SAXOPHONE LESSONS

Offering in person saxophone lessons in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Menlo Park, Los Altos, and Atherton. Skype lessons available as well.

 

The goal for myself and my students is to get to a point where you can teach yourself and discover what it is in the music that you love that moves you. That process involves years of study and hard listening, and a willingness to get deeply into the music and the spirit of the people that spawned it.

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Structuring lessons with my saxophone students is a big priority for me. Whenever possible, I strive to get my students transcribing solos. I like to use Transcribe! to slow the music down and I use MuseScore for notation software. There is literally no better way to learn how to improvise than to dissect solos by the greats.

 

The study of harmony is essential, and the application of the right information will guide you towards whatever your ultimate goal is, whether it be to gain some insight into how to improvise, or to grab a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music as several of my students have, or to compose and record your own music down the road.

 

Build up a huge collection of recorded music, listen to it obsessively, and take as much away from it as you possibly can. Over time it will change how you hear and conceptualize music and bring you to the next levels of advancement.

The greats like Mike Brecker never stopped learning or studying. I read recently where Branford Marsalis described himself as a student of the saxophone.  I think that eloquently sums up a lifetime of saxophone playing in one perfect statement.

Students of any age and any skill level are accepted.

 

Play on and strive for tone.