"Hey dude! Nice video"

Really thoughtful comments on altissimo, Jay. I'm often amazed by the occasional player who has somehow managed to attain success in that rather difficult range, despite an inability to produce good tone in the standard range.

What I really like about your videos is that you are making easier and simple the way we learn how to play the sax and you don't have any issue to share your vast knowledge instead of keeping to yourself the "secrets" to be a great saxophone player, as many other so-called teachers might do. Thanks for sharing and I really enjoy your videos.

@DA-jp3uq

4 жыл бұрын

I echo that, it does make a difference. A lot of teachers (especially ones for novices and beginners) skip so many crucial and really interesting points that would help the confidence and learning of a newbie. Especially if you want to play because you have a passion, not just because it sounds good. And it makes you want to play like Jay one day and the teachings are so good so maybe one day we will lol

You and your advice are truly the best Mr. Metcalf. Thank you.

Thanks so much for the details you provided on squeaks! I also found your story on the sax player with a leaky horn inspiring. Keep up these great videos. Thanks!

Excellent advise Jay! I will definitely follow your advice on the embrocher part and let the air do the work. Well actually I follow all your advice. Keep up the excellent channel!

Thanks for the straight-talk. Your practical advice is refreshing and encouraging. Play on!

Appreciate you explaining these issues so clearly and I enjoy your sense of humor!

Great Advice! Always look forward to the next video!

Love the channel, man. Keep doing what you do!

These videos are super helpful!

Hey, I think you are one of the best sax channels around. You are informative, engaging, and I just cant get enough of your teachings. Thank you for helping so many people progress like my self.

Love all your videos Jay - thank you so much for the effort!

Really helpful video. Good luck!

I hope you grow. You've been an amazing teacher.

This is a great video, thank you for sharing so much good ideas of sax playing. It's truly helped a lot!!!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Hi Jay, Thank you so much for these videos! 🙂

You are right about the famous name and instrument thing. My grandpa plays piano and composes small songs, and is named Bill Evans 😂! My grandpa was going to start a career as a musician with Ronnie Wilkins (who he preformed with and went to the same high school with), but when they where about to leave for Nashville, my grandpa received a scholarship to go to college. My grandpa took the scholarship and (quite ironically) became a preacher. He also worked for a radio station in Atlanta during the 1960s and 70s.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Interesting story Andrew thanks...

enjoyed this. good info

As usual, great content. Thanks!

Love your videos!

Thank you sir! Very good tips.

Very good informative video. When i was starting to play there wasn't videos like this to learn from! Amazing!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Stefan!

I just order my saxophone today jay thanks to you! I’m going to follow your courses too

Hi Jay. Found this video very informative. Have been learning the sax for about nine months and really enjoy your tutorials. Your new sound squares look great. Keep the videos coming!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

More videos coming. Thanks

Love your stuff, Good Sir!

Hey dude, nice video!

Great videos thanks

I love this channel. Great education and entertaining, too.

Really great video again, thanks for posting and sharing this.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Great tutorial

Great Video! I don't play any instruments at all really but it's awesome learning about something new!

Hi Great information 👍

Hey dude nice video!

Super Helpful, thanks!

Great advice

Great tips, Sir.

Thanks for the info...

Thanks for the video. Doing your online Pentatonic course. Its brilliant..will be signing up for more as soon I am fluent with that.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

thanks for great video

You help so much !!!

Hey dude! Nice video

Hey dude, nice video

Hey dude nice video

Another great video, thanks again Jay!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Hey Dude , nice video. No seriously, nice videos.

hey dude nice video :)

Thanks Jay. Finding your videos really helpful.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Good to hear Greg thanks.

Amazing content Jay.

Hi Jay. Thanks for the reed/mouthpiece details. I will make the changes you've detailed.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

great.

Thank you, Jay, for keeping me modest.

You're the man. Thanks.

Hey dude, nice video! ;)

hey dude nice video

Thanks for the great content! 🙏🏾❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸

Really useful video - thanks Jay!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Teresa...

Wonderful video

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Valuable information! Thank you

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brian

nice video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great video Jay!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ron!

Hay Jay! I can’t tell you how much watching your videos and taking your advice has helped me be a better saxophone player. I have been playing all my life and have never taken lessons from anyone. With that being said, naturally I had picked up a lot of bad habits that held me back from advancing. Watching in the sitting to you has inspired me and allowed me too play so much better. Your advice on gear alone has been priceless to me. Who won the Reed Geek is Everything you said it is! I could go on anon but I don’t want to bore you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Bob, never boring to hear praise like that. Thanks, I'm very happy to hear that the videos are helping you.

So interesting ! Thank you

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Awesome video! Love jt

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I love ur videos

hey dude, nice video

Very useful tips!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Hey dude ! Nice video ;)

thanks dude!

