Complete Saxophone

Essential Saxophone techniques, reading music, improvisation, and playing in various styles are covered.

Compact disc provides precise notes and fingerings for saxophone exercises from the book, featuring tuning tips and playing along guidance.

Introduces fundamental concepts of saxophone playing, covering instrument types, reed selection, and effective practice techniques.

The design and function of a saxophone are examined, including the identification and memorization of its various components.

Saxophone basics covered: tone, pitch, breath control, embouchure, and instrument setup.

Attaches mouthpiece to saxophone neck while maintaining airtight seal.

Optimal tone achieved by moistening the reed, which is then attached securely to the mouthpiece without compromising the tip's integrity.

Technique for attaching saxophone neck to body is covered, including steps and considerations.

Techniques for proper saxophone holding and positioning are covered.

Piano diagrams and fingerings are covered, including recognition of key-to-finger associations.

Covers saxophone fingering techniques for playing the note G, including left thumb and hand fingerings, and right hand position.

Embouchure techniques are introduced, focusing on developing tone quality and optimal mouthpiece alignment.

Controlled notes are achieved through precise tongue movements, governing both beginning and ending points.

Accurately tunes the saxophone using CD reference points, considering pitch variations and making adjustments to match recorded notes.

Staff notation, treble clef, and note values are introduced.

Chord Symbols Covers harmonic notation and instrument-specific chord indications.

Counting rhythms and using a metronome to practice tempo control enhances musical timing.

Techniques for optimal breath control and rhythmic accuracy are introduced.

The musical note B is positioned on the fifth line of the staff, with its stem direction influencing visual appearance.

Covers fundamentals of music notation, including duets, whole notes, and rests, as well as rhythm counting and practice strategies.

Covers the location of the F note on the staff and plays a unique melody incorporating this note.

Legato techniques, including slurs and staccato notes, are covered, along with nuances of pitch modification through flat signs.

Introduces the concept of key signatures as a shorthand notation method for simplifying playing of B notes.

Covers the fundamentals of early jazz music, including lead-in notes, common time signatures, and swung rhythms.

Ties connecting multiple notes are covered, along with their timing and tongue placement implications for sustained sounds.

The 12-bar Blues progression is introduced as a foundation in Blues, Jazz, and Rock music.

Develops techniques for relaxed and consistent breathing, enhancing tone and focus for saxophonists.

Techniques for controlling gentle airflow on wind instruments include slow balloon blowing and candle flame management.

Covers optimal body alignment for playing wind instruments, highlighting the importance of relaxation regardless of sitting or standing positions.

Eighth notes, beam notation, and note placement on the staff are examined in detail.

Covers saxophone registers and introduces the note D in the middle register, exploring its relationship to the octave key.

Introduces techniques for playing notes across different registers using the octave key.

Covers development of short musical ideas, also known as riffs, for application in diverse chord progressions.

Covers the reading and application of sharp, natural, and flat signs in music notation, including dotted quarter notes and their rhythmic effects.

Introduces the saxophone note Low C, its placement on a ledger line, and techniques for playing it with the fourth finger.

The C Major Scale is introduced as a fundamental concept in music theory, with its structural components and interrelationships examined.

The key of C Major is introduced, covering its properties and implications for song composition.

The G Major Scale features a distinctive sound shaped by its F# note.

Key signatures, sharps, and flats are covered, along with techniques for transposing music.

Introduces the F major scale and its key signature, including notes and breath control in a traditional folk melody.

Syncopation techniques involve disrupting traditional rhythms and accents to create distinct musical effects.

Develops skills in playing the note E Flat through comprehensive exploration of its uses across different octaves.

The C Blues scale is introduced as a fundamental harmonic progression used in various genres, including Blues, Rock, and Jazz.

Enharmonic notes with identical sound and fingerings are covered.

Introduces the Two-Octave C Major Scale, covering notes across a range of two octaves.

Covers combining blues and major scales to create bluesy melodies in Rock and Jazz.

