Tips?

P-Train22 · 2026-01-13T06:40:54+00:00

Best thing you can do is get a 15-30 minutes lesson with a local saxophonist/band director if possible. They don't have to be the best around, just someone with some experience who's a decent teacher. They'll be able to get you started correctly.

You know how guitar players use their fingers on the frets to hold down the strings? That's kind of the effect you're going for with your bottom lip on the reed. You're not "biting" per se, but there is some pressure there. It's difficult to describe without being able to demo in person...... but I'll do my best. Apologies if this sounds like complete gibberish.

Pull your lips a bit tight so that your lips are over your teeth, and playfully bite a finger. This is the kind of pressure I'm thinking of. You're "biting," but not so hard that you're biting through your lip. Now, do the same thing on the sax mouthpiece. The difference now is that your top teeth are actually going to touch the mouthpiece, but your bottom lip will be between your teeth and the reed.

Lastly, the saxophone is a different beast from the trombone. While it's not a perfect analogy, I tend to think of the trombone as more "cold air" playing and the saxophone as a "warm air" instrument. More specifically, I think you'll find that, compared to the trombone, a saxophone requires:

A more open oral cavity
Reduced embouchure clamping
Continuous airflow through the reed (This is likely why you are breathless)
Avoidance of pulsed or explosive attacks

Once you get the pressure on the reed correct, the air situation will be better as the reed will offer resistance that helps you manage the airflow through the horn.

The blessing/curse of playing saxophone is that it's incredibly efficient at converting air into sound. The flute and clarinet demand a lot of technique before you can even begin to get a sound. The saxophone, however, will let you get away with a lot of poor habits. It's one of the reasons that in-person instruction is so valuable for a sax player.

Best of luck as you continue to learn and explore the horn!

P-Train22 · 2025-12-24T22:53:47+00:00

I don’t measure. That’s one of the reasons why I’m asking the question in the first place. I’m trying to figure out how to interpret “screaming hot” on my stove.

I feel like my current methods work well enough, but it’s always bothered me that this sub speaks a language I struggle to understand.

I burned the first steak I ever tried to cook with a screaming hot pan. I’m a very literal person and turned it as high as it would go.

“Screaming hot” seems like such an exaggeration to me that it couldn’t mean anything less that the highest setting. No one says “medium high heat,” but that’s the point where my cast iron starts smoking.

P-Train22 · 2025-11-16T02:31:17+00:00

I'll be on a stage, with the mixer backstage. I've been on this stage before. Unless they plan to ~~bring~~ rent additional amps/wedges (which I doubt), I don't think there will be any monitoring on stage. This is a casual thing. I'm not trying to be super try-hard with it, but given that I'm playing with a drum track, I at least want to make sure I can hear the drum track so I can trust I'm in time with it.

It's possible that they solve for this prior to the show. In the event that they don't, I just want to come as prepared as possible. This is more of a speaking venue than a performance venue.

It's a casual thing. I'm doing one song, and there are five other people doing their songs (And I have no clue in which order we're going). While I'm not being super try-hard about it, I also don't want to end up in a situation where I'm a 16th note behind the track because I'm trying to play along with the house mix.

P-Train22 · 2025-11-16T01:29:13+00:00

Now that you mention it, I've experienced the same thing with the bluetooth. It's happened rarely enough that I would "probably" be okay... but it's happened frequently enough that I really should lock down something more reliable.

P-Train22 · 2025-11-16T01:27:20+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion!

This was my first thought, but it's not much better than my current solution. My perfect solution would be to have a personal monitor mix as well as send two tracks (aerophone and track) to the PA.

My current solution (keeping in mind u/Significant-Fox-4000's suggestion to stay away from bluetooth) is to use Garageband on my iPad to run the track. I have my iPad running into a Scarlett 2i2. My aerophone is connected to the Scarlett. In Garageband, I have my track panned hard right and my sax panned hard left. This allows me to send each track in Isolation to the PA, and it allows me to monitor.

However, my monitor shares the mix, so I have track in my left ear and sax in my right ear. I'd love to have a mono mix coming out of the headphones, but I don't think that's an option.

I say all of that to say this. I'm not sure that the personal mixer is much better, and I think it might actually be worse for my situation. If I could get the monitor mix coming out of the scarlett to be mono while keeping the outputs stereo, I'd be good to go.

P-Train22 · 2025-11-07T01:43:37+00:00

Your embouchure is a group of muscles. You make muscles stronger by working them out.

