - a FREE masterclass about improvisation! Get it here: www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass
Answering 50 of Your MOST ASKED Questions!
Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass:
►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass
Get $50 off my course "Simple Steps to Improvisation Success" by using code "SS50"
►www.davepollack.com/simplesteps
Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR
►www.davepollack.com/store
Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin!
►www.davepollack.com/store
Improvisation Lessons Playlist:
►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U.html
Saxophone Lessons Playlist:
►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt07VYOHgg3WvSg7gsvL7d9Q.html
00:00 Intro
00:51 FREE Improvisation Masterclass!
01:39 Any commonly shared saxophone advice
that you don’t agree with?
02:11 I’m not the biggest fan of combo jazz,
is this a valid opinion?
02:24 How did you ask for gigs when you were in high school?
03:23 How do I make my solos more melodic instead of basically going up and down the scales and chords???
03:51 What’s the best upgrade from a regular phone mic?
04:53 What are the best first standards to learn?
05:57 I haven’t touched my saxophone in 2 months since I graduated high school. Where should I pick back up?
06:52 Do you have any good methods for phrasing/varying phrase length/utilizing space?
07:51 What’s a mistake you see in a lot of private lesson teachers for saxophone?
08:34 Ever plan on playing in Texas?
08:47 How do I stop being a Scoop Johnson?
09:34 What inspires you to keep progressing in
skill as a musician?
10:12 With a sax goldfish embouchure, should my top teeth be on the top of the mouthpiece?
10:40 How do you remember chord functions and progressions in various jazz standards?
12:11 How often do you change reeds?
12:16 I was wondering if you could give any tips for bari, especially regarding low notes?
13:38 What should a practice session look like?
15:59 How the hell do you manage to put together all these wonderful videos?
16:23 Is there a formula you can suggest for quickly identifying a suitable scale, or scales, which will ‘work’ over a whole sequence of chords?
18:23 How do you become good at playing doubles?
19:56 What’s the best way to develop one’s own natural vibrato?
20:26 Can you please demonstrate how to do a split tone on alto sax?
20:33 Are there downsides of learning how to play with backing tracks, ear training, and no coach?
21:00 Approximately how long should a reed last before I toss it and get a new one?
21:15 What are the sonic characteristics I should be looking for that tell me I need a new reed?
21:38 How can I tell when my mouthpiece might need to be replaced/upgraded?
22:37 Could you provide some guidance to play pop funk style and how to pick backing tracks that go along?
23:44 How do you know which key signature to play over a given chord?
25:59 How do you make altissimo sound more exciting?
26:47 What do you do to keep time and count while doing a solo?
27:27 Do you do private lessons either in person or on zoom?
27:43 Do you have any tips for starting to transcribe, or what are your suggestions for any tunes that you think are good to start with?
29:22 What is your favorite lick? (I would love to learn it)
29:37 What is the best way to get a good, professional tone, while using a cheap beginner sax?
30:21 How can I improve knowing where I am while improvising and begin hearing and identifying chords?
31:16 What was the time in your life when you felt that you were making the most progress on the saxophone?
33:14 Do you have a practical way to count the number of bars while playing?
33:58 How do you work on intonation?
34:58 How do you work on motifs and keep ideas flowing?
35:31 How much time should a high school player be practicing a week?
36:15 How do you create a tasteful melodic solo over a chart that you're seeing for the first time?
37:41 If I have only 15 minutes a day, what should I practice?
38:36 What's something that happened to you with the music that kind of just changed your life or how you approach the music, and who are some of your greatest teachers?
41:11 What can I practice to help me play louder without sacrificing tone and pitch?
42:23 Say you have a tune in D major / relative B minor - what scale(s) could i use over it?
43:48 Are you using Logic Pro? Can you show us your settings with the effects plugins in detail?
45:08 Outro and final thoughts
Thank you to my sponsors!
►Boston Sax Shop - bit.ly/bostonsaxpollack
►Key Leaves - keyleaves.com/
►10mfan - 10mfan.com/
►Website: www.davepollack.com/
►Instagram: @davepollackmusic
►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass
Get $50 off my course "Simple Steps to Improvisation Success" by using code "SS50"
►www.davepollack.com/simplesteps
Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR
►www.davepollack.com/store
Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin!
►www.davepollack.com/store
Improvisation Lessons Playlist:
►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U.html
Saxophone Lessons Playlist:
►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt07VYOHgg3WvSg7gsvL7d9Q.html
00:00 Intro
00:51 FREE Improvisation Masterclass!
01:39 Any commonly shared saxophone advice
that you don’t agree with?
02:11 I’m not the biggest fan of combo jazz,
is this a valid opinion?
02:24 How did you ask for gigs when you were in high school?
