Also I just got to the part where you talk about widely known classical saxophonists and remembering seeing your comments on a Nobuya Sugawa masterclass for Nikita 😂
I full on understand and have worked on everything you’re talking about and I’m starting to think I could’ve gotten in my all county band only if I didn’t go into my scales and sight reading room first 🙁 I can’t wait for auditions next month I’ll make you proud Nathan 👍
I used to tongue on the top of my mouth. I actually made 1st chair alto all-district in 8th grade doing it. I hit a roadblock my sophomore year and had to relearn my tonguing technique. My playing has improved so much from it though. Great video by the way!
rickydude133 It’s true that has the level gets higher (which Texas is undoubtedly the most competitive state when it comes to these auditions!), everyone plays with good sound and superb accuracy. The only other factor that can determine placement over someone else is speed + precision! Think about it... 2 people play their scales perfectly with excellent articulation and sound. Who will score higher? The guy that played it faster. However, if you play it slower and accurate, you will score higher than the guy that plays it fast but messy.
You're making this series just in time for me to do my etudes for mastery in band. When I started in 5th grade, my tone was terrible and nobody ever corrected it. Now my band teacher is trying to get me to fix it, and it's been difficult. I'll definitely use your advice. Thanks!
Around 4:09: I relate SO MUCH to this sentiment. I didn't realize how much I needed to work on as a guitarist still, until I heard a guitarist who had been working on their sound.
I made All-State Jazz Ensemble my senior year in High School(I lived in Maine), on Alto Sax. But as far as All State concert Band, I made it 3 years in a row, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. But Jazz was my main focus in school(I really wish I pursued music after high school, but 45 days ago, I just started playing sax again after 19 years of not playing!)
Alright so i doubt anyone will see this but i am a junior now and the past two years i haven’t really cared to practice for all state much so obviously when i went to audition i probably sucked HOWEVER this past year it has really hit me how much i care about the things i play and starting this year i am gonna try my ass off to do everything better. Again i am just leaving this here for me so i can inspire myself but to anyone that actually does see this and is in the same situation as me, don’t EVER think it is too late to start improving. I swear i am making all state this year, i don’t care how much practice it takes.
Gettindizzy I’ve studied under James barger multiple times before and he is such an outstanding player as well as person!!! Any recording you hear from him will be prestigious for sure!!!
I auditioned for all district yesterday and scored pretty high, and when someone asked how I did so well as a freshman, I told them tone and musicality. Ever since I've focused on those two things I've increased in skill dramatically, so I completely agree
as somebody who just recently got a vintage yas 62 (moving up from a bundy, i’ve also played some other semi-pro and pro saxes as i was looking to purchase), i would say that the body of the sax and specifically the neck make a HUGE difference in tone in addition to mouthpiece choice
Thanks for your "never-scoop" reminder! As a jazzer, that's a big challenge for me trying to play "legit," cuz in the jazz world playing too precisely is of course "not cool" !
I’m so bummed that I really didn’t start putting effort into my instrument till end of freshman year. I am hoping to get an all state audition this year, but we’ll see. This is helpful for all instruments, even for different instruments.
Saxologic ya, I really love music and want to go into composition professionally, I just really wish I could get more experience with these fantastic ensembles, what do you recommend me do going into composition? I’m still learning about the basics and all that
My instructor plays on a 2.5 still (given, it is a Vandoren so it’s a little thicker) but her tone is so beautiful and powerful when you listen to it you feel like air around you gets thicker, and sometimes even makes me feel a little claustrophobic. The reed culture thing is true but that’s her sweet spot, and it sounds great!
Great viedo! Congratulations! 🎷😀👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I'm from Brazil and obviously speak Portuguese. I took one hour to watch this video because I don't translate the conversation very well, but I got almost all 🙈 lol Please, confirm for me: the correct articulating is touch the tip of the reed with the tip of the tongue? >< Thanks for your atemption! Great hug!
After watching this video, I applied what you explained about tonging and not pinching your tone during practice. I was doing some long tones, just because, and I got on those above the staff notes (D, E, F, F#) and I wound up being able to hit Altissimo G. Hadn't got higher than that, though, but your advice really helps. This is on Tenor Sax, btw.