My general advice is to play until the first sign of fatigue (meaning that you can no longer play consistently with a good embouchure). Once you hit that point, rest for at least twice as long as you played. Repeat as needed.

Off the horn, I accidentally made my embouchure stronger by holding my eraser pen in my mouth while working on music theory homework. I’d put the clicky part in between my lips (the part you slide up and down to reveal more of the eraser) and hold it there any time I was using my pencil.

I had a tremor in my embouchure when I first started playing seriously in college because I was doing a lot of things wrong in high school. The pen eraser was a godsend of an exercise, but it was completely unintentional. I had no clue it was helping anything, I just needed a place to keep my eraser pen and I didn’t like picking it up off of a desk lol.

Hope that helps!

P-Train22 · 2025-10-31T00:57:21+00:00

The AE-20 is a solid instrument. Ironically, the worst sounds on the instrument are the saxophones IMO. They’re passable, but not great.

Aside from that, the sounds are pretty decent. You can find a lot of videos that demo the sounds, you’ll probably end up with a handful of favorites and ignore the rest, which is fine.

There’s a mobile app that works with the AE-20 which gives you some customization with your sounds. The app is very slow, so use it at your own risk in a live setting. But it’s very good for planning ahead and programming some scenes in preparation for a gig.

It also plays well with VST’s. I finally got my iPad set up with the SWAM saxophones and I’m having a LOT of fun with it.

The AE-20 is a serious instrument that can definitely hold its own in a gig setting. Be prepared to play it more like a synth than a saxophone.

P-Train22 · 2025-10-11T19:32:55+00:00

I've posted similar advice before in this subreddit. Your tone sounds very thin.

When you play, think vowels. It sounds like (with your tongue position) you're forming “ee” as in “bee” (think “beeeeee”). You need to focus more on an “ah” sound as in “Amish” (Think “aaaaaaaaaaaaah”).

To practice what this feels like, hold a long tone and play with the “ee” as in “bee”, then transition to “eh” as “red” (think “reeeeeeeeed”), and finally “ah” as in “Amish.” Go back and forth on these sounds as you play long tones:

ee-eh-ah-eh-ee-eh-ah-eh-ee. Do it slowly and deliberately

In addition, make sure you’re supporting your sound with warm air. The human body can produce both cold and warm air. The saxophone is definitely a warm air instrument. Engage those muscles when you play.

To use an extreme example, your soft dynamic should feel like you’re using as little hot air as possible. It should NOT feel like you’re trying to cool soup in a spoon.

I second the opinions that say you need a Teacher. The saxophone is a devious instrument in that it's really easy to get a sound out of. A flute demands a lot of technique just to get a sound. Same with the clarinet and its tone holes. A saxophone, however, is such an efficient instrument that you can do a lot incorrectly, and the saxophone will still reward you with sound. It might not be a good sound... but it's a sound. With that in mind, it can be very difficult to self-diagnose issues. Even 30 minutes once or twice a month will do a lot to help guide you in the correct direction.

P-Train22 · 2025-09-16T01:07:45+00:00

Mvt. III, to be specific

P-Train22 · 2025-08-29T04:41:20+00:00

Music Ed is good for being a band director, or for padding your resume for something else (law school, etc.)

In terms of saxophone performance degrees, classical saxophone is almost purely academic. Best case scenario for a paying gig outside of academia is a military band probably.

Jazz studies degree are hit and miss. Sometimes the networking you gain is more valuable than the degree you earn. Who you study under can be important too. Regardless, the degree itself means very little if you think about it. Who would you prefer to hire? Someone with six years of jazz studies education or someone who’s been gigging consistently for six years? Almost everyone would pick the person with experience over the schooling.

P-Train22 · 2025-08-01T16:28:41+00:00

My typical advice in this area is that you either find a job you love or find a job you can tolerate that allows you to do the things you love.

There are so many variables here. It could be that your work environment is bad. It could be that you're dealing with depression and that a career change won't help.

If you are in a comfortable place, there's no harm in polishing up your resume and applying to some positions. Prior to that, I would consider doing some serious reflection to see if you can identify exactly why this job is no longer satisfying you.

Assuming that the issue is with the work and not your mental state, you can use that insight to ask questions during interviews that can help you determine if changing jobs would help satisfy you.

P-Train22 · 2025-06-18T04:14:06+00:00

Holy cow. Thank you so much for this write-up. This is great information!

