Sax Practice Routine: The Perfect HOUR? | Free .pdf of exercises!

0:00 The perfect hour?
1:42 Tone and Zero
3:22 Melodic Studies
6:09 Overtones
9:00 Technique
10:49 Scales
11:26 Key Studies
12:43 Artistry
14:18 Improv and Etudes
18:08 Common Questions

[bilbostoy]

I returned to playing saxophone two years ago and wanted to really study. I viewed the many of the Youtube sax schools and decided Dr. Wally had the most logical argument for following his course. I started with his free 12 month fundamental course and am now a member of the Saxophone Academy. I think it is important to play everyday for at least 15 minutes. I start with the low Bb exercises and work on tone, technique and artistry. I am retired so I have more time to practice but it is still a hobby. The last month of the fundamental course I found really helped me so I do that study twice a month. I listen to music at least one hour a day or more and really enjoy it. I don't try and stress in how I am progressing because I know music will keep my ageing brain sharper and I would rather listen to Hank Mobley or Gene Ammons than watch the news. Good luck to all the saxophone community!

[helencyster]

This is a first for me. I am starting after work.
My son is a clarinet player and he said you are the best for saxophone. Thanks in advance - I will keep you posted.

[hflynnjr]

The exercise I worked on that gave me the most benefit was I decided to pick one artist and study their recorded work from beginning to end, and I chose Joe Henderson. I didn’t actually finish yet, but I took 5 months and listened from beginning to end each of Joe Henderson’s Blue Note albums. I started with Page One and ended with Mode For Joe. I did one album per month, and I would listen from beginning to end at least once per day, sometimes more.

The first benefit that came to me was it got me practicing diatonic 7th arpeggios. Joe plays them ALL THE TIME! That morphed into more triad studies and practicing that all of that in all 12 keys every day really upped my technique a lot. Plus, what an enjoyable experience learning Joe Henderson’s sound and evolution. He has such a beautiful arc of a career from his Blue Note days to his albums at the end of his career where he seems to reflect back. It’s really a beautiful thing, and starting from the beginning and taking my time going through that was just a great experience.

[angiefink]

Hooray! Dr. Wally is back!! Great to see you.

[AdamKnowsItAll]

I returned to saxophone in February after a brief 25-year hiatus. I've been using your saxophone fundamentals pdf and your videos to re-acclimate, and I'm surprised at how quickly I'm improving. Thanks kindly, from a fellow North Carolinian.

[stanwilkins-be]

Dr. Wally, I am a true beginner, (never ever picked a sax up). Age 58 and just retired. Have Always wanted to learn the sax and now I have the time. What is the best way to start learning. I watch videos and don’t have a clue of what they are talking about. I have been practicing going on my 2nd week. I have been working on the basic 7 notes and finger placement, long tones from those 7 and tongue articulation. When I hear major, minor, flat, sharp, I don’t have a clue as to what they are saying. What direction would you suggest I go in. My goal is to be playing in front of people, (church) in a years time from now. Thank you for any help you can give. Stan

[dougjsax]

Thanks, Dr. Wally. I generally only ever have an hour to practice. I sit in the backseat of my truck on my lunch hour, tinted windows gives me a bit of privacy! But when I play Exercise Zero people think my truck is having an existential crisis😂

[BariGerri]

Greetings from Vienna/Austria! As a Saxophone-Teacher myself I find your Videos very inspirational & helpful for my own teaching. Thanks so much and keep on your amazing work - I appreciate it very much 😊

[mskorude]

Thanks Dr. Wally! I am a big fan of tone studies, especially the ones you include in the Saxophone Mastery curriculum. They sound so pleasant and familiar, it puts a smile on my face every time.

[gayetolanhatfield]

Nice to see you, Dr. Wally! Hope all is well with you and the SA. :-)

[heidihoward]

I love your stuff!! Thanks so much this is so helpful, greatly appreciated!!

[parkerpolen]

Hey, Dr. Wally. Nice seeing you again! I have been in a fixated state of practice for a time duration that has lasted too long. I can not stop improvising over jazz standards, and it has become redundant. It has gotten to the point of being the sole reason that I pick up the horn. This is, however, not realized without an underlying theory. I heard in an audiobook on jazz improvisation once that Joshua Redman learned most of what he plays on the bandstand, and I figured that it would be a good idea to take after him and set aside some time in life to do the same. On the contrary, a recent addition to my practice sessions has been the incorporation of my own fathomed scale studies with melodic chromaticism. I finally feel like I'm making useful progress again. Nonethless, I need to be more disciplined in finding continuity and diversity in practice. However, the most useful thing that I have been doing in order to refine my overall sound, including swing feel and articulation, is my writing etudes over tunes and implying my own melodic interpretation over them.

[paulandrobin]

This is one of the best videos you’ve ever done, and you’ve done a lot of great ones. Thank you so very much - I especially learned and clarified a lot from this one!

[PeterCaine-qe]

It's so good to see you back again, I've missed the videos and the podcast (although it has given me a chance to catch-up with the podcasts and I'm now only 10 behind!). However, I've been using Exercise Zero since you first introduced it in the Fundamentals book and it is a regular part of my practice schedule - it's great and the benefits are quite clear; unfortunately my overtones are still "work in progress"! Best wishes, Peter.

[edwardwright]

You can usually tell the difference between tenor sax and bassoon by the smell (5:00)

[peterlorenz]

GREAT Mr. WALLY! THANKS A LOT. Thanks for all your dedication, all your work and specially your ENTHUSIASM to make me / us better SAX PLAYERS.
I LOVE how you structure

[espressivsymbols]

as someone who came up on classical sax and swapped to basson and is now self teaching jazz sax I am immensely greatful for this structure and resources, much love

[PaulGrigg-lo]

Hey Dr Wally. Where’s your podcast please. You and Dr Fanshaw made me laugh so much whilst learning while doing my job

[WilliamCarterII]

This is great. I can do this during my lunch break at work. I get about 4 hours in the day when I can reasonably practice when school isn't in session. (I work at night so I sleep until like 10am PST) I can do my usual routine (Transcriptions, scales charts, changes) and then this.

[peterhill]

Great lesson as ever . I have found practicing minor and major pentatonic patterns to be excellent for progressing