So nice vid. VERY informative and true! Adding an interesting detail about ligature placement, ambouchure and low notes, and horn condition: I’m a fairly experienced player. I have a newly overhauled old Selmer SBA and a 8* mp. I’ve done a lot of long tones and overtones practice but still experienced problems with getting the low notes out correctly!! Especially C# and B. Now, I’ve played a lot of loud rock‘n roll music over the years where I need a lot of volume and projection to cut through all electronic sounds. I also like a bright and clear projecting sound. That had made me, over the the years, to place the ligature very close to the tip of the mp. AND tightening the lig screw very hard. I’ve found that was supporting the sound I was after. But in the last year of practicing I’ve been taking all my practice back “step one” sort of. Meaning really being meticulous about every step of playing. And what did I discover?? I had real problems getting my low notes out in a controlled way. I could just play them in one way. Putting all possible air in and out comes the note but very LOUD and short duration (lack of air) no way to play them normal or soft! For half a year I’ve been struggling with this thinking it’s something wrong with the horn. But suddenly the idea came up: can it be my embouchure and something with my ligature placement and how hard I tightening the screw? I’ve now done 3 things: 1. Place the liatur further back on the mp.( closer to you’re mouth) 2. I’m NOT tightening the screw to much, just enough so that it’s seals to the mp-table 3. Most importantly: I’m losening my embouchure and try to be very aware of it when playing low notes. And all of a sudden the low notes work fine!!! A petty it took me many years to come to this conclusion! Thanks for you’re good videos!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Great to hear. It is always a good idea to keep an open mind and experiment with new things. Just because we've been doing something one way for a long time doens't mean there isn't a better way for us. Thanks for sharing.

Great tip on squeaking reeds! I may also add that sometimes we tend to "bite" when we run into the upper register, especially if you're playing with a soft Reed that may respond quickly to any extra pressure... The joke on Bill Evans cracked me up 🤣🤣

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, biting is generally bad anywhere on the sax...

Great video Jay the studio looks awesome

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

thanks James, yeah, I'm loving the new look.

"Hey dude, nice video!" And thx a lot for the tips!

I am your student and I have listened to many of your videos and I have found that what ever you have said is true. I am a beginner and I have tried altissimo and its difficult. So I would rather concentrate my time and energy to play the regular notes on the saxophone and get a good strong sound. What you said about practicing long notes is true. It has given me better tone and I am more consistent now. The metronome has improved my timing and sense of rhythm. Thank you Jay..... Andy

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Andy, good to hear. Sounds like you're on the right track...

great tips man.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

hi dude nice vid ;)

Hi Jay, love your videos!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

thanks

Hello Jay thank you for sharing,Like your studio. It always nice for reviews, got to redo suction test one of mouthpieces sometimes I get squeaks

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Leo.

very kind!

nice vid

60, promise to try an make myself happy, but not before I show a young person, my respect, the hard part about practice, thanks for good advice boss.

And if you can’t get these low notes, check for a swab in the bell! Don’t laugh, I travelled with my sax in its case, pulled it out a day or so later, practiced, got frustrated, wanted to clean it and... I’ll be damned, swab in the bell 𗀄𗀄𗀄

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I've found all sorts of strange things in there over the years...

@mandrew296

5 жыл бұрын

Lol, this same thing happened to me the other day! 😂

@MauriatOttolink

5 жыл бұрын

Thierry Martin. I have good horns nowadays but had some yucky stuff in my early days. On a gig, one horn (Tenor) which didn't play particularly well at the best of times, was even worse. "What the**** IS going on here? It turned it over and shook out a soggy wet £10 bill (British bank note) and a 20 pack of cigarettes. The bill dried out but the cigs were finished. So am I these days with cigarettes.. That why I'm still alive and could buy decent horns.

@MauriatOttolink

5 жыл бұрын

Thierry Martin Can't leave a swap in mine. The rubber bung on it, acts as a the plug to protect the octave lever in the case. Nearly lost the swab once on an outdoor gig.. Somebody's dawg thought was fun to run off with it but he came back with a waggly tail and swapped it for a candy and a big hug. Never yet saw a dog I didn't like. Can't say that about people.

@binaryheadstudios4002

4 жыл бұрын

I heard a weird rattling coming from my alto on the lower register one time. Turns out my cork grease tube had found its way into the bell.

Hey Dude,.. Nice video.

Great video. I have been playing for around six years now and I have never found anything more difficult than altissimo. I have tried the points in your video and I have tried various other things (harder reed, different fingerings etc) I even bought a mouthpiece with thinner rails and tip to see if that would help. What would you suggest? This is mainly on alto, although I have tried on soprano and tenor as well. P.S. I can do overtones.

Looking and sounding smooth my brother....

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks bro

Your room is sounding great from here!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Bill. Yes, I'm loving playing down there now.

This is great, as always! Thank you! I'm wondering what those black covers on you left palm keys are, what they do and where did you get them?

