Saxophone Newsletter - September

7/29/2019 Saxophone Newsletter - September

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SEPTEMBER EDITION

Saxophone

NEWSLETTER

[email protected]

Newsletters and all lesson materials

are now available at rsensen.com

In addition, a new pre-arranged

absence form is now available to

download from the site. It is

optional, but a huge help to me.

mailto:[email protected]





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The Adventure Continues

I am tremendously excited tobegin lessons again following our

summer break. Many of my students

have chosen to continue lessons with

me, some students from the past have

returned, and new students have

joined the ranks of our studio.

In the past I have often been

questioned by parents, band directors,

and my friends, as to how much I can

really expect to teach and cover during

a half hour lesson. My answer is a

simple one. I can teach as much as my

students are willing to learn, no more,

and no less.

It has always been my teaching

philosophy that the purpose of lessons

should be to fill in holes in students’

knowledge that may develop over

time, and also to make my students

successful solo players.

In the process of working towardsthese goals, I have found it necessary

to approach lessons from a variety of

angles. We study playing the

saxophone, and everything that goes

with it. If I were to only focus lessons

on playing technique and expression,

my students would be missing out on

many important aspects of music.

As such, all of my students now

receive training in music theory. This

knowledge helps them understandhow music works together, can help

them learn to improvise, and will

eventually give them an intuitive ability

to learn music in new and very

effective waves.

I’m including in this newsletter,

and particularly this page, some new

opportunities that might be made

available for students both in and out

of lessons. I can only teach mystudents what they are willing to learn,

and I hope that some of these things

may be of interest to them.

As always, if you have any

questions about lessons and how I

approach them, I encourage you to

contact me via email at

[email protected], or my

voicemail at the store (616-975-1122

x89)

Saxophone Ensembles

You may have noticed earlier that I

mentioned one of my goals for my

students is to allow them to become

successful solo players. The reality of

music is that it is rarely a solo art. It is

perhaps my greatest hope that my

students will learn to use their

improved technical abilities that are

developed in lessons, as a means toimprove their ensemble playing.

Unfortunately, except for duets

with me, my students have historically

not had the opportunity to work on

their ensemble skills in a lesson-like

environment.

I am thus opening the door for

opportunity if any students choose to

take it. I will be offering saxophone

quartet coaching to any students who

are interested, and I will networkstudents together who are interested

in forming quartets. If you are

interested at all in taking part in a

saxophone quartet, I encourage you to

let me know as soon as possible.

These sessions will occur outside

of Meyer Music, and are organized

entirely on my own time. I am currently

working with local universities and

churches to arrange for suitablerehearsal space.

Upcoming Recital

I am hoping to schedule a recital

for my students during the month of

November. This will come up very

quickly!

All students will prepare at least

one classical piece in lessons, and I

am hoping to also include several jazz

performances as well.

All performances must be

accompanied by a pianist. I have a

pianist who I highly recommend and

who I will make sure is available the

entire day of the recital. However,

students must have a minimum of

three rehearsals with a pianist to

perform at the recital.

Any parents who are interested in

helping me coordinate the recital, and/or in bring any desserts, should

contact me as soon as possible. I

would truly appreciate it.

Horn Maintenance and Repair

If you haven’t had your instrument

into the repair techs for maintenance

during the summer, please consider

doing it now. Each day at least one of

my students runs into difficulty with

something resulting from a horn whichhas not been maintained, and these

struggles are completely avoidable. In

many cases, our repair techs can

inspect a horn while you wait in the

store and let you know if it is in need

of maintenance.

Thank you!

- Ryan Sensenbrenner

Welcome Back!






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Even John Coltrane let’s his fingers off

the keys sometimes. Will I let you?

Nope. (By the way, this was the only

picture I could find of him with his

fingers flopping!)

For many of my students,

lessons at Meyer Music are their first

time taking lessons. However, A

handful of my students have taken

lessons elsewhere. I believe that the

ideas which I outline will be useful to

all students, but particularly those in

the latter category.

Sometimes, maybe even often, I

will teach things which stand at odds

with what a past lesson teacher or

band director may have taught. I

have even had students tell me thata certain method that I employ is

“wrong.”

Some time ago I discovered that

I had perhaps not been tolerant

enough of other teaching styles, and

I’ve sought within myself to learn a

large variety of techniques in

teaching.