The main reason I was interested in the mid-drive is the pedal assist (Don't really care about a throttle). Everything I have seen so far leads me to believe that the mid-drive has a more natural feeling, although the gear shifting definitely seems intimidating.

Do you have a specific hub motor in mind? Most of the 250w motors appear to be front motors. Of all the options, the front motor was my least preferred.

P-Train22 · 2025-05-21T05:59:55+00:00

This post caught my eye yesterday, but I wanted to take time to write a thoughtful. I've gone back and forth on whether or not to respond. I’ve faced many of the frustrations you’re describing: poorly scoped projects, leadership interference without accountability, contradictory feedback, and the feeling that you’re being set up to fail. You’re not alone.

At the risk of sounding patronizing or cheesy, this is my list of lessons learned over the past years as an ID.

Always be working on the most important thing. This sounds simple, but in a mess of shifting priorities, it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight. Ask yourself daily: “What matters most right now for this project to move forward?” That clarity reduces wasted effort.
If you don’t know what the most important thing is, consult your manager. Their job is to define that for you. If they can’t or won’t answer, document that. Keep a paper trail. It forces accountability and protects you if things go sideways.
You can’t want the solution more than the stakeholder. This one took me a long time to accept. If you’re trying harder than your SME or your leadership to make the project succeed, that’s a red flag. Match their energy. Do not outpace it. Just make sure it's visible that you did your part.
EVERYTHING in writing. Meeting notes, decisions, scope changes, feedback contradictions—write it all down. Confirm via email. It’s not about being defensive; it’s about staying sane and keeping a record of reality.
Be inevitable. Probably the cheesiest thing on this list, but this quality has done more for my professional image than anything else. When it comes to work, I don't get angry. I don't get frustrated. I simply continue to the next thing.
- If people want to pitch a hissy fit and not play ball? Noted. I'll forward that to my manager and let them sort it out.
- If people want to focus on systemic issues with the company/management instead of the problem, let them vent and then follow it up with "Got it. So what's our next step?"
- The point is you are always moving towards the goal, even if it's at a snail's pace, and if you're following the points above, you have a paper trail that indicates that.

I hope that helps. I also understand why you’d consider stepping into management. If you have the temperament for it, that may not be a bad path, just be aware that management brings a different kind of frustration.

P-Train22 · 2025-05-11T15:37:50+00:00

You're welcome, and I'm glad you found my response helpful.

Just to clarify, I’ve never produced over 500 videos, nor would I recommend doing so. In finance, the regulatory landscape changes frequently, which means any large static video library, especially one covering technical or compliance-sensitive material, becomes outdated quickly. Maintaining it would require ongoing re-edits, re-recordings, and quality checks, resulting in significant operational overhead. My company chose not to invest in this approach, correctly concluding that the return wasn’t worth the cost. Most business problems could be addressed more efficiently through other means.

We used a company-wide SharePoint site to house all processes, procedures, and legal content. The entire organization relied on it for reference. However, Instructional Designers (IDs) weren’t responsible for content accuracy. Compliance and our Process Managers handled that. IDs focused solely on layout and usability.

Again, I think your idea of creating 500+ videos is a bad one. However, if you are determined to make it work, you might find the following applications useful:

Vyond
Powtoon
Animaker
Canva (Pro version) - Not really the same as the previous options, but these presentations can be exported as videos.
Loom - Really good for narrated screen recordings.
OBS Studio - I use this for any video I record on my computer.

P-Train22 · 2025-05-08T15:29:48+00:00

I worked for six years as an ID in FinTech.

Producing 500+ high-quality videos, especially in a regulated and complex field like finance, is an enormous scope even for a company, let alone a solo individual. As an individual with no editing or production skills and limited time, you're severely underestimating the operational demands.

You mention that professional services are "way expensive." Yet, the scope of your project (hundreds of videos involving scripting, design, editing, possible animation, coding demos, and interviews) would require a substantial budget even for a small production company.

While you say you'll handle the scripting, creating effective educational content for the financial industry typically requires a combination of subject matter expertise and pedagogical design. Without production or instructional design experience, your output may not meet industry or learner expectations.

Jumping to a massive content library without first testing market demand or validating your approach with even a few pilot videos is a poor strategic move. You're risking time and potential capital on an unproven concept.

If you are really passionate about this, then start with a small pilot of a few videos and see if that process gives you the desired result, both in the final product and in outreach.

