One of the great things about the Virtual Studio is/are these incredible bits of information I likely would have never found without the help of Bob, the studio members, and the monthly transcription challenges. Sometimes these seemingly small things have profound timbre differences that create "that sound" we hear in those amazing solos. I always appreciate these videos!
Thank you! I just practiced a page from the Sigurd Rascher Book...yah, the Bb is all about where I'm going and coming from... Klose...the book, too.. And, you're an awesome Dad!
I watched a bunch of your videos back in highschool and then UA-cam stopped showing them. Now I'm back after college, and it's still entertaining to watch your videos! Also it's super crazy seeing your kid way older than I remember.
sweet video thanks! I spent a number of years using the Bis key in almost every situation, but in the last few years I've gone the other way and use side Bflat much more. I think your last comment says it all, learn all the alternate fingerings and then choose wisely
Thank you Richard for the question! I was always struggling with the Bb. And ofcourse thank you Bob for the answer, I didn't know about the 3,4 and 5th fingering. So glad to know them now💃🏻
Great reminder to practice a lick with all the variations. I tend to go with the one that feels best when I play, but I've found with my temperamental old bari that I end up going with the most powerful one unless it just feels wrong. I gotta go back and practice more. I also didn't know the 1 and 1 was so rare. My grade school band teacher made us use that along with side and bis all the time. Another note I find myself using more often is the side C.
The 1 and 1 fingering is just like the flute. It's great for trilling like you said. I came to sax from classical clarinet and have only just started using flute or bis Bb. Great video.
Yes to this sax nerd video. All the above. Tried your 1/123eb fingering and it's pretty cool alright. My Selmer alto works like your tenor does. My Yani tenor is weird in that just 1/123 pops more than when adding the eb key. Fingerings may be horn specific but it's fun to be open to trying a bunch of things. On soprano I always substitute side d for the octave key to take the stuffiness out of middle d on that horn, and it's better in tune on my horn. It's automatic to me now. Liking the key bend. Thanks 🎷
This is a great video! I really like your sound with that neck, sounds like there's a more even resistance to the whole range of the horn. When trilling B to Bb, I always use my LH middle finger, either on the bis key, or, more likely, on the A key (holding down the side Bb key). They seem more secure than using four fingers to trill in my opinion.
Awesome. I’ve always used the 1 & 1 fingering no matter what. I’ve messed around with the Bis key here and there. I rarely use the side key but have found places to use it. I like the idea of 1-1,2,3 pinky. Gonna have to shed that. I often use 1,2-1,2,3 for a different sounding A. Only other time I use these is working on overtone intervals. Always appreciate your videos. Real life and real saxophone is a solid mix. 🎷🤠👍
I found an alternate fingering recently that I haven't heard anyone mention: altissimo G fingering (front F + side Bb) can also produce a high Eb. Found it on my alto, but assume it works on other horns.
Really interesting Bob! I find that I use side Bb almost exclusively with some very specific exceptions where I use bis (ie. palm key E or F down to Bb). It’s really interesting though because someone like Coltrane used exclusively bis even in chromatic passages. I don’t know how he does it so effortlessly, but you can 100% see it in every video of him playing. Lots of people seem to like exclusively bis, and it’s really cool to see what different people prefer
I like to think which fingering will minimize the number of finger lifts or pushes. I also don't like to mix lifts and pushes together. Bob's mention of efficiency rings with that for me.
Wow Bob😊. This is a truly great video. You are a WONDERFUL teacher. Explaining how to play licks is far more important than memorizing them willy-nilly. You have made this art-form into science (repeatable, translatable, and fully understandable).
I’ve noticed that Chris Potter, in every video I’ve seen him play, exclusively uses side B flat, even when it would clearly be more convenient to use bis lol. And, almost every time he plays B flat, he uses the side with the 123, Eb too
I find there's an absolute TON of big band arrangements where 1 & 1 Bb makes the most sense. Yes, Bis would work for some, maybe side Bb... but there are times when you can just plant the right hand 1 and just get the rest with the left hand. Most arrangements I've played of In the Mood, in both the alto and bari part, have had great 1 & 1 exercise material in the main head of the tune. Love the "long" 1 & 1 (+23Eb) you demoed. I'll have to take that one for a test drive!