It can sometimes be difficulty to

distinguish between a teacher’s

confidence or arrogance. I believe a

teacher must be confident in order to

instill faith in themselves by their

students. I must be openminded, but

at the same time, trust in my

experience.

I do not know who a student’s

last teacher may be. Many teachers

are very qualified, and many claim to

be very qualified but are not. Some

of my students have phenomenal

band directors, and that is awesome.

But sometimes even the best band

directors aren’t necessarily the bestauthorities on a particular

instrument.

I may give a student advice that

is quite different from that which is

given by a student’s band director. If

the director is confused by that, I

encourage the students to pass

along my contact information to their

directors.

There may be times when I will

tell a student absolutely not to do

something, and in that moment, I

probably say that for an important

reason, based up a wide variety of

lessons I have taken part in and

knowledge I have received from my

own teachers.

There is no “right” way to teach

the saxophone. Some things do

work better for some students than

for others. Other teachers may have

a different concept of the

saxophone’s sound than I do. If

everyone sounded the same, none ofus could be humbled by the beauty

of music.

When I tell you something

different than your music teacher,

feel free to ask me “why” I believe

something. Sometimes I skip over

my methodology for a change in

order to save time during a lesson,

but if you are curious, I am always

willing to explain more!

But that’s not what my teacher said



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Beware of warm temperatures

Temperature can have atremendous effect on the saxophone,

as well as most other woodwinds. If

you find that you are playing a room

which is warmer than normal, you can

expect to be sharp. Remember, that if

you are playing sharp you need to pull

your mouthpiece out to adjust.

In addition, I know that many of

my students’ instruments get forgotten

in car trunks and a wide variety of

places. Under the beating sunlight, a

car can get tremendously warm inside,

and this CAN damage your instrument.

At the very least, even a little heat can

weaken the glue under saxophone

pads and cause your instrument to go

out of adjustment. In a worst case

scenario, I have seen some

instruments literally melted away by

the combined heat of the sun on an

automobile.

Humidity matters

If you ask a professional violinist

how he stores his instrument, he will

likely tell you about a completely

temperature controlled environment,and having a case which controls

humidity levels down to the nearest

hundredth of a percent. If only

woodwind players took the same

excellent care of their instruments on a

regular basis!

Many students get in the habit of

putting their instrument in the case

without swabbing it out after playing it

and on high-humidity days that are

often seen over Michigan summers,

this can be deadly for the pads of a

horn.

In addition, changing humidities

levels can make reeds play either

harder or softer, and as such, youshould attempt to store your reeds in a

controlled environment as well.

Your instrument is an expensive

investment. Treat it well!

Summer Saxophone Woes

At one point or another, all of my

students eventually study how toimprovise. Improvisation is both

exciting and terrifying for many of us.

We all want to do it, but we are afraid

we can’t. Here are a few tips for

building up your confidence and

becoming a better improviser and

performer:

I am the greatest!

Before playing for your family take

the opportunity to brag about yourself

endlessly. It doesn’t have to be real. “I

am the greatest saxophone player of

all time. You should be really grateful

to hear me, because my Carnegie Hall

performance for tomorrow is entirely

sold out, and...” Just maybe, some ofthat humor and confidence will give

you the edge you need to give a great

performance!

Worst case scenario

This one takes a little preparation,

but can be tremendously useful. Talk

to your family and tell them you will

play two solos. No matter how you

play, the first time the audience will

say you were terrible, won’t clap, and

will lightly make fun of you. The

second time you play, they will break

into thunderous applause and

congratulate you on the best

performance they’ve ever heard! While

it can be tough to hear that initialcriticism, this exercise will prepare you

for the worst that could happen

(sometimes audiences aren’t rational),

and the praise the second time you

play will wash away all the negativity.

The Good, the bad, and the ugly

First, play the ugliest improv solo

you can think of. Then, totally switch

gears and play the most beautiful solo

you can think of. What did you do

differently? This simple exercise, with

some thought afterwards, can be

tremendously reward when you realize

what things you decided to change.

Banish Improv Demons



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Saxophones and the orchestraSaxophones and the Orchestra

One of the most common

questions about the saxophone that I

hear from students is “Why aren’t

there saxophones in the orchestra?”

This question is certainly worthy of

being asked. While it would be

impossible to give a simple

explanation to such a question, there

are several key factors that have led to

the rejection of the saxophone by the

orchestra.First and foremost, much of the

orchestral repertoire that is played by

modern orchestras was written at a

time prior to the existence of the

saxophone. Adolphe Sax filed for a

patent on the saxophone in 1846.