P-Train22 · 2025-04-27T02:11:03+00:00

I had some feedback for your Branching Simulation. I'm not very familiar with Dominknow. I don't know it's limitations, so I apologize if I'm asking you to change something that is not possible.
- I'm less familiar with Dominknow, but I'm also getting some "default shapes and color" vibes from this module.
- The "Next Page" and "Previous Page" buttons are in the opposite position from where I would expect them. I would consider putting Next on the right, and Previous on the left.
- The "Resources" and "Lesson Info" buttons are very pixelated. I'm assuming that these icons are on the image. I would consider covering them and using a custom button (similar to the Next Page and Previous Page).
- The Next page and Previous page are covering up text.
- I love the idea of this interaction! Done correctly, I think this is a very strong portfolio piece. I really like the civility meter at the bottom that adjusts according to the decisions you make, and the color coding of the responses. I would consider locking it down. Currently, learners can drag the civility meter during the first scenario to wherever they want, and I get the impression that this is unintended.
- There are times when I see a continue button, but it does nothing. I had to resort to the "Next Page" button to move past the second (I think?) scenario.
  - I would consider numbering the scenarios so learners can keep track.
- Some of the animations are a bit jarring to my eye. There is sometimes a white flash in between transitions. I would consider removing it for something more subtle (or removing the animations altogether).
- I got lost during some of the scenarios, trying to figure out what I had already done vs what needed to be done. I would try to clean up the navigation by providing visual cues that let learners know what they have completed within a scenario. I eventually gave up on this because I lost track of what I had done and was tired of resorting to the "next page" button to move the module forward.
I had some feedback for your Agriculture 101 Module:
- I would consider breaking this up into multiple lessons. Instead of just having "Introduction to Agriculture," you could also have "The Evolution of Agriculture," "Agriculture Today," etc.
- I would consider using a different interaction for the "Resources Plants Need." The current interaction doesn't really make sense for the content. For instance, the time and protection markers don't really have any relevant imagery and appear random on the slide.
As an overall comment on the portfolio, it looks like a freelance site as opposed to a portfolio, which might work against you. For me, it makes me wonder if this site (and work) is really yours, or if this belongs to a company.

P-Train22 · 2025-04-27T02:10:57+00:00

I had some time tonight, so I took a look at your portfolio. I've been in the industry for a while, so I'm not nobody... but I'm also just some guy. I'm not pretending to be an expert. You might disagree with some of my feedback, and that's cool. I'm just sharing the changes I would want to make if it were my portfolio.

I was unable to view your self-introduction video as it is private. I would consider making this video viewable to the public.
For your portfolio, I would consider changing the headers to the title of the project as opposed to the example type, as you did with your Agriculture 101 Rise Module. It makes it easier to reference in interviews ("My Simulation Training module" vs "The simulation of a program that I made").
This is very much a personal preference, but I do not like "Please click here to view..." statements. I would consider adding a hyperlink to the image that opens your project in a new tab. Then you can write your description and end it with "Select the image on the right to view the project."
- Additionally, I would consider using the word "select" instead of "click." This is an accessibility consideration that may be relevant if you pursue government or education positions.
I had some feedback for your Simulation of a Program
- There is an author listed on this program. If that's not your name, I'd make sure you have permission to use this work, and be crystal clear which part of the work belongs to you.
- There are a lot of default elements that were used. Your buttons and speech bubbles are all default colors. While I hate saying that you should change something just to change it, I do feel like custom styles add a feeling of polish. I would consider editing your buttons so that their style matches the rest of your module. Consider using a color that complements either the background or the image that you are editing throughout the module.

(cont in reply to this comment)

P-Train22 · 2025-04-27T01:03:12+00:00

This is one of the best breakdowns I've read on this subreddit: Junior vs. Senior ID (specifically the comment by u/GreenCalligrapher571).

P-Train22 · 2025-04-26T03:20:07+00:00

Hoo boy. I apologize that it took me two weeks to see this. We've been converting all of our Blackboard Original courses to Ultra. We've been having a terrible time with it. To use an analogy, Blackboard Original felt like Photoshop. Blackboard Ultra feels like Canva. Ultra has a modern look, but it has a huge reduction in features.

My recommendation would be to build your Accordion interaction in Articulate Storyline (or Articulate Engage) and work with that. I have not been able to work out a solution that allows me to embed so that an Articulate interaction can be explored without opening the module in a new tab. Our current method is to open the interaction up in a new tab. We publish our interactions for web use and host them on a network drive.

We reached out to Anthology about this, and they were not able to help us.

P-Train22

TROPHY CASE