Introduces the concept of triplets, a rhythmic pattern consisting of three evenly spaced notes within a single beat.

Swing rhythms are introduced, covering recognition and creation techniques used in genres such as Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Rock, and Funk.

First and second endings in jazz music are examined, with a focus on the complex concept popularized by Louis Armstrong.

The C# note and its variations are covered, including practical exercises and score examples.

The D major scale is covered, along with its key signature and techniques for transposing melodies.

D flat is enharmonic with C sharp, providing alternative fingerings.

Introduces the enharmonic notes G# and Ab, discussing shared fingering patterns and octave variations.

The A major scale is covered, along with practical exercises for visualization-based finger placement.

Introduces the E major scale with four sharps and its application in pop music.

Introduces the chromatic scale, covering all 12 half steps and their relationships to natural notes.

The major scale is defined by a repeating pattern of whole and half steps, allowing for creation of scales from any starting note.

Introduces the fundamentals of key signatures, enabling students to play melodies with confidence across various keys.

Transposes scales, melodies, and entire songs, including techniques for changing a piece's key.

Instantly learn melodies in any key, a fundamental skill for jazz musicians.

Introduces notes beyond the major scale, examining accidentals and their relationship to the chromatic scale.

Enharmonic notes are introduced as part of melodic composition, with an exploration of their relationship to sharps, flats, and the chromatic scale.

The Blues scale is introduced and demonstrated across all 12 keys, enabling solo creation.

Develops individual melodic styles through repetition, variation, and call-and-response techniques in saxophone improvisation.

Precise note placement within a bar is emphasized to establish rhythmic control.

Introduces improvisation techniques based on set rhythms, examining how different pitches interact with 12-bar Blues progressions.

Introduces techniques for extending your saxophone skills by mastering low and high notes.

Introduces techniques for singing high notes up to high F# and includes Gb alternatives.

Introduces the fundamentals of playing two-octave scales, enhancing skills and understanding of music.

Introduces the 8va symbol and its application in music notation.

Intervals are defined as the distance between musical notes, measured by counting letter names within an octave.

Covers the characteristics of different intervals, including perfect, major, and minor, as well as augmented and diminished intervals.

Covers fundamental music theory, introducing intervals up to an octave, with focus on distance and notation, including the tritone.

Introduces the concept of intervals in musical sequences through the study of scale patterns and tone relationships.

Interval patterns are applied across all keys to develop musical understanding and enhance transposition abilities.

Introduces interval recognition techniques and ear training exercises for reproducing intervals.

Recognizes and applies harmonic intervals necessary for responding to accompaniments.

Introduces the concept of transposition in music, exploring how instruments like the saxophone adapt to various musical settings.

Introduces techniques for achieving harmonious instrument combinations by applying interval knowledge.

Chord types, including triads and major chords, are explored through discussions of chord formulas, inversions, and playing techniques.

Arpeggios are used to fit melodic lines to chord changes and develop fluid chord progression playing.

Introduces the structure of chords, examining major and minor thirds, as well as four primary chord types.

Covers the concept of double sharps and double flats in music notation, including their application to chord intervals and enharmonic notes.

Techniques for transposing chords to create harmonies for saxophone accompaniment are covered.

Arpeggios are applied to 12-bar blues progressions to create smooth melodic lines.

Tension and resolution techniques are introduced through the study of augmented and diminished arpeggios.

Dominant seventh chords are explored in relation to Rock, Funk, Blues, and Jazz music.

Alternating minor and major thirds are used to create a distinctive Rock sound.

Applies triplets in swing rhythms, emphasizing notes on the first and third beats.

Grace notes are introduced as a technique for adding drama and excitement to saxophone performances.

Vibrato production and control are introduced as a fundamental expressive technique in saxophone playing.

Creates growling sounds on the saxophone through vocal and throat techniques.

Sixteenth notes are introduced as a fundamental rhythmic concept in music.

Covers tempo markings with English translations from slow to very fast speeds.

