Lesson 1

First things first: If you’re a white guy, you’ll need a stupid hat, the more stupid the better and preferably a beret.

Sunglasses are optional, but all the really, really good players wear them, especially indoors.
You’ll also need some “gig shirts”-Hawaiians are good, but in a pinch anything with a loud floral pattern is acceptable, as are T-shirts from various jazz clubs and festivals. The good thing about the latter is that you can get them mail order so you don’t have to go to all the trouble of actually seeing and hearing live music. And sandals are an absolute must, even in winter.

Once you’ve assembled the proper attire you can begin practicing. One of the most important things about playing is being able to convey emotion to the audience. This you do through various facial expressions.

The two emotions you’ll need to convey are (1) rapture / ecstasy and (2) soul wrenching pain and sadness (i.e., the blues). You may find it useful in the beginning to borrow a page from the method acting school. So, for example, to convey rapture, try thinking of something nice-like puppy dogs or getting a rim job from Uma Thurman while Phil Barone feeds you Armour hot dogs with
truffle sauce.

To convey the “blues” try thinking of something really appalling-like ulcerative colitis or Alec Baldwin.

You should practice your facial expressions in front of a mirror at least two hours per day. You may feel a tad stupid at first, but you’ll never get the chicks if you don’t jump around on stage like a monkey-with your face screwed up like there’s a rabid wolverine devouring your pancreas. And, bottom line, getting chicks is really what music’s all about.

Next time people I’ll tell you more about selecting the correct ligature. Oh, and if you’ve got any questions – pop em down below this post and I’ll be coming right back to y’all.

Steve G

ps Don’t forget you check out my range of beginner saxophones and see my video demonstrations right here on this site. Awesome.

Biography.
Since taking up the saxophone in 1961, Steve Goodson has appeared with many internationally recognized acts as a sideman, including Dr. John; Solomon Burke; Marcia Ball; Chubby Checker, Joey Dee, Edwin McCain, The Commodores; The Temptations, The Four Tops,  Martha and the Vandellas, Ernie K-Doe, Jesse Hill, Eddie Money; Vince Vance, and many, many others. Steve has been doing saxophone repair and selling vintage horns since 1974. He also has his own exclusive line of Steve Goodson saxophones.
We at The Music Factory bow down to the music legend that is Steve Goodson.

Vist www.saxophonefactory.com for all things SAX!

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Lesson 2
Selecting Ligatures and Reeds

You may have to spend years and years and thousands of dollars finding the proper ligature, but in the end it definitely will be worth it.

Now reeds. Optimally, you’ll want to move to Cuba, grow and cure your own cane, and carve your own reeds by hand. If you’re just a “weekend warrior” however, you can get by with store-bought.

Remember folks that the only place that I recommend you buy your saxophones, ligatures and reeds in the UK is from The Music Factory. Call ‘em on 01202 590 101 or email them play@musicfactoryukltd.com

First, buy ten boxes of reeds -100 in all. Next, open all the boxes and throw away 60 reeds.
Those were unplayable. Take the remaining reeds and soak them in a mixture of 27.8% rubbing alcohol and 72.2% pituitary gland extract for a period of 17 weeks.

Throw away 20 more reeds. Those were stuffy.

Take the remaining 20 reeds and sand each one for exactly 13 seconds with #1200 grade 3M sandpaper.

Throw away 14 reeds. Those squeaked.

Take the remaining 6 reeds and soak them for another 17 weeks, this time however in a mixture of 27.8% pituitary gland extract and 72.2% rubbing alcohol.
Sun dry the 6 remaining reeds for 3 weeks, optimally at an equatorial latitude, and throw away 3 more just on general principles.

You now have 3 reeds that will last you several months if you play each one only 20 minutes a day in strict rotation.
Now, you say you just bought a horn. Although you didn’t say what kind it is I’d sell it immediately and get a different one.

The best one to get would be a Selmer Mark VI made at 4:27 PM on June 14, 1963, serial number 635543. If you can’t get that one though, generally speaking the older and more expensive the better.

The following brands are good: Selmer Paris Mark VI. The following brands suck: any other Selmer, Yamaha, Conn, Beuscher, Yanigasawa, Cannonball, LA, Jupiter, Elkhart, King, Martin, Keilworth, Boosey and Hawkes, Couf, Silvertone, and Holton. On no account should you play the horn before you buy it: go strictly on reputation and price.

So there you have it, another lesson learned. Next time I’ll get along on to actually blow. Until then you can check out my Chateau (previously Vespro) range of beginniner saxophones from The Music Factory to get you started. Enjoy.

Biography.
Since taking up the saxophone in 1961, Steve Goodson has appeared with many internationally recognized acts as a sideman, including Dr. John; Solomon Burke; Marcia Ball; Chubby Checker, Joey Dee, Edwin McCain, The Commodores; The Temptations, The Four Tops,  Martha and the Vandellas, Ernie K-Doe, Jesse Hill, Eddie Money; Vince Vance, and many, many others. Steve has been doing saxophone repair and selling vintage horns since 1974. He also has his own exclusive line of Steve Goodson saxophones.
We at The Music Factory bow down to the music legend that is Steve Goodson.

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