My Tips
Before you start playing with the exercises, make sure that you have a player with a good sound! It's nice when you really can feel the music, it helps you to play more at ease and on intuition.
Here are some tips that can help you along:
The Devil's Horn
This is a beautifully written and very complete book for sax addicts: The Devil's Horn - the story of the saxophone, from noisy novelty to king of cool.
This book tells about the development of the saxophone, about the designer of the sax, and also many interesting interviews and stories with and about leading saxophonists. Fascinating are the stories about how the sax conquered, not without struggle, his place in the music world over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
ISBN 978-0-312-42557-9 Author: Michael Segell
It's fascinating and provides a complete background for saxophonists.
Amazing Slow Downer
This is a great app for your tablet or smartphone, that allows you to play all your MP3s (including your exercises, karaoke songs, recordings, etc.) at any pace and key. Changing the key and pitch of those MP3s is very easy. It works nicely and simply. There are no unnecessary bells and whistles; that's one of the reasons I'm excited about this app. It costs about 16 euros, but I think it's completely worth it.
Amazing Slow Downer - Roni Music
My favorite music books
I work a lot by ear, that's right, but I also like to use existing play-along records. Here are a few of my favorite play-alongs.
Michael Sweeney & Mike Steinel
Essential Elements - Jazz Play-Along
Essential Elements - Jazz Play-Along. Play-along CD for Bb, Eb, and C instruments. 10 Jazz standards with the original melodies in pretty much the standard form: two times the melody - a (written out) solo - and two times the melody again. You can play along with the pre-played melody or choose the track with only the accompaniment, so you can also improvise over it. It sounds very good and is also suitable for inexperienced wind players.
Greg Fishman
Jazz Phrasing for Saxophone (volume 1,2,and 3)
New pieces on famous Jazz schedules are played very professionally. It starts quite simple and increases slowly with each book. There is a lot of opportunity to improvise.
Jim Snidero
Easy-, Intermediate- & Advance Jazz Conception
There are three play-along CDs with different levels of difficulty that are fun to play. Same concept as Greg Fishman, but more professional and varied in terms of melodies, and yet not very difficult. It all sounds very good and is also useful for your timing and your note reading. And also here is a lot of opportunity to improvise.
Jamey Aebersold
Many jazz play alongs
Aebersold is a legend among improvising musicians. He produced about 135 play-along records. All were played by great musicians. As far as I know, he was the first to make Jazz play-along records. These records/CDs contain each the accompaniment to about 10 Jazz standards, so no melodies; that's your 'job', if you like. The books contain the melodies and diagrams for Bb, Eb, F and C instruments. It's very nice to practice your favorite jazz standards and lovely to improvise with. I still remember very well my first time playing with one of his records. It was My funny Valentine on record no. 25. I was having the time of my life; it was so much more fun to practice all at once. And until today, I like to play with his material; it's practicing and enjoying at the same time.
John O'Neill
The Jazz Method for Saxophone
A very special method book that also explains a lot. There are CDs included. The exercises seem easy, but they are still challenging to play well and therefore very educational. Good for working on your timing and jazzy feeling in a relaxed way.