03:23 How do I make my solos more melodic instead of basically going up and down the scales and chords???
03:51 What’s the best upgrade from a regular phone mic?
04:53 What are the best first standards to learn?
05:57 I haven’t touched my saxophone in 2 months since I graduated high school. Where should I pick back up?
06:52 Do you have any good methods for phrasing/varying phrase length/utilizing space?
07:51 What’s a mistake you see in a lot of private lesson teachers for saxophone?
08:34 Ever plan on playing in Texas?
08:47 How do I stop being a Scoop Johnson?
09:34 What inspires you to keep progressing in
skill as a musician?
10:12 With a sax goldfish embouchure, should my top teeth be on the top of the mouthpiece?
10:40 How do you remember chord functions and progressions in various jazz standards?
12:11 How often do you change reeds?
12:16 I was wondering if you could give any tips for bari, especially regarding low notes?
13:38 What should a practice session look like?
15:59 How the hell do you manage to put together all these wonderful videos?
16:23 Is there a formula you can suggest for quickly identifying a suitable scale, or scales, which will ‘work’ over a whole sequence of chords?
18:23 How do you become good at playing doubles?
19:56 What’s the best way to develop one’s own natural vibrato?
20:26 Can you please demonstrate how to do a split tone on alto sax?
20:33 Are there downsides of learning how to play with backing tracks, ear training, and no coach?
21:00 Approximately how long should a reed last before I toss it and get a new one?
21:15 What are the sonic characteristics I should be looking for that tell me I need a new reed?
21:38 How can I tell when my mouthpiece might need to be replaced/upgraded?
22:37 Could you provide some guidance to play pop funk style and how to pick backing tracks that go along?
23:44 How do you know which key signature to play over a given chord?
25:59 How do you make altissimo sound more exciting?
26:47 What do you do to keep time and count while doing a solo?
27:27 Do you do private lessons either in person or on zoom?
27:43 Do you have any tips for starting to transcribe, or what are your suggestions for any tunes that you think are good to start with?
29:22 What is your favorite lick? (I would love to learn it)
29:37 What is the best way to get a good, professional tone, while using a cheap beginner sax?
30:21 How can I improve knowing where I am while improvising and begin hearing and identifying chords?
31:16 What was the time in your life when you felt that you were making the most progress on the saxophone?
33:14 Do you have a practical way to count the number of bars while playing?
33:58 How do you work on intonation?
34:58 How do you work on motifs and keep ideas flowing?
35:31 How much time should a high school player be practicing a week?
36:15 How do you create a tasteful melodic solo over a chart that you're seeing for the first time?
37:41 If I have only 15 minutes a day, what should I practice?
38:36 What's something that happened to you with the music that kind of just changed your life or how you approach the music, and who are some of your greatest teachers?
41:11 What can I practice to help me play louder without sacrificing tone and pitch?
42:23 Say you have a tune in D major / relative B minor - what scale(s) could i use over it?
43:48 Are you using Logic Pro? Can you show us your settings with the effects plugins in detail?
45:08 Outro and final thoughts
Thank you to my sponsors!
►Boston Sax Shop - bit.ly/bostonsaxpollack
►Key Leaves - keyleaves.com/
►10mfan - 10mfan.com/
►Website: www.davepollack.com/
►Instagram: @davepollackmusic
zhlédnutí: 617
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Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin! ►www.davepollack.com/store Improvisation Lessons Playlist: ►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2...
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These 2 Notes Will Add SO Much To Your Solos!
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Get the worksheet here: ►www.davepollack.com/altered9th Watch the video at Abbey Road Studios with Randy Brecker: ►czcams.com/video/HKw6m2-_wis/video.html Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out "How to Hang on a Jaz...
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Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin! ►www.davepollack.com/store 00:00 Intro 01:42 Why intonation is so important 03:36 Play a middle note 06:09 Mi...
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Get the worksheet: ►www.davepollack.com/3levelsautumnleaves Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin! ►www.davepollack.com/store 00:00 Intro 02:30 Leve...
3 Levels of Playing a Blues
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Get the PDF worksheet for this lesson! ►www.davepollack.com/3levelsblues Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Get 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major" using code STRICTLYMAJOR ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" featuring myself and Ryan Devlin! ►www.davepollack.com/store 00:00 Int...
What did we play? We'll analyze it for you!
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Grab "How to Hang on a Jazz Standard" today! ►www.davepollack.com/store Learn to easily improvise through any chord changes with this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Use code STRICTLYMAJOR for 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major": ►www.davepollack.com/store 00:00 Intro 00:40 How to Hang on a Jazz Standard is here! 03:03 Dave's analysis 10:58 Ryan's analysis 18:21...