While that may seem like a long time

ago to most of us, in the world of

music it is simple a “drop in the

bucket” ago.

Because most orchestras play

music dating much before 1846, there

is no orchestra in the world with a full

time saxophone player. Modern

composers therefore write music that

fits the more common members of the

orchestra. By adding in an instrument

like the saxophone, an orchestra

would have to hire an outside

saxophonist, increasing the cost of the

performance.

The absence of the saxophone in

the orchestra can also be attributed to

several early failures at bringing the

instrument “into the fold.” Over the

history of the instrument, the tone,

mastery, and overall approach to

playing it has vastly changed, and

many would say vastly improved. Early

attempts to incorporate thesaxophone into orchestras were often

nearly complete failures, as the

adolescent tone of the instrument

failed to blend in with the rest of the

ensemble.

This has also been coupled with

the fact that over the history of the

instrument, many performers haven’t

approached playing the saxophone

with the same academic vigor as

found among other instruments. The

saxophone is an instrument than can

be quickly learned, but it is also an

instrument which takes a lifetime to

master. Many aspiring musicians,

acting as professionals, have led to a

somewhat deserved negative

perception of the saxophone.

This isn’t to say that all early

saxophone players lacked the

necessary mastery to be calledprofessional, however. Sigurd Rascher,

Rudy Wiedoeft, and even Adolphe Sax

himself did possess excellent

capabilities on the instrument. In fact,

Rascher alone impressed composers

so much that over 100 pieces were

written specifically for him.

Professional study on the

saxophone did not officially begin inthe United States until the 1950s,

when Larry Teal became not just the

professor of saxophone for the

University of Michigan, but also the

first saxophone professor in the entire

United States.

Even though the saxophone has

yet to find a permanent spot in the

symphony orchestra, I encourage

myself to seek out pieces of classical

music that do include the saxophone.

Many of these works are solo

pieces for the saxophone, with

orchestral accompaniment. Every year

new recordings of Glazunov’s

Concerto for Alto Saxophone and

Orchestra , Dubois’ Concerto, and

Maurice’s Tableaux de Provence are

made. Hundreds of other works for the

saxophone and orchestra are also

performed, and the modernsaxophone student of today has

access to a tremendous library of

classical saxophone repertoire.

Students interested in hearing the

saxophone as part of the orchestra

should listen in to Ravel’s Bolero,

Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kiji , and

Milhaud's La Creation du Monde.

Adolphe Sax

Sigurd Rascher



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Home recording on a budgetWhy You Should Record Yourself Recording yourself is a greatway to identify areas of your playing towork on, and to hear which aspects ofyour sound you really like. It can alsobe a tremendous opportunity toexperiment with recording multipletracks over each other (ever try playinga duet with yourself?). However,discovering exactly how to recordyourself and which equipment fits yourbudget can be more than a smallheadache! This article will give you

some tips and ideas for how to createa quality home studio withoutspending hundreds of dollars onseveral pieces of equipment. Many computers (especiallylaptops) now have built inmicrophones that will work withoutany setup at all for this project.However, the sound quality on them isoften not very good, as they areprimarily designed for audio chat onthe internet. By the same standard, you

can by $5-10 microphones at Meijer orany other store that will work, but willhave limited sound quality available.

USB Microphones

Those looking forbetter sound qualityshould considerbuying a high qualityUSB microphone. Youcan find them foraround $60+++ by

doing a search at Amazon.com for

“USB Condenser Microphone.” Youmay also want to research “USBDynamic Microphone.” Typically, condenser mics areused in recording studios and dynamicmics are used for live performance.This is because condensers are quitesensitive, and good ones will pick upthe drop of a pin. In a live situation,they get far too much audience noise.