You listened! I'm sure other people suggested this too, but in late August you posted a comment asking for ideas for a video and I said that you should make one for an audition, because i'm auditioning for all state, all county, Carver, and BSA! Phew! I'm really glad that you listen to your viewers too because most you tubers completely disregard their comment section when you actually read all of them, like them, and comment them on top of that! All in all, thank you, and keep being a great youtube, sax player, and person in general. Keep it up!
Hello, I have been trying to learn Bebop for a while but I never managed to understand it properly. I was hoping you would be able to help(I play alto sax btw)
Thank you for making this video I had no idea that tonging on the roof of my mouth was really bad. no one told me. I am no ashamed at my self but thank you for giving me advice and something to practice
You’d be surprised at the amount of musical tips coming from something aimed towards saxophone can help with other instruments too. Many of these tips apply to most instruments and can help anyone improve. Great video btw I love the way you explained things
Saxologic I do marching percussion and flute. Two very different instruments but a lot of this helps with flute skills as well. And even the stuff you said about sound applies to percussion and the quality or style that you play in Edit: and piano hehe
Seq Cisneros Yes, kind of, but there are better options. If you screw the reed on with a drill, and then duct tape it, you’ll get better results. If you’re super serious, after you do all of this, dissolve it in hydrochloric acid and then you’ll really get the resonance going.
@@Saxologic Thanks man, this reminded me of something I heard Ben Webster say about how having leaks in your horn is part of how you get a subtone-y sound. That makes me wonder, do you think it will be a good idea for me to take a razor and cut some slits into my pads? My hope is that it will help with my old school Coleman Hawkins Jazz sound
Hello , im a very dedicated sax (mainly tenor) player and practice everyday whenever i can. I have always loved saxophone and have put a lot of work into it. I’ve been playing the region music we have very good with great articulations and with my own rich tone, also been messing around with jazz. The weird thing is that I’ve only been playing saxophone for less than a year, yet I know and love so much about the instrument. I want to be competitive in region and pop off in jazz , i really do but there’s one thing holding me back and I honestly don’t what to do that’s already been done. I’m actually a bassoon player. It might not seem that big of a deal but it is. I tried out for saxophone back in early 6th grade and made good results on it, but they needed bassoon players at the time so instead of me playing an instrument ive always loved and dreamed of playing , i was stuck with a bassoon for 3 years untill high school hit. It wasn’t the worst thing ever, in fact i was actually pretty good at it but once marching season was near, i had to learn a marching instrument at the start of freshmen year, this leading to me finally being paired with the Tenor Sax( my favorite out of the 4). Honestly I’ve learned the faster and better on tenor in like 8 months compared to a bassoon in 3 years and i want to continue with my passion but they won’t let me switch , and believe i need to stick with my main concert instrument which is “bassoon” but i strongly prefer saxophone now. Heck i love marching season just because im with my sax and don’t have people complaining to me to stop playing that since it’s not my concert instrument even tho at times i wishes it was. I actually bought a neat little soprano sax at a pawnshop and play it with soul all the time at home. My friends and family all know I prefer sax but i can’t really do anything bout it till i graduate high school, i don’t want to quit band but i don’t want to keep going through these issues, im currently in the middle of sophomore year and i want to have a great band related highschool path to add to my great highschool experience and i love music. I know it’s not really related to this videos topic but you seem like a real chill and understanding dude and i work on the points you said in this video. Id just like to know what your opinion on the situation is, (oh and my directors aren’t bad , they all have good intentions , i just don’t think they really understand me and grasp how im really feeling like with me and others. Thanks for taking the time to read this, i have more but this is more simplified to get the point across that I love saxophone.
Well, there are quite a few things you could do with this. First off, what do you plan to do as a career? Is it music? If so, becoming a woodwind specialist can be a really nicely paying gig, especially once you enter college and everyone needs you for musicals. You would have to learn flute and clarinet and oboe as well, but it would make you really marketable. If you ONLY want to play saxophone, then I would try to have a deep 1 on 1 conversation with the band director about this. If he still won’t let you switch because he needs you, then I would just play bassoon in band rehearsals but not anywhere else. I would just practice sax at home and try to come out to gigs or jam session with sax to push myself to the pro level
Saxologic i understand , i will work on my best , ill stick with bassoon for now at the highschool level , i already practice my saxes at home everyday even when it is concert season , i will work my way up , thanks for the help and keep up the good video work 🙂 (PS also hav you ever heard of anyone else in this kinda of dilemma i described?)