Tempo changes and markings are explored, covering accelerando, ritenuto, rallentando, and a tempo.

F and F# Blues scales' 16th note figures covered through rhythmic pattern application.

Introduces techniques for playing and improvising with complex 16th-note set rhythms.

The importance of repetition in creating engaging horn parts lies in its ability to keep listeners focused and simplify following along.

Note articulations like dynamics shape music's sound, with loud and soft playing having a significant impact.

Tenuto and staccato markings used to control dynamics in music performance are covered.

Adds nuance and feel to music by covering the use of ghost notes in subtle note playing.

Alternate fingerings for the saxophone are introduced to create distinctive tonal variations.

Note bending techniques for adding expression and emotion to saxophone playing are covered.

Introduces methods for achieving a ghostly dip-bending effect in music by lowering a note's pitch without explicitly defining its destination.

Trills are a musical technique used for adding expression and complexity, achieved through rapid note alternation.

Techniques for creating expressive sound using rapid chromatic runs are covered.

Musicians develop conversational skills through call-and-response techniques used across multiple genres.

Introduces various minor key and scale forms, including natural, harmonic, and melodic minor.

Introduces the harmonic minor scale and its distinctive Eastern tonalities, with techniques for crafting melodies.

Melodic minor scale's distinctive features are examined, including its contrast to classical and jazz music.

Relative keys are explored, with focus on shared minor and major scale notes and techniques for identifying a song's key from its final note or chord.

Minor key signatures and melody transposition techniques are covered.

Traditional melodic minor scales in all 12 keys, including descending and harmonic forms.

Time signatures are introduced, covering simple and compound time, as well as techniques for reading and playing in 6/8 rhythms.

The course covers techniques for playing and notating sixteenth-note triplets, extending musical expression.

Sixteenth-note rhythms are introduced, covering the foundation of Funk, Hip-Hop, and Rock music styles.

Counts and plays in 12-eight time, a common rhythmic pattern in Blues, Gospel, and Soul music.

Covers fundamental techniques for manipulating musical dynamics, creating nuanced performances through variations in volume and intensity.

Covers the use of dynamic markings in music notation, including crescendo and diminuendo techniques.

Introduces the fundamentals of thirty-second note rhythms and beat subdivisions for precise musical timing.

Modes are developed from major scales, with melodies created through manipulation of rhythm, articulation, and note order.

The seven modes derived from the major scale are introduced, tracing their use in ancient Greek music to modern compositions and improvisations.

Modal tonalities' distinctive sounds are covered through examples by jazz icon Miles Davis and exercises for practicing improvisation.

Covers rhythmic patterns combining whole and half notes in minor keys, utilizing the Aeolian mode.

Formulas for calculating chord progressions and improvisational techniques for playing in all keys are covered.

Derive triads using first, third, and fifth notes of each mode, applying modes to play melodies over chords.

Covers the fundamental principles of playing C major chord arpeggios and applying them in improvisational contexts.

Major key triads are introduced, along with techniques for transposing chords across keys using roman numerals.

Introduces the scale tone chords for all major keys, covering sharps and flats.

Introduces the fundamental chord progressions of jazz standards and demonstrates transposition techniques for all keys.

Analyzes improvisation techniques for new chord progressions, incorporating arpeggios, chord tones, and modes.

Seventh chords include major, dominant, minor, and diminished varieties, with distinct formulas applying to each.

Seventh chords are introduced, covering major, minor, and various forms for playing and improvising.

Dominant 7th chords and their applications in Blues and turnaround progressions.

Minor sevenths are chords formed by adding a minor third to a minor triad. The concept covers the

Scales and arpeggios for jazz improvisation with emphasis on varied intervals.

Minor 7 flat 5 chords are introduced, including techniques for playing this common chord type.

Diminished 7th chords create tension in harmonic progressions and can be used as substitutes for dominant 7ths.

Tone 7th chords are created and transposed using formulas and arpeggio techniques.