Love the old school 1 and 1 Bflat. Started on Clarinet in the 70's and used that a lot when I switched to Bari. Of course Bis is money too! Great video!
whenever i play with other people in a classical setting i always use side c if possible and convenient because it’s more in tune than the normal fingering for c and if i’m playing an etude for an audition i’ll occasionally use palm d for middle d if it’s in a faster run of 16th notes etc.
The fingering choices discussed in this video also apply to clarinet fingering choices. Ergonomically effective choices relate to the nervous system, too. Keep things on one side of the body/brain when possible makes for cleaner technique.
I haven’t played in a little while, but all through highschool and into college 1 and 1 was my favorite Bb fingering. I especially used it once I switched over to a Selmer MK7. I tried a bunch of cover keys and such but I always preferred the tone of 1 and 1. I used side Bb for chromatic changes and such, biss Bb for my sax was always way out of tune. 1 and 1 was my go to for sure.
Thanks for the video Bob. I’m a fan of your playing. I use bis if there is a Bb in the key sign. If there is an A#, then use the side key. A# wants to resolve to B, so if you use the side key you should not get caught rolling off the bis. 1+1 sounds muffled on a lot of horns and I hardly use it. It is possible, but you should never use bis when it’s chromatic.
You just answered my question about note bending. I was going to ask you about that. However, are there any exercises that you recommend to practice and improve note bending. When do you recommend note bending? Great video and I’m a sax nerd myself, but I really need to get back into practicing sax. Thanks!
I always, or say most of the time, use the bis Bb or 1-1 fingering.. I´m coming from a flute background, so thats much more natural to me than side Bb and leads also to the fact that i´m often using the 1,2,3 - 3 f# fingering instead of 1,2,3 - 2 f# fingering.. would be interesting, what you think about that as well. I feel like the 1,2,3-3 fingering has benefits in some cases, because you can play some stuff much easier fast (in the key of f# for example), because you dont have synchronicity (nice pun btw) problems with the e#. greetings from germany!
actually t's easier to trill holding the side B flat and just trill the A finger. it's faster since it's a more common movement A-B than D-G... BUT on the flute that D-G is excellent. since the flute B-B flat is impossible to trill using just the thumb. Thanks again.
You should have your boy hang on your index finger while practicing Bbs. You’d get some serious chops that way! If he ends up being a sax player all his saxophone friends are gonna be like - “Are you freakin’ kidding me? You got to hang on your Dad’s leg while he practiced? That’s totally unfair!!” Thanks for the L1+R123+Eb reminder - it sounds great! I was surprised, however, that you don’t like mouth bending. Do you not like the way Hawkins, Webster, Brecker or especially Hodges manipulated notes with voicing/mouth? I hate the sound of it when the mouth and voicing aren’t in synch (POLICE!), but if done correctly it’s IMHO what makes the sax so vocal.
Download my 7T Jazz Practice Pyramid ► jazzpracticepyramid.com
One of the great things about the Virtual Studio is/are these incredible bits of information I likely would have never found without the help of Bob, the studio members, and the monthly transcription challenges. Sometimes these seemingly small things have profound timbre differences that create "that sound" we hear in those amazing solos. I always appreciate these videos!
As a bassist, this all sounds like some obscure dark art
😂
Sax is a weird-ass instrument. But on the other hand, the stringed instruments are impenetrable to me.
Thank you! I just practiced a page from the Sigurd Rascher Book...yah, the Bb is all about where I'm going and coming from... Klose...the book, too.. And, you're an awesome Dad!
The NSYNC edit killed me😂
omg that NSYNC referance caught me off guard, now im sitting here and can`t stop laughing
I'm a bassist but I've learned so much about the workings of the sax by watching this! It's not just useful for sax players so thank you Bob! x
Aside from all the killer technical advice, I just noticed the color coordinated bookshelf. Man, that is slick!
My son's idea and he did that!