So, the three steps for auditions in my area are; scales, piece, and sight reading. Based on your experience in judging, how would you order these in importance? Like, would they place somebody’s ability of sight reading over the quality of the performance of the piece? What is the determining factor of whether somebody is in or out? Thank you.
Laser Cat 1. Get your scales straight. It’s basically free points and can make your score go a long a way if you put in the time and work to prepare them 2. Prepare your piece. This is where you can show off your sound and style. 3. Sight read to best of your ability. Make sure to get the rhythms and style
Adrian Hernandez yeah, sight reading is more important because they are looking for how well you can read a piece when first looking at it as that’s what you do if you make any honor band is that you start looking at certain pieces
As the level goes up, the main factor that separates the “men from the boys” is definitely sightreading. At All-State level, everyone can play their etude well, and can everyone can play their scales. Sightreading creates the ambiguity of who will come out on top. Muscle memory won’t save you in sight-reading; musicianship + fluency of reading music notation + ability to instantly create musicianship on a piece you’ve never even seen or heard, all must come together. That is the deciding factor.
Pretty much what sax logic said, in districts ide focus more on the peices they give you as alot of the other players can barely play them so if you can play everything buttery smooth you can easily get in, at state tho the top 5 or 10 guys can play it all perfectly so after districts really focus on sight reading becouse out of those 5 or 10 dudes only 3 or 4 will be able to sight read well. Sightreading really seperates the great players from the ling ling players who practice 40 hours a day.
Cool video. Sound is definately the most important I agree!! I've always felt like shit for never getting into all-state. But I live in California so there's way more competition. At least that's what I keep telling myself so I don't fall into manic depression.
Just a little of my two cents. If you like jazz...who doesn't right? Please do yourself a favor and give Art Pepper a real serious listen. A fantastic improviser with a wonderful tone. Maybe start with some of his music on Contemporary Records. Such as "Getting Together"..."Meets The Rythm Section"...or " + Eleven ". All wonderful recordings with wonderful music. Hope you enjoy.
You said find someone’s sound and idolize that person, well I personally want to have your sound, can you tell me your classical setup and some exercises for articulation
Well I'm not really auditioning for anything but I got the notification and fucken clicked it right away and besides I play the sax so I learnt smthg lol
So like i feel like the reason i dont have the best sound is because of my embouchure. I have a gut feeling ive been doing it wrong for 6+ years. I tried relaxing it but then its hard to get air through and idek what im doing i may as well quit lmao
ParKjiOoN Whatever you hear in your head is the sound you’re going to get. It’s possible to achieve any sound if you’re going for it long enough. Recognize the tools you have to change your sound (tongue position, embouchure, mouthpiece, reed strength/brand) and keep striving for the sound you hear in your head every time you practice. If you don’t really have a sound concept in your mind, you should really listen to professional players more and develop a preference. Even Brandford Marsalis said in a masterclass that no matter what mouthpiece he got, he always eventually got the same sound!
I have a slight underbite and it's been screwing up my embouchure for the past five years ;( apparently I end up biting my reed a bit nd it got so frustrating :(((((( anyways, recently I was at county band and one alto was playing a solo AND SHE HAD THIS AMAZING dynamiCS AND VIBRATO and it actually made me want to cry what kind of a different level from everybody else she was
Hey Nathan! I know you posted this a long time ago but I have an important question to ask. So I’ve recently picked my saxophone after having not practiced it much for 3 years, and I realized my tonguing has always been harsh. I use what you described as anchor tonguing. My main emphasis is jazz, so is this type of tonguing okay? Secondly, I need to be able to do easy legato tonguing for jazz. But I have a super hard time tonguing softly with the anchor tonguing. So with jazz, do you still use the anchor tonguing when doing legato tonguing? Or do you switch the tongue to the tip of the reed? Thanks!
Failed my sight reading so I didn't make county. Other than that, my excerpts and scales were really good. State results'll come out sometime soon, and I doubt I'll make it, but I still gotta hope. My first audition at state was alright, but that literally couldn't matter less because my finals audition, I think, went pretty well. I held a 16th note out too long on the sight reading, but other than that I didn't make any mistakes and I sounded pretty good. Again, if I didn't make county, I heavily heavily doubt I'll get in. It's pretty annoying because I know I have it in me. I'm 1st chair in one of the best bands in possibly all of the Northeast. Oh well, next years Senior so that'll be fun
Thank you so much for making this video I’ve been asking so many other you tubers for advice about this kind of stuff. Does all of the advice you give in this video also apply to all-region because I’ve been making all-region 2 years in a row now but I still haven’t made first chair and I’m trying to get every piece of advice I can to be better.