Introduces the application of scale tone 7th chord patterns across all keys, crucial in jazz and fusion music.

Scales, modes, and seventh chords are examined in relation to each other, enabling creation of harmonically coherent melodies.

The 2-5-1 chord progression is introduced, along with improvisation techniques using modes across different keys.

Recognizes and applies chord changes between Major 7th and minor 7th chords.

Transforming a dominant 7th to a minor 7th is revealed in this exploration of the 2-5 progression.

Covers fundamental jazz progressions like 1 6 2 5 and 1 4 7 3 6 2 5, plus introduces arpeggio-based improvisation techniques.

Mastering chord changes, melodies, and harmonies improves jazz standard playing and improvisational skills.

Major and minor 6th chords, suspended chords, and their formulas are covered.

Subtle variations in 3rd and 7th degree movements are examined to understand mastering chord types.

Extended chords are created by stacking 3rds above major triads, including 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths with major, minor, or dominant qualities.

Introduces the concept of adding a third interval to 9th chords to create 11th chords with minor, dominant, and major variations.

Introduces techniques for creating and modifying 13th chords through the addition of intervals on top of 11th chords.

Analyzing chord differences, practicing arpeggios and inversions, and improvising over progressions helps develop new chord skills.

Substitutes for original chords require shared notes and strong understanding.

Introduces techniques for substituting chords using triads or 7th chords from the same key, exploring higher extensions and implied scale tones.

Substitutes scale tone 7th chords for triads, examining chord tones within the C major scale.

Relative chords substitute for others, altering harmonic character.

Introduces techniques for substituting dominant 7th chords with minor triads, leveraging shared notes and resolving suspensions.

Introduces techniques for creating new harmonies by substituting chords with roots a tritone above the original.

Tones and chord types are analyzed to determine major, minor triad, or seventh chord guides.

Guide tones for improvisation and song arrangement are introduced.

Tones from 5th to 13th, including 5th, 6th, and upper extensions, are examined for navigating chord progressions.

Modes defined by unique notes, including 3rd and 7th.

Altered chords, including dominant types like 5#7, introduce distinctive tonalities.

Introduces techniques for expanding musical vocabulary through altered chords, degree scales, arpeggios, and improvisation.

Covers techniques for playing harmonious 11th chords without compromising melody and harmony.

Tonal relationships between harmonized minor scales yield distinct chord voicings arising from varying tone and semitone arrangements.

Harmonizes minor key melodies using common chord choices and guide tones to create progression variations.

Derives the seven modes from minor scales and applies them to improvisation and harmony.

Introduces techniques for adding 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths to minor keys, expanding harmonic possibilities for improvisational music.

Covers application of minor key substitutions, including scale tone triads and dominant minor chords.

The 32-bar AABA structure is applied to jazz standards such as Rhythm Changes and various blues forms, while introducing different song forms.

Improvising with rhythm sections and melodies involves listening to play-along recordings to develop skills essential for jazz musicians.

Introduces fundamental jazz concepts including tune, changes, head, chorus, bridge, blowing, and trading fours, with a focus on bop style.

Covers Rhythm Changes, a jazz progression based on George Gershwin's I Got Rhythm, with examples and improvisation techniques.

Covers Blues changes in the key of C, emphasizing simplicity and context for Chicago, Texas, or Jump Blues bands.

Develop skills in applying blues changes through substitution techniques essential for playing in jazz ensembles.

Saxophone styles are showcased through recordings of renowned players across R&B, Soul, Funk, Blues, Jazz, and Rock genres.

Transcribes music to analyze and incorporate techniques from various musicians, expanding playing skills.

Expressive music techniques are explored, emphasizing emotional communication over technical proficiency.

Fingerings for the saxophone, including notes and octave keys, are covered in this topic.

Constructs and plays altered chords, including omitted notes and slash chords, to enhance saxophone skills.

Introduces key musical elements: pitch, duration, harmony, intervals, tempo.