I watched a bunch of your videos back in highschool and then UA-cam stopped showing them. Now I'm back after college, and it's still entertaining to watch your videos! Also it's super crazy seeing your kid way older than I remember.
sweet video thanks! I spent a number of years using the Bis key in almost every situation, but in the last few years I've gone the other way and use side Bflat much more. I think your last comment says it all, learn all the alternate fingerings and then choose wisely
Sick video! Incorporating that right hand Eb trick IMMEDIATLY! Thank you!
Thank you Richard for the question! I was always struggling with the Bb. And ofcourse thank you Bob for the answer, I didn't know about the 3,4 and 5th fingering. So glad to know them now💃🏻
Great reminder to practice a lick with all the variations. I tend to go with the one that feels best when I play, but I've found with my temperamental old bari that I end up going with the most powerful one unless it just feels wrong. I gotta go back and practice more.
I also didn't know the 1 and 1 was so rare. My grade school band teacher made us use that along with side and bis all the time.
Another note I find myself using more often is the side C.
The 1 and 1 fingering is just like the flute. It's great for trilling like you said. I came to sax from classical clarinet and have only just started using flute or bis Bb. Great video.
That was awesome and well-explained.
Uff 🤯... Gracias por tus consejos!
Yes to this sax nerd video. All the above. Tried your 1/123eb fingering and it's pretty cool alright. My Selmer alto works like your tenor does. My Yani tenor is weird in that just 1/123 pops more than when adding the eb key. Fingerings may be horn specific but it's fun to be open to trying a bunch of things. On soprano I always substitute side d for the octave key to take the stuffiness out of middle d on that horn, and it's better in tune on my horn. It's automatic to me now. Liking the key bend. Thanks 🎷
This is a great video! I really like your sound with that neck, sounds like there's a more even resistance to the whole range of the horn.
When trilling B to Bb, I always use my LH middle finger, either on the bis key, or, more likely, on the A key (holding down the side Bb key). They seem more secure than using four fingers to trill in my opinion.
Awesome. I’ve always used the 1 & 1 fingering no matter what. I’ve messed around with the Bis key here and there. I rarely use the side key but have found places to use it. I like the idea of 1-1,2,3 pinky. Gonna have to shed that. I often use 1,2-1,2,3 for a different sounding A. Only other time I use these is working on overtone intervals. Always appreciate your videos. Real life and real saxophone is a solid mix. 🎷🤠👍
You got better how do you do it 😮
Mind blow! Cool info, but the speed you can accurately play is unreal
I found an alternate fingering recently that I haven't heard anyone mention: altissimo G fingering (front F + side Bb) can also produce a high Eb. Found it on my alto, but assume it works on other horns.
Really interesting Bob! I find that I use side Bb almost exclusively with some very specific exceptions where I use bis (ie. palm key E or F down to Bb). It’s really interesting though because someone like Coltrane used exclusively bis even in chromatic passages. I don’t know how he does it so effortlessly, but you can 100% see it in every video of him playing. Lots of people seem to like exclusively bis, and it’s really cool to see what different people prefer
I appreciate this video. Very thorough and informative. Looking forward to checking out your other videos!
Fantastic info. Will be trying that first hand position one myself. Not a fan of bending with the jaw either. Have a great new year.
I like to think which fingering will minimize the number of finger lifts or pushes. I also don't like to mix lifts and pushes together. Bob's mention of efficiency rings with that for me.
Wow Bob😊. This is a truly great video. You are a WONDERFUL teacher. Explaining how to play licks is far more important than memorizing them willy-nilly. You have made this art-form into science (repeatable, translatable, and fully understandable).
You spelled your name wrong ERIC😮😮😊😂
I’ve noticed that Chris Potter, in every video I’ve seen him play, exclusively uses side B flat, even when it would clearly be more convenient to use bis lol. And, almost every time he plays B flat, he uses the side with the 123, Eb too
I find there's an absolute TON of big band arrangements where 1 & 1 Bb makes the most sense. Yes, Bis would work for some, maybe side Bb... but there are times when you can just plant the right hand 1 and just get the rest with the left hand. Most arrangements I've played of In the Mood, in both the alto and bari part, have had great 1 & 1 exercise material in the main head of the tune. Love the "long" 1 & 1 (+23Eb) you demoed. I'll have to take that one for a test drive!
While trilling Bb-B with sideB you do not have to release the side B key. You just keep it pressed and trill with your 2nd finger
That’s how I do it!