Josh Williams of course it applies to that! I wouldn’t apply this stuff to jazz auditions though. That’s a whole different ball game. I don’t like to tie my classical playing into jazz and vice versa. I like to treat them as their own entities.
Im legit practicing for Allstate when this came out
"imagine a hierarchy"
*jordan peterson intensifies*
LOL
The List of Players:
Timothy McAllister
Joseph Lulloff
Otis Murphy
Taimur Sullivan
Claude Delangle
Nikita Zimin
Thank you!
You are doing God's work my dude
lol before i listened to him read the list I thought you meant the list of players that made it through his auditions
If it sounds bad then it's bad
:O
And I'm here thinking the insurance company is out here hiring musicians lol
I feared that would happen lol
IVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPIER NATHAN WEVE BEEN WAITING PATIENTLYYY😁
Also I just got to the part where you talk about widely known classical saxophonists and remembering seeing your comments on a Nobuya Sugawa masterclass for Nikita 😂
I full on understand and have worked on everything you’re talking about and I’m starting to think I could’ve gotten in my all county band only if I didn’t go into my scales and sight reading room first 🙁 I can’t wait for auditions next month I’ll make you proud Nathan 👍
You got it man! Scales, studies and sightreading are next up!
I'm not old enough for All-State yet, but I feel like I'm ready.
Duet Chops Your body is ready
What’s your grade
@@adventuretime5366 8th
Duet Chops have you tried all county I’m in high school so it’s different
Adventure Time i have
“Never scoop notes unless it says so” fuc
Franz Liszt thank god I found this video only a month into practicing
I used to tongue on the top of my mouth. I actually made 1st chair alto all-district in 8th grade doing it. I hit a roadblock my sophomore year and had to relearn my tonguing technique. My playing has improved so much from it though. Great video by the way!
EpicNinja288 good to hear!!
i’m a percussionist, i have no idea what that means, but congrats hope you make allstate
@@Andriale I'm also a percussionist lol
Matt9311 are you part of the can’t sightread music for shit gang?
I'm still tonguing at the top of my mouth. I can't kick the habit, everything else just feels so wrong.
imagine getting into all state, still rewatching this.
If only this was true about south Texas. All the sax judges want is speed > technique
rickydude133 It’s true that has the level gets higher (which Texas is undoubtedly the most competitive state when it comes to these auditions!), everyone plays with good sound and superb accuracy. The only other factor that can determine placement over someone else is speed + precision!
Think about it...
2 people play their scales perfectly with excellent articulation and sound.
Who will score higher?
The guy that played it faster.
However, if you play it slower and accurate, you will score higher than the guy that plays it fast but messy.
Dude these South Texas judges are super brutal
You're making this series just in time for me to do my etudes for mastery in band. When I started in 5th grade, my tone was terrible and nobody ever corrected it. Now my band teacher is trying to get me to fix it, and it's been difficult. I'll definitely use your advice. Thanks!
Around 4:09: I relate SO MUCH to this sentiment. I didn't realize how much I needed to work on as a guitarist still, until I heard a guitarist who had been working on their sound.
Everyone's replying that they already auditioned for state we haven't even had the all-county concert yet
I made All-State Jazz Ensemble my senior year in High School(I lived in Maine), on Alto Sax. But as far as All State concert Band, I made it 3 years in a row, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. But Jazz was my main focus in school(I really wish I pursued music after high school, but 45 days ago, I just started playing sax again after 19 years of not playing!)
2:00 that’s spot on
Dude Yes!! perfect timing my audition is due in a week👍
Yeaaaahhh good luck!!
oh no. You're here too
Saxologic thank you!!!
That saxophone setup sequence was extremely in point
I've been tongueing on the roof of my mouth for so long, and I'm really glad I found this vid. So thanks.
bruh you haven't uploaded since 2013
Alright so i doubt anyone will see this but i am a junior now and the past two years i haven’t really cared to practice for all state much so obviously when i went to audition i probably sucked HOWEVER this past year it has really hit me how much i care about the things i play and starting this year i am gonna try my ass off to do everything better. Again i am just leaving this here for me so i can inspire myself but to anyone that actually does see this and is in the same situation as me, don’t EVER think it is too late to start improving. I swear i am making all state this year, i don’t care how much practice it takes.