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zhlédnutí 2,3KPřed 2 měsíci
Learn to easily improvise through any chord changes with this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Use code STRICTLYMAJOR for 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major": ►www.davepollack.com/store Check out the full Will it Play? playlist: ►czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt3V-Ym4jDo9870Dkl0fPiRJ.html Check out some more videos: czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U....
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Grab the transcription PDF! ►www.davepollack.com/twnbay Use code STRICTLYMAJOR for 20% off my PDF exercise book "Strictly Major": ►www.davepollack.com/store Watch episode 1 here: ►czcams.com/video/um1l8NLW63g/video.html Check out some more videos: czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U.html czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt07VYOHgg3WvSg7gsvL7d9Q.html Thank you to my sponsors! ►Boston Sax...
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Use code "JAZZMONTH" for $10 off the "Strictly Major" PDF Package! ►www.davepollack.com/store Grab the Ultimate Chord Guide PDF: ►www.davepollack.com/chordguide Learn to easily improvise through any chord changes with this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass Check out some more videos: czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt24ACM5UrSQzkV2fuvPJJ2U.html czcams.com/play/PL7QPFAUbUvt07VYOHg...
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Great answers. Great tips. In addition to all the things you mentioned about what to consider when improvising a solo, I would suggest thinking about the melody. If you really know the melody, I have found it’s a lot easier to create a melodic solo. Dexter Gordon went one step further by saying you need to learn the lyrics so you understand the story the song is telling. As you said, listen, listen, listen and your solos will be better.
Thanks for answering my question Dave (31:18). I’m glad to know that the answer is just practicing and gaining playing experience and not something abstract. I’ll be continuing the journey 🙏
You're welcome - keep at it!!
Great tips!
Thanks Rob!
Great video and very informative!! Lots of questions on the same issue and discussion you and I had on your Saxophone Succes Comunity Masterclass about how to develope rhythms for improvation!!! Great job Dave!! Thanks again Wayne Pharo
Thanks Wayne! So glad you dug this and so glad to have you in SSC!!
Hey Dave! Thanks for making this really great video and for answering our questions! :) Really really helpful answers to my question. BIG THANKS!!
I really appreciate that!!
@@DavePollack And also looking forward to that editing video of yours! I think that's gonna be really helpful for those of us who are thinking of recording ourselves and posting on youtube or something~
Absolutely - look for that one sometime within the next month or so.
Thank you so much! You are so helpful.
I'm glad to hear that!
@DavePollack The question about the "goldfish embouchure" refers to the video "Blow like a goldfish" by Jamie Anderson. That's how he describes a relaxed lip-out embouchure.
Ah gotcha - Jamie is the MAN!
Dave this is an amazing video in so many ways! I already went through picking and choosing questions that were similar to my own. Love that your addressing them so concisely and how you reference longer videos you’ve already made. Also, the split tone demonstration cracked me up.😂 many thanks for the amazing resources you provide!
Thank you so much for checking it out and for the kind words! 🙏
Dave I appreciate your aproach to teaching.You break it down and it helps alot.Keep doing your thing and I love the hang podcast
Thanks for that! I will definitely keep doing my thing 💪
so amazing to see and hear the nuances of you two!!! beautiful, play with heart is so like a frequency that comes direct to our hearts with full moonlight covering it!!! love it! Greatings from Brasil en Holland. Thank you both!
Thank you so much for those kind words!
@@DavePollack thank you for the beautiful music
Dave Pollack has the #1 smooth jazz tutorials on the internet. No one else comes close
Want to learn the simple way to improvise? Watch this FREE masterclass: ►www.davepollack.com/freemasterclass
When's your next live show?
Next friday (july 19th) at OSNYC in new york!
I liked 2 then 3 then 1. Of course, this is thru my iPhone, so I expect my ratings may change if I hear the performances live.
What does mpc mean
Mouthpiece
❤ beautiful …
Thanks! 🙏
your time and tone are excellent K
I appreciate that 🙏
@@DavePollack someday you will fix my playing
Thats actually hard Saxologic would be proud
2:08 the ONLY actual excuse here. my feet and legs are still reddish-pink after marching band
that fast
3 sounded the best. But i got the 1 and 2 mixed
Pat Metheny didn't 'attack' Kenny G, he just said that Kenny G's music is not jazz.
Uh....this is just a small part of metheny's rant: When kenny g decided that it was appropriate for him to defile the music of the man who is probably the greatest jazz musician that has ever lived by spewing his lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune, noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing all over one of the great louis’s tracks (even one of his lesser ones), he did something that i would not have imagined possible. he, in one move, through his unbelievably pretentious and calloused musical decision to embark on this most cynical of musical paths, shit all over the graves of all the musicians past and present who have risked their lives by going out there on the road for years and years developing their own music inspired by the standards of grace that louis armstrong brought to every single note he played over an amazing lifetime as a musician. by disrespecting louis, his legacy and by default, everyone who has ever tried to do something positive with improvised music and what it can be, kenny g has created a new low point in modern culture.
