1 CONCERT PROGRAM and PRACTICE NOTES SAXOPHONES General Practice Suggestions 1. No doubles are needed for this concert. 2. Listen to the recordings for tempo, articulation, rhythms, style, form, chord progressions and solo ideas while following along with your part. 3. Practice each tune with a metronome slowly at first making sure to play cleanly and then gradually work up to the performance speed. 4. On swing tunes, practice with the metronome clicking only on beats 2 and 4 after practicing the tune with the metronome on each beat. 5. Practice along with the recordings once you have mastered your part. 6. Practice with a tuner making sure to check the pitches of notes, especially those in the upper register. 7. Strive for a centered, full sound on all notes (except ghosted notes) especially those in fast passages. 8. Sub tone notes in the low register as indicated by listening to the recordings. 9. Do not use vibrato in unison melodic lines. 10. Use back accent articulations (lightly tonguing on the “and” of the beat and slurring to the downbeat) on running 8 th note passages, where all notes of a passage are marked to be either tongued or slurred. When an 8 th passage starts on the beat, lightly tongue the first note on the beat, then lightly tongue the next note, which is on the “and” of the beat and then slur to the downbeat. Continue tonguing notes on the “and” and slurring to the downbeat. When the tune is a swing style, swing the notes. When the tune uses straight 8 th notes, also use back accent articulation but do not swing the 8 th notes. 11. Practice observing all dynamics and written articulations, especially articulations regarding accented notes and long/short notes. 12. Improvised solos will be assigned during rehearsal. 13. If you are not sure how to perform a specific technique notated in a tune, please research it on-line to discover how it is performed and/or ask you private teacher for assistance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOjXWKNWQDw2. Metronome:quarternote=1843. Shufflestylewithswing8thnotes.4. Use back accent articulation on running 8th note passages where specific note
articulations are notmarked (all notes of a passagemarked to either are tongued orslurred).Usingbackaccentarticulationwillassistyouestablishaswingfeelbutrememberthatthefasterthetempoofatune,thelessthe8thnoteswillswing.
2. Metronome:quarternote=1843. Swingstylewithswing8thnotes.4. Use back accent articulation on running 8th note passages where specific note
articulations are notmarked (all notes of a passagemarked to either are tongued orslurred).Usingbackaccentarticulationwillassistyouestablishaswingfeelbutrememberthatthefasterthetempoofatune,thelessthe8thnoteswillswing.