I just made 1st chair jazz Allstate for Oklahoma thanks to you!
Would James Barger be a good person to listen to? I know you’ve watched his Fantasia video and he’s one of the people I like listening to.
Gettindizzy Yes, James Barger is great! I might like his Fantasia even more than Otis’s!
Gettindizzy I’ve studied under James barger multiple times before and he is such an outstanding player as well as person!!! Any recording you hear from him will be prestigious for sure!!!
I auditioned for all district yesterday and scored pretty high, and when someone asked how I did so well as a freshman, I told them tone and musicality. Ever since I've focused on those two things I've increased in skill dramatically, so I completely agree
Woah, thank you for the tips😯 I switched from alto to tenor sax and it's been really hard tonguing a low E while keeping it staccato.
i dont play the sax but this was a very informative video anyways, thank you mr. ologic!
CZcams knew the best time to recommend this to me
My first round All State auditions are tomorrow, and tonight I wanted to work out little discrepancies, and this helped, Thanks!
Xander Porter good luck, tell me how it goes! I wish I had the other parts out before your audition. I am sorry :(
I have someone in my school that is the “good at moving their fingers but horrible sound too” person
Mr. Cynxk yes those people are very common
It's not just saxophones, every instrument has players like that. Oof
I actually have District Honor Band tryouts coming up, so hopefully me putting these techniques into practice will give me the upper hand!
Thank you so much for this advice! This really helped a lot! Now All State here I Come!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lil Fish go!!!!!!!!!
This helped quite a bit for me on the bari sax
I only play saxophone for marching band, still watch all of your videos! Literally practicing oboe right now for state auditions!
the single biggest point of influence you have had on me as I learn to play saxophone is your excellent technique for wetting your reed
6:40 as a saxophone player, I confirm this is how you set up!
as somebody who just recently got a vintage yas 62 (moving up from a bundy, i’ve also played some other semi-pro and pro saxes as i was looking to purchase), i would say that the body of the sax and specifically the neck make a HUGE difference in tone in addition to mouthpiece choice
I've been watching these Vids for so long I'm starting to wonder why I don't play Sax. Keep it up!
Max MikoLevine thanks man what a compliment!
Thanks for your "never-scoop" reminder! As a jazzer, that's a big challenge for me trying to play "legit," cuz in the jazz world playing too precisely is of course "not cool" !
I made 1st chair Allstate band in Florida my senior year. Couldn’t believe it back then. I too had a jacket full of medals in high school.
I’m so bummed that I really didn’t start putting effort into my instrument till end of freshman year. I am hoping to get an all state audition this year, but we’ll see. This is helpful for all instruments, even for different instruments.
Evan Romito it’s ok man. I wish I took piano lessons when my mom kept offering it when I was a kid. But things worked out. Make what you have work!
Saxologic ya, I really love music and want to go into composition professionally, I just really wish I could get more experience with these fantastic ensembles, what do you recommend me do going into composition? I’m still learning about the basics and all that
My instructor plays on a 2.5 still (given, it is a Vandoren so it’s a little thicker) but her tone is so beautiful and powerful when you listen to it you feel like air around you gets thicker, and sometimes even makes me feel a little claustrophobic. The reed culture thing is true but that’s her sweet spot, and it sounds great!
Damn my all state auditions already done bro
wtf, ours are in january
Spectrum w h a t
Mine was the 15 of November I thibk
Mine are done as well, I didn't make it but I made my county band
Great viedo! Congratulations!
🎷😀👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm from Brazil and obviously speak Portuguese.
I took one hour to watch this video because I don't translate the conversation very well, but I got almost all 🙈 lol
Please, confirm for me: the correct articulating is touch the tip of the reed with the tip of the tongue? ><
Thanks for your atemption!
Great hug!
yes!!! he's back!!!
After watching this video, I applied what you explained about tonging and not pinching your tone during practice. I was doing some long tones, just because, and I got on those above the staff notes (D, E, F, F#) and I wound up being able to hit Altissimo G. Hadn't got higher than that, though, but your advice really helps.
This is on Tenor Sax, btw.
Yooo lets go it’s time to make all state
Yeah you got it!!!