I'm always played on the low level, and i don't know why I don't like it in a different way... My neck is bending a little, but the sound is great
Hey if it works, it works!
@DavePollack Thank you very much But i can tell you there is a lot of factor who can modify your sound on saxophone a simple thing like slap tongue can change your sounds a lot...I used to do a lot of exercises for sound but the slap tongue help the sound to be powerful and being mastered
I discovered that too. A few months ago, i used to play with my horn on my side, and i changed it between my legs when i was practicing for a classical concert and i notice some change and you haven't talk about one major way to hear your sound change on saxophone is sitting on a chair or bed without neck strap my sound get bigger when i do this if you haven't tried it let me know when you tried it......
Great! To me the major game changer for sound was to use a “shoulder” strap (like the Boston shop Balam) instead a choking neck strap (tried many) and straighten my neck with the proper strap height. That and the reed to me are the drivers of sound (after the player of course)
Great to hear!
This is correct
🙏
Look up Joe Allard and the "No Embouchure."
Great gift you doing this video. Well done and thank you Dave. I couldn't tell the difference between the neck strap heights but I could tell the difference in terms of when you were sight reading and when you were not. I think the neck strap height thing is about marginal gains. It will not transform one's playing but will make one's playing that little bit better.
A high position worked great for David Sanborn. I notice that a "somewhat" higher position (not Sanborn height) helps with altisimmo.
He had polio and that's why he played that way
@@DavePollack Dave told me that it helped his altissimo and that the polio regarded the neck position to the left as well. Some players prefer lower. I'm 6'6" and pulling way up isn't possible without a straighter neck. Dave also told me that he thought an alto shaped tenor neck would "f... up the sound." I will be trying one soon, so we'll see! I use varying neck and ligature positions as artistic devices. Branford said he was advised to raise his horn (by a classical prof).
I like jazz, but smooth jazz lead to me to start listening to jazz. I heard smooth jazz when I was a kid mostly from Kenny G. Songbird was the first song from Kenny G. But when I got older, I started to listen to Jazz from amazing artist Miles Davis and John Coltrane. I do enjoy Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Grover Washington Jr., but they have been excommunicated by the jazz world due to their commercialization of their music. While I do like smooth jazz, I really love listening to jazz when I go out by myself.
I was surprised, even without headphones I heard which was which right from the start. Will have to experiment with thst, thank you ❤
Awesome!
This video is of questionable value. The problem is with Dave, he sounds great in all three examples! In fact, for me #1 is the best sound (darkest)?
😂
another geat vid David, You commucate well K
Thanks Keith!
But if the saxophone isn’t hanging below my waist, all the metal guys will make fun of me 😢🤘🏼
😂 thick skin is a skill everyone needs to work on!
They are both feelin' each other's playing...
How much pressure on your right thumb do you usually have? I find it is hard to get the perfect thumb position while also having the right angle of the mouthpiece especially on tenor.
Not much for me - I use my thumb to push the horn away versus letting it “rest” on the top of my thumb
Alright cool, thanks for the vid!
Thanks! 🙃 The most common is probably that you have the saxophone too low, and I think it comes to some extent from reading sheet music and having the stand too low. I have noticed that some fast passages cannot be played if the reed is "hanging" on the bottom lip.
I got them right.
Awesome!
A trick I use with students is to hang the horn off the strap and “guide” it to your mouth without leaning in or lifting the head. If the strap is correctly adjusted, mouthpiece is aimed between the lips.
I guessed 2 correctly, had trouble deciphering between 1 & 3. 2 was by far most pinched off and higher in pitch. 3 in some examples sounded really open but not loosely controlled so I got it confused with 1. I like an open sound a lot so on pure imagination I liked 1 more. The pitch wasn’t as far out at as 2 😂.
Yeah Dave. Happy to know I guessed correctly!
💪
Hi Dave. Great video as usual. Regarding the neck strap. I use a jazz lab harness when I practice but a normal neck strap when I perform. I really noticed a difference. I felt that with a normal strap I didn’t sound as good. Tone I mean. Then I did a gig with my jazz lab harness and I 100% had a better tone. Not sure why this is. Would make for a good video I think ? Thanks again for your videos. Awesome work!
That’s great to hear! I’ve never used anything other than a standard neck strap, but maybe one day I’ll grab a different one from BSS to try for a video.
I recommend for ANYONE playing tenor (or larger), to have the harness style neck strap which saves your neck literally!! It makes you feel strapped in, but no more sore neck!! The weight off of the neck allows me to play longer...of course.