Hay dude, nice video. I had developed a squeak when moving between octaves on my alto. Mainly from C to D and it was really bothering me. I had my horn checked and there were a couple minor issues that he easily correct but I still had the C to D squeak. I eventually figured it out when I took some time to look at what was going on. The issue may be surprising. It turns out it was caused by my glasses.

Thanks for the reminders. When practicing today I had some squeaks, and it was clearly because the reed didn't seal properly. Also, I really like it when you put the nice riffs between the comments. I play alto, with a Otto Link HR #7 as I like the warm "dark" sound & use sub-tones a lot, and almost always play sub-tones when playing low C, B or Bb. If I try to play "regular" tones on the B & Bb they sound like a honk, so I usually stick to the sub-tones for those lower notes.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

That's one way to do it. Sometimes we need the full tone on those notes though. You want to be careful about establishing a habit of subtoning every time you are in the low register though.

@robstevens9590

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jay. It is already a habit that I need to work on breaking, but I don't often play pieces that need those low notes full tone, so it takes some extra effort.

More great tips from Better Sax ! I picked up the tenor horn last year after a 15 yr break, having stopped playing because I basically just didn't like my tone. I was embarrassed by it. Picking up the instrument again I decided to really apply myself to this part of my playing and dedicate myself to getting full control over the full range of the instrument. The first thing I did was replace my mouthpiece ( Lawton 6*B ) for a vintage Selmer C**, realising that my mouthpiece choice wasn't helping me ( for the moment ). I sometimes had a great tone in the middle register of the horn but the extremes were places I rarely went. This was of course incredibly limiting. What I've learnt this last year is that you don't need either a metal mouth piece or a very open tip to sound good/great. I found that of course it really is about the air and the support of the air that gets you comfortably to the extremes of the horn not excluding the mouth voicing that is needed as well as all the other embouchure stuff. ( mouth piece exercises ! ) Just knocking out the odd low Bb is not really cutting it. I want to be able to play scales and patterns down there, which demands an investment of time. Playing long tones based around tone matching really helps, so I play middle Bb or B, C, C# and then work on getting them to have the fullness of the overtone partial, in this case the first partial. This encourages me to practice overtones and hang out down in that register a bit more.I don't think sub tone I go beyond that and practice pre tone and post tone. It extends the range of each note. I can now play something like Night Train as if I'm King Curtis, even with my set up. The house vibrates, or rather resonates when I hit that low Bb ( you know the one ) but I hit it with ease and it's full and rich, without honking. Ok the dog 3 doors down go's 'pazzo' each time but such is life. He doesn't know that I'm going to be spending time this summer working on my altissimo range. With regard to air support there's a lot of flaky info out there re the diaphragm, what it is, what it does and what it looks like. To try and be short about this I'd say it's just about 'engaging the core' nothing more. To test this out and see where I'm at with it I stand a few inches away from a wall and with my breath hold a small piece of paper ( say 10cm by 10cm ) to the wall. Sounds a bit weird and it's not easy to do but what it shows me is what part of my body is engaging in air support and for me it's not the lower front abs. It's more the side and back. Remember the lungs are more to the back of the torso than the front. Whatever.. One last thing. 'Reeds is bitches'. Love you Jay, Ciao bello !

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Glad the attention to your sound is paying off. It always does...

@thecontinentalist8816

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jay ! Get the tone doing the right thing and working on the rest of it has become more pleasurable. Thanks for all your tips along the way.

the glasses look good on you as well . thanx for the vid

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, they are new to me. Too much time in front of the screen editing videos!

I know that a big reason for not being able to play good low notes is your technique. However, at one time I kept struggling. When I went to my realitysoap because I also started having other problems, they were wondering, how I was able to play at all. It turned out that I had several leaks. After repair I could play comfortable again. I could play the low notes. They were not perfect but now I could improve by practizing. My repairman advised me to let him check out my sax first when I had problems again before I started to change things on my technique. I play for a long time now and if I suddenly have problems, the chance is high that it is my sax. So, I first let nu sax get checked, and then I work on my technique. Saves a lot of time and frustration.

Hey dude nice video Lol

Great video like always, by the way what tenor is that since im just looking for one to buy

How about testing PA speakers which work well for saxophone, similar to Bose L1 and doing some interviews with sax players to broaden the conversation. I enjoy your videos and look forward to learning, cheers.....Andy

uah! gran bel suono il tuo! proprio bello.

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

grazie!

Why saxmen are the coolest people on earth n why. The magic of the beautifull saxxx.

Great videos, thank you for all of the excellent help and information. Have you reviewed the Elkhart 100AS and TS? I was originally taught on a used Elkhart Alto and after a long layoff want to get a new one and practice practice practice. Is there any advantage between a black laquer vs gold laquer or silver plated? Thank you again for you great videos !!!

You’re Awesome

Jay I like your sax lesson

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Helmut

Jay, funny video! "if your name is Charlie Parker maybe you don't want to be a sax player" lol, Anyway, thanks for the good work on Better Sax. I learn from and enjoy it all!

@bettersax

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rial!