You listened! I'm sure other people suggested this too, but in late August you posted a comment asking for ideas for a video and I said that you should make one for an audition, because i'm auditioning for all state, all county, Carver, and BSA! Phew! I'm really glad that you listen to your viewers too because most you tubers completely disregard their comment section when you actually read all of them, like them, and comment them on top of that! All in all, thank you, and keep being a great youtube, sax player, and person in general. Keep it up!
I actually already auditioned for all-state, literally the day before you posted this on the 16th! lol
Thank you good sir! Glad I helped.
i play a brass instrument and live halfway across from america but this was a cool video
all state auditions were in September, i ended up making it actually but watch anyway to see what is said
Hello, I have been trying to learn Bebop for a while but I never managed to understand it properly. I was hoping you would be able to help(I play alto sax btw)
Thank you for making this video I had no idea that tonging on the roof of my mouth was really bad. no one told me. I am no ashamed at my self but thank you for giving me advice and something to practice
You’d be surprised at the amount of musical tips coming from something aimed towards saxophone can help with other instruments too. Many of these tips apply to most instruments and can help anyone improve. Great video btw I love the way you explained things
Wow, thanks man! Glad it helped. What do you play?
Saxologic I do marching percussion and flute. Two very different instruments but a lot of this helps with flute skills as well. And even the stuff you said about sound applies to percussion and the quality or style that you play in
Edit: and piano hehe
SAXOLOGIC I JUST FOUND OUT THAT I MADE ALL STATE THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE VIDEOS THEY HELPED SO MUCH!!!!!!!
MASTER!!!!!!
Yo what if I glue my reed onto the mouthpiece for my audition? Does it help with resonance?
Seq Cisneros Yes, kind of, but there are better options. If you screw the reed on with a drill, and then duct tape it, you’ll get better results. If you’re super serious, after you do all of this, dissolve it in hydrochloric acid and then you’ll really get the resonance going.
Just use a staple gun.
@@Saxologic Thanks man, this reminded me of something I heard Ben Webster say about how having leaks in your horn is part of how you get a subtone-y sound. That makes me wonder, do you think it will be a good idea for me to take a razor and cut some slits into my pads? My hope is that it will help with my old school Coleman Hawkins Jazz sound
Hello , im a very dedicated sax (mainly tenor) player and practice everyday whenever i can. I have always loved saxophone and have put a lot of work into it. I’ve been playing the region music we have very good with great articulations and with my own rich tone, also been messing around with jazz. The weird thing is that I’ve only been playing saxophone for less than a year, yet I know and love so much about the instrument. I want to be competitive in region and pop off in jazz , i really do but there’s one thing holding me back and I honestly don’t what to do that’s already been done. I’m actually a bassoon player. It might not seem that big of a deal but it is. I tried out for saxophone back in early 6th grade and made good results on it, but they needed bassoon players at the time so instead of me playing an instrument ive always loved and dreamed of playing , i was stuck with a bassoon for 3 years untill high school hit. It wasn’t the worst thing ever, in fact i was actually pretty good at it but once marching season was near, i had to learn a marching instrument at the start of freshmen year, this leading to me finally being paired with the Tenor Sax( my favorite out of the 4). Honestly I’ve learned the faster and better on tenor in like 8 months compared to a bassoon in 3 years and i want to continue with my passion but they won’t let me switch , and believe i need to stick with my main concert instrument which is “bassoon” but i strongly prefer saxophone now. Heck i love marching season just because im with my sax and don’t have people complaining to me to stop playing that since it’s not my concert instrument even tho at times i wishes it was. I actually bought a neat little soprano sax at a pawnshop and play it with soul all the time at home. My friends and family all know I prefer sax but i can’t really do anything bout it till i graduate high school, i don’t want to quit band but i don’t want to keep going through these issues, im currently in the middle of sophomore year and i want to have a great band related highschool path to add to my great highschool experience and i love music. I know it’s not really related to this videos topic but you seem like a real chill and understanding dude and i work on the points you said in this video. Id just like to know what your opinion on the situation is, (oh and my directors aren’t bad , they all have good intentions , i just don’t think they really understand me and grasp how im really feeling like with me and others. Thanks for taking the time to read this, i have more but this is more simplified to get the point across that I love saxophone.
Well, there are quite a few things you could do with this. First off, what do you plan to do as a career? Is it music? If so, becoming a woodwind specialist can be a really nicely paying gig, especially once you enter college and everyone needs you for musicals. You would have to learn flute and clarinet and oboe as well, but it would make you really marketable.
