Helpful Hints
- The more you can relax, the deeper your in-breath will be.
- When you blow out, think of a tube of toothpaste. If you squeeze it from the bottom, you use all the toothpaste. But, if you squeeze from the top, some remains in the bottom. So it is with your lungs. Gently squeeze from your abdominal area and all the air will be used and you’ll have more control.
- This is yoga breathing.
- When you use this method, you fill up your lungs from the very bottom. The breaths will be deeper and quicker than before.
- The process may seem contrary to everything you have learned in life about breathing. If it is, good. You will be more healthy as a result of learning this. When you have mastered it, you will see how natural it is. You will find yourself breathing this way 24 hours a day.
- You may not see much movement of your belly at first when you breathe in. When you can relax those muscles more fully, there will be more motion visible.
- Practice the technique at other times, walking, waiting for the bus, driving. No-one will be able to tell.
When you are doing it right, it gets easier and easier.
A major scale is a group of eight notes that produces the familiar sound:
Here are the notes of the C major scale. If you are not familiar with this scale, see Progressive Beginner Saxophone.
The number underneath each note indicates its position in the scale. These numbers are called scale degrees.
The C major scale is written here using three different note values - half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes. Don’t start the half notes at too fast a tempo or you may have trouble playing the eighth notes at the end of the example.
One of the most important skills for a Sax player to have is the ability to play equally well in all keys. The following examples are the scales of G major and F major. Once again, if you are not familiar with these scales, see Progressive Beginner Saxophone .
