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Saxophone lessons - Why should you practice?

Starting a new instrument is great fun. It feels fantastic to be able to make your first sounds and melodies in your saxophone lessons and to be able to share music with others.  Regardless of whether learning a new instrument comes naturally to you or you have to work at it from the start, everyone has a point where they reach the limit of their natural ability.  It’s at this point that you will need to have a game plan on how to keep progressing.

Although I feel everyone is capable of becoming awesome on the saxophone, you need to make the decision to approach it systematically if you really want to get there.  

This is where practice comes in.

Unfortunately, lots of people associate the idea of “practice” with endless hours of boring, repetitive drills and exercises.  Not very enticing. The good news is, it doesn’t need to be that way.  In my opinion, the real trick to practicing is little and often.  And, doing it in a fun, structured and effective manner that you can see real benefits from.

The real reason for practicing though, is that amazing feeling you get when you can now do something on your instrument that you thought impossible only a few days before.  That is an awesome feeling.   And it’s addictive too.  

Music is a journey that starts with picking up a new instrument for the first time, and lasts your whole life.  There really is no end to where you can go with your instrument, what you can play and who you can share your music with.  And like any journey you need to be in great shape to really get the most out of it.  For us saxophonists that means fit embouchures, flexible fingers and lots of hot air!

So starting and maintaining a practice routine that works for you is going to help you keep musically fit and flexible so you can exceed your natural ability, have more fun playing sax, and make the most out of your musical journey.  

You might be surprised where you end up!

Top tips for effective practicing:

Little and Often is best : Rather than mega practice sessions every other week, try to find at least 5-10 minutes every day, or more if you can.  Practicing regularly, even for small periods will help you improve so much faster.

Start with long tones: Always start your practice session with some long tones to strengthen your embouchure aiming for the biggest fullest sound you can make.  And try doing this from your lowest note all the way to the highest.

Touch up your Technique: Find a few minutes in your practice routine for some challenging finger work to get your digits moving smoothly and evenly.

Practice your pieces: Set yourself a challenge each week with a piece of saxophone music that stretches you both in technique and tone.  Focus on the melody and make it as beautiful as you can.

Have some fun: Finish off each practice session with something just for fun - this could be some jazz, a pop tune you would like to play or just some free improvising.

Excerpt from the “McGill Music Practice Guide” by Nigel McGill

available from www.mcgillmusic.com Sax School