If you ONLY want to play saxophone, then I would try to have a deep 1 on 1 conversation with the band director about this. If he still won’t let you switch because he needs you, then I would just play bassoon in band rehearsals but not anywhere else. I would just practice sax at home and try to come out to gigs or jam session with sax to push myself to the pro level
Saxologic i understand , i will work on my best , ill stick with bassoon for now at the highschool level , i already practice my saxes at home everyday even when it is concert season , i will work my way up , thanks for the help and keep up the good video work 🙂 (PS also hav you ever heard of anyone else in this kinda of dilemma i described?)
So, the three steps for auditions in my area are; scales, piece, and sight reading. Based on your experience in judging, how would you order these in importance? Like, would they place somebody’s ability of sight reading over the quality of the performance of the piece? What is the determining factor of whether somebody is in or out? Thank you.
Laser Cat 1. Get your scales straight. It’s basically free points and can make your score go a long a way if you put in the time and work to prepare them
2. Prepare your piece. This is where you can show off your sound and style.
3. Sight read to best of your ability. Make sure to get the rhythms and style
Adrian Hernandez yeah, sight reading is more important because they are looking for how well you can read a piece when first looking at it as that’s what you do if you make any honor band is that you start looking at certain pieces
As the level goes up, the main factor that separates the “men from the boys” is definitely sightreading. At All-State level, everyone can play their etude well, and can everyone can play their scales. Sightreading creates the ambiguity of who will come out on top. Muscle memory won’t save you in sight-reading; musicianship + fluency of reading music notation + ability to instantly create musicianship on a piece you’ve never even seen or heard, all must come together. That is the deciding factor.
Pretty much what sax logic said, in districts ide focus more on the peices they give you as alot of the other players can barely play them so if you can play everything buttery smooth you can easily get in, at state tho the top 5 or 10 guys can play it all perfectly so after districts really focus on sight reading becouse out of those 5 or 10 dudes only 3 or 4 will be able to sight read well. Sightreading really seperates the great players from the ling ling players who practice 40 hours a day.
Polybotes thank you. I really appreciate that twoset reference.
Cool video. Sound is definately the most important I agree!! I've always felt like shit for never getting into all-state. But I live in California so there's way more competition. At least that's what I keep telling myself so I don't fall into manic depression.
LMAO! Yes California and Texas are the most competitive at these competitions! I am from NC.
YES FINALLY YOU UPLOADED
Thanks for the advice man. All state auditions are next month for me, hoping to get in for the first time👍
this video is really helpful!!!! please do more!!
This video was great thank you! Here’s to hoping I make it into mid-state 🥂 *virtual cheers*
I always thought tonguing was just tonguing. After hearing the difference I will train myself to tongue better. Thank you for the great tips!
BOOF E good to hear! Good luck!
Just a little of my two cents. If you like jazz...who doesn't right? Please do yourself a favor and give Art Pepper a real serious listen. A fantastic improviser with a wonderful tone. Maybe start with some of his music on Contemporary Records. Such as "Getting Together"..."Meets The Rythm Section"...or " + Eleven ". All wonderful recordings with wonderful music. Hope you enjoy.
found this the day after i submitted. nice
Kevin Gillespie great timing? :D
You said find someone’s sound and idolize that person, well I personally want to have your sound, can you tell me your classical setup and some exercises for articulation
classical tenor players?
Dude your got a bear..wow.."Slap it" David504
I saw this right after I got out of my honor band auditions D:
Well I'm not really auditioning for anything but I got the notification and fucken clicked it right away and besides I play the sax so I learnt smthg lol
I am honored lol
thank you so much! Do u have a video on double-tonging? and if u don't can you make one? I know the syllables to do it, it's just confusing to me
Thanks for recommending them! Will def check them out!
Sam Butera is really good. Check out 'Love of my live (o sole mio)' from him and Louis Prima
Totally digging the videos!! Keep me coming!!
I play trombone but I still found this useful. Thanks alot!