Dynamic mics are sometimes used inrecording studios, however, and areuseful if you might have difficultyfinding a room which is perfectly quietto record in. They can “hide” a lot ofbackground noise. In addition, dynamic mics aremore often than not much sturdierthan condensers. Condenser mics areextremely susceptible to damage bydropping, intense temperatures, andother factors. I also wanted to mention the

difference between a USB microphoneand any other kind of microphone.Quality USB microphones are verymuch a new technology. Historically,those who wanted to recordthemselves had to purchase severalpieces of equipment in order tocapture themselves. While a recordingboard and mic might suffice for some,others find themselves with otherequipment, like a mixing board andstudio monitors. While that kind ofhome studio has it’s advantages, it is

costly to put together. A computer anda good USB microphone offer a muchcheaper alternative for amateurs. Most USB microphones areexact copies of their “recordingstudio” counterparts, except thatinstead of an XLR cord, which canonly go into specialized equipment,they have been modified with a USBcord that can go into a computer.Typically, there is no loss in soundquality when this happens. Whenresearching a USB microphone

purchase, it is useful to also researchreviews on it’s recording studiocounterpart, if it has one.

Making a Studio Mic a USB Mic Already have a recordingstudio at home, or have a microphonelying around somewhere? You can getan adapter that will turn thatmicrophone into a USB microphone!The MXL Mic Mate is the mostcommon one. I cannot personallyspeak for if a quality difference occurswith the use of these adapters.

Super-Easy, Awesome Quality

If you would like

something ultra-easyto setup that hasexcellent soundquality, you mightconsider purchasing aportable recording

device. Two of the most popular ofthese devices are the Zoom H2 andZoom H4n. My experience with themis that the recording quality is quitegood, and that they are very easy touse. Amazon.com shows the H2 at$150 and H4n is

$300. Both areextremely capabledevices, and canrecord anywhereyou go. They caneven be hookedinto yourcomputer like aUSB microphone and record directlyto your hard drive. If you have otherXLR microphones around, you canalso plug them into the Zoom devices.If the budget is available, I recommend

the Zoom H2 to all of my students.

*While the Zoom devices are my

preferred recommendation after using

them on a regular basis as a music

major, I personally use an MXL-990

USB Condenser Microphone.

MXL Mic Mate



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Apple Garageband (Left), comes frewith very Macintosh computer.

Audacity (Top) is available for free fo

many computer operating systems,

including Apple OS X and Microsoft

Windows.

Once you have found a

microphone that you like, be it the

internal microphone in your computer,

a USB condenser or dynamic

microphone, or a portable recordingdevice, you must learn how to use

software to record and edit your

music. While there are numerous

software options available to

consumers, Apple Computer’s

Garageband and open source

Audacity are two of the most common.

Garageband has shipped with

every Macintosh computer for the past

several years as free software.

Through this software, users can

record themselves with a microphone,

connect a MIDI keyboard and play

piano parts into the software, and

even take music lessons from famous

guitar and piano playing musicians.

Love listening to Sting? Now you can

learn guitar from him!

While Garageband does not

include any saxophone lessons, it is a

useful tool for every saxophonist who

has access to it. I recommend that

students record their practicing so thatthey can go back, listen and analyze

their playing. With this software, it is

even possible to dub yourself on top

of other audio. For example, if one of

your music books has a play-along

CD, you can input that music into

Garageband, record yourself while

listening to it with headphones, and

then put it all together for your very

own recording (which you can give to

your mom and dad for Christmas!)

Another fun feature of

Garageband, is loops. Loops are

pieces of pre-recorded sound that

might only last a few seconds, but that

can be combined together into a

single piece. Think of loops as

individual riffs that you might hear a

jazz player use in a solo.

Apple Garageband organizes licks

into tempos and keys for you. As long

as you pick loops with similar keys

and tempos, your final composition

will “work.” This can be a lot of fun toplay around with!

Don’t have a Mac? There is

another program available for

Windows called “Fruity Loops” which

does much of the same thing.

If you are just looking to record

yourself, and don’t want any fancy

features, you should consider

Audacity. Audacity is a free program

that allows you to record multiple

tracks. If you are interested, free

lessons on this software can be

planned to fit in your normal

saxophone lesson periods.

You can also use audacity to slow

music down. If you have a recording of

a piece you are working on, this can

allow you to practice with it at a variety

of tempos.

Recording Software



RECITAL AVAILABILITY

Please check your availability on these dates and return it to me as soon as possible. I understand that some dates or

times might not be ideal for you, however, I would be sincerely grateful if you check any date that would be at all possible

for you to attend. With as many students as I currently have, it will be impossible to come up with a day and time that is

perfect for everyone.

Student Name:

Phone Number:

Parent Email Address:

Please circle which times YOU ARE AVAILABLE on the dates below.

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Morning

AfternoonEvening

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Saxophone Newsletter - September

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