Agreed. Same concept for Bb-C trill.
@@paulsimmons302 I wonder what @Bob Raynokds thinks of that concept
Love the old school 1 and 1 Bflat. Started on Clarinet in the 70's and used that a lot when I switched to Bari. Of course Bis is money too! Great video!
As a trumpet player it’s all Greek to me, but great tenor sound. Huge.
great video. thanks for the new fingering.
whenever i play with other people in a classical setting i always use side c if possible and convenient because it’s more in tune than the normal fingering for c and if i’m playing an etude for an audition i’ll occasionally use palm d for middle d if it’s in a faster run of 16th notes etc.
Yes! Jay Metcalf said he almost never use the side Bb key!
The fingering choices discussed in this video also apply to clarinet fingering choices. Ergonomically effective choices relate to the nervous system, too. Keep things on one side of the body/brain when possible makes for cleaner technique.
I haven’t played in a little while, but all through highschool and into college 1 and 1 was my favorite Bb fingering. I especially used it once I switched over to a Selmer MK7. I tried a bunch of cover keys and such but I always preferred the tone of 1 and 1. I used side Bb for chromatic changes and such, biss Bb for my sax was always way out of tune. 1 and 1 was my go to for sure.
Thank you !
Thanks for the video Bob. I’m a fan of your playing. I use bis if there is a Bb in the key sign. If there is an A#, then use the side key. A# wants to resolve to B, so if you use the side key you should not get caught rolling off the bis. 1+1 sounds muffled on a lot of horns and I hardly use it. It is possible, but you should never use bis when it’s chromatic.
A trill using the bis key becomes a function of leaving 1 on the B key and trilling the bis with the 2 finger.
you can make a nice shaker with thats Eflat key playing the Bflat
Hi Bob, can I know what mouthpiece you are using on this video? Thanks.
You just answered my question about note bending. I was going to ask you about that. However, are there any exercises that you recommend to practice and improve note bending. When do you recommend note bending? Great video and I’m a sax nerd myself, but I really need to get back into practicing sax. Thanks!
when will the studio reopen?
Next week!
@@bobreynolds yessir can‘t wait
I always, or say most of the time, use the bis Bb or 1-1 fingering.. I´m coming from a flute background, so thats much more natural to me than side Bb and leads also to the fact that i´m often using the 1,2,3 - 3 f# fingering instead of 1,2,3 - 2 f# fingering.. would be interesting, what you think about that as well. I feel like the 1,2,3-3 fingering has benefits in some cases, because you can play some stuff much easier fast (in the key of f# for example), because you dont have synchronicity (nice pun btw) problems with the e#. greetings from germany!
Wow I didn't think 1 and 1 was uncommon. That's the fingering I learned when I first started playing in middle school.
actually t's easier to trill holding the side B flat and just trill the A finger. it's faster since it's a more common movement A-B than D-G... BUT on the flute that D-G is excellent. since the flute B-B flat is impossible to trill using just the thumb. Thanks again.
A very simple rule in general is: 'bis , unless b follows' (then side bb)
The problem with starting on clarinet is I have struggled to adopt the bis. Side feels great but that little button is difficult for me.
This describes me as well. 30 years of only side Bb, but I've been forcing myself lately to incorporate bis more when it feels right.
You should have your boy hang on your index finger while practicing Bbs. You’d get some serious chops that way!
If he ends up being a sax player all his saxophone friends are gonna be like - “Are you freakin’ kidding me? You got to hang on your Dad’s leg while he practiced? That’s totally unfair!!”
Thanks for the L1+R123+Eb reminder - it sounds great!
I was surprised, however, that you don’t like mouth bending. Do you not like the way Hawkins, Webster, Brecker or especially Hodges manipulated notes with voicing/mouth? I hate the sound of it when the mouth and voicing aren’t in synch (POLICE!), but if done correctly it’s IMHO what makes the sax so vocal.
What horn are you playing on?
bobreynoldsmusic.com/setup/
trilling from Bb to B, why wouldn't you just use side, hold the side key down and just move your A key?
👏👏💯🤞
🎆👍🏾🎶🎵🎷
Actually, Not quite my tempo😡