So like i feel like the reason i dont have the best sound is because of my embouchure. I have a gut feeling ive been doing it wrong for 6+ years. I tried relaxing it but then its hard to get air through and idek what im doing i may as well quit lmao
ParKjiOoN Whatever you hear in your head is the sound you’re going to get. It’s possible to achieve any sound if you’re going for it long enough. Recognize the tools you have to change your sound (tongue position, embouchure, mouthpiece, reed strength/brand) and keep striving for the sound you hear in your head every time you practice. If you don’t really have a sound concept in your mind, you should really listen to professional players more and develop a preference. Even Brandford Marsalis said in a masterclass that no matter what mouthpiece he got, he always eventually got the same sound!
Make sure you have good air support from your stomach. Your stomach should me firm all the time
Something that helped me was looking at pictures and videos of good sax players to get an idea of what a proper embouchure looks like
10/10 video please keep up the great work!
Bruh...I auditioned last month
oops lol how did it go?
Saxologic same and I didn’t make it
I honestly regret not doing all state when I was in high school but I still have a bunch of music from it
I have a slight underbite and it's been screwing up my embouchure for the past five years ;( apparently I end up biting my reed a bit nd it got so frustrating :((((((
anyways, recently I was at county band and one alto was playing a solo AND SHE HAD THIS AMAZING dynamiCS AND VIBRATO and it actually made me want to cry what kind of a different level from everybody else she was
Nathan: Says he's not making an All-State jazz video
Me: cries because he got 45th out of 60 in the state and THEY ONLY TAKE 2 ALTOS.
Joel Saucedo request a video like that from a guy like Dave Pollack! I think he would make an excellent tutorial
Lol dude you're hilarious. Great vid as always. Good tips for younger players.
Amazing video, waiting for the next!
Augusto Santos thanks man!!
If only there was one for euphonium
8:22 Oh my god you featured Dr. Gwozds reed. Incredible.
Hey Nathan! I know you posted this a long time ago but I have an important question to ask. So I’ve recently picked my saxophone after having not practiced it much for 3 years, and I realized my tonguing has always been harsh. I use what you described as anchor tonguing. My main emphasis is jazz, so is this type of tonguing okay? Secondly, I need to be able to do easy legato tonguing for jazz. But I have a super hard time tonguing softly with the anchor tonguing. So with jazz, do you still use the anchor tonguing when doing legato tonguing? Or do you switch the tongue to the tip of the reed?
Thanks!
Failed my sight reading so I didn't make county. Other than that, my excerpts and scales were really good. State results'll come out sometime soon, and I doubt I'll make it, but I still gotta hope. My first audition at state was alright, but that literally couldn't matter less because my finals audition, I think, went pretty well. I held a 16th note out too long on the sight reading, but other than that I didn't make any mistakes and I sounded pretty good. Again, if I didn't make county, I heavily heavily doubt I'll get in. It's pretty annoying because I know I have it in me. I'm 1st chair in one of the best bands in possibly all of the Northeast. Oh well, next years Senior so that'll be fun
Two days before district this is posted.
Bruh
Solomon Caraway bruh indeed
Im a trumpet
Did i watch the whole video? Yes
Im a trumpet player but I feel like I learned something.
Intellectual Chicken very very good!!!
I played flute before I switched to tenor and I didn’t realize you aren’t supposed to tongue with the roof of your mouth on saxophone
jesus christ how come everyone gets medals for all state and county? CMEA sucks, I wish we had medals...
Jubair Huq ikr we get nothing. I made CASMEC and got a Pin and some stickers (not including merchandise)
Update I made 1st chair Bari🖤🖤🖤
Yadhira Madrid congrats!!!
I thought it said all star so I clicked
The beginning of this video applies to justin mendez from unf😳
i mean in fantasia by Claude T Smith he asks to scoop into an altissimo G so get the scoop practice
woah great vid !
Whoa thanks!
Mannn wish I had this before the 12th
Dawn sorry :(
What state did you make state in ? What state u from
Thank you so much for making this video I’ve been asking so many other you tubers for advice about this kind of stuff. Does all of the advice you give in this video also apply to all-region because I’ve been making all-region 2 years in a row now but I still haven’t made first chair and I’m trying to get every piece of advice I can to be better.
Josh Williams of course it applies to that! I wouldn’t apply this stuff to jazz auditions though. That’s a whole different ball game. I don’t like to tie my classical playing into jazz and vice versa. I like to treat them as their own entities.
My state (Colorado) doesn't let freshman do All-State band and it sucks because there's some REALLY good freshman players in out state.
oof that's a dumb rule. Also your pfp is a crime against humanity