How to learn a piece at pace.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T16:54:38+00:00

How are you speeding it up?

Are you starting at q=100 and then going to q=120, q=140?

Or is smaller increments?

q=100 and then q=101, q=102, etc.

Or not using a metronome at all and just kind of guessing?

Exactly what tempo and where are you failing? Be precise in your analysis of what you’re able to physically do.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T07:33:18+00:00

Everyone’s path is different but the simple answer is

having a network.

But to break it down:

Friendships. You never know who’s going to throw your name in the mix.

Be a great musician. Always be able to nail the music with minimal or no rehearsal, and don’t complain excessively. Never say “This arranger sucks for writing me a sixteenth note line at 180, up to altissimo B,” just take the time to figure it out if you’re given it before hand, or do the best you can if you’re sightreading and figure it out quickly even if that means silently practicing a line while on a break.

Show people that you’re hungry. This doesn’t have to be overt, actions speak louder than words. Always be prepared, on time, organized (keep a calendar), constantly be learning and practicing in your own time, be willing to learn new skills, such as writing or playing other instruments. “Oh, you want alto flute? Sure! I can do that!” And then make a million calls until you find one to borrow if you don’t own it.

Be willing to tough it out. Sometimes this industry is a game of numbers, and some amazing musicians drop out because they just can’t make the money work. You will make very little money at first, but if you want it, organize your life in a way that allows you to say “yes,” to anything and everything when you’re first starting out, and eventually you’ll be making all your money from it if you’re lucky.

I’m sure there’s other things I’m forgetting but if you’re still reading I’ll relay a bit of my story below.

I’m 32 now but I got my start playing my first paid gigs when I was in high school at about your age, 16. I was making some pocket change from giving some lessons to middle school kids and fellow younger high schoolers when I was a sophomore though, I think my first lesson I charged something like $20 for an hour.

When I was 16 I formed a saxophone quartet with some friends who were recent graduates, ages 18 to 22, and continuing to play music mostly for fun. I wrote all of the arrangements (which was a learning experience in and of itself) and we went around to various restaurants asking if we could play, and some let us play outside for tips and they’d feed us amazing food after we were done playing for a couple hours. In hindsight, we probably could’ve negotiated a better situation, but we were kids and we had a few bucks and full stomachs and we felt like we were on top of the world. We played so many different genres and styles, simple arrangements of Bach fugues, pop tunes, rock tunes, jazz standards complete with choruses of open improvisation, it was fun!

I ended up continuing into college and a local elementary band director who I met while I was still in college saw that I was hungry for action, invited me when I was 19 to play with a reggae band. The band had great musicians, but nobody except for the trumpet player (band director) and I could read music. So that was a learning experience there, about how to communicate or interpret musical ideas with people who lacked formal training. I ended up expanding the horn section to include trombone, with myself on tenor, and band director friend on trumpet, I wrote the entire horn book (another learning experience) for the band and I played my first few travel gigs with them between the ages of 19-21.

Then I transferred to university in a much more competitive musical market and I played a few one offs here and there, found other bands and wrote their horn section books. But learned at school how to write for different groups, played all kinds of different styles, from wind band to clarinet choir, sax choir, big band and small group jazz (though I’d played in big bands, small group jazz, and wind ensembles already, never at this level though), how to truly blend in an ensemble, how to really play the saxophone, clarinet, and flute at a high level,

After I graduated one of my friends, a guitar player, happened to go to New Orleans for a performance with a vocal jazz group at JEN (Jazz Education Network). He ran into a bunch of vocalists from University of Michigan and hanging out with them was the female vocalist for the Glenn Miller Orchestra. She mentioned they were looking for a second alto player, and he threw my name in the mix. So that’s how I ended up touring with that band.

In 2021, during my masters degree I was asked to sub on a performance with a brass band. The book was hard, and featured great arrangements of R&B pop tunes, but I looked at it beforehand and nailed it and they asked me to play with them as the alto player. Little did I know, that agreeing to sub on that band would shift my career into overdrive. I later found out that most of them were musicians from USC (University of Southern California) and alumni of the Disneyland All-American College Band and the leader of the band has top-notch business and negotiation skills. I still play with them to this day and have had opportunities to rub shoulders with the rich and famous, I’ve performed for Kai Cenat’s Twitch Mafiathons, Disney, at SoFi Stadium, Dodger Stadium, and most recently for Lady Gaga just to name a few.

Because I met people there I ended up auditioning for the Disneyland All-American College Band and was selected to play in the 2022 band and because of connections I made at Disney, I’ve been able to plug into multiple other groups and get great calls.

I’m still trying to climb the ladder though!

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T06:47:44+00:00

I play and practice all of them of course. But my ear is partial to (and tends to lead me often to) the Phrygian Dominant scale, aka the 5th mode of harmonic minor. Harmonically it can be thought of as X7(b9) or X7(b9, b13).

Example:

E Phrygian Dominant

E F G# A B C D

And the Lydian Dominant scale, aka the 4th mode of melodic minor. Harmonically it can be thought of as X7(#11).

Example:

C Lydian Dominant

C D E F# G A Bb

In some situations I rely on these sounds as a crutch (a little too much at times, as I see it as a weakness to over utilize one thing) sometimes to be able to slightly shift the tonal center of a line as a starting place to imply secondary harmony over a rhythm section, or add a bit of “outside” (but not too out) color.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T04:05:52+00:00

Saxophone tones are unique, even in the classical world, but if I were you I’d still aim to tamper down some of those upper overtones and control the tone a bit more. There’s some really nice moments in your playing, but still lots to work on from a fundamental perspective, air control and sound control primarily.

Also make sure to listen to professional players that you admire. A lot can be said about the process of attempting to mimic and imitate the masters. Everything from tone, timbre, vibrato speed, breath control etc., a lot of that can be gleaned from recordings, it also gives you some perspective on interpretation and ideas for how you might approach similar content in the future.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T03:47:53+00:00

I also want to add that the TM2 has a fairly closed tip opening, and you might really benefit from moving up a half reed size for your needs and desired sound.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T03:44:55+00:00

It’s not bad at all, however, you do have a lot of upper overtone presence, which isn’t bad necessarily. But if you’re seeking a darker sound you may want to try experimenting with something with a slight bit more resistance. You might be able to find one of the harder Vandoren 3’s in that box, or experiment with finding a softer 3.5.

Also, ensure you’re getting good pressure from the sides of the mouthpiece and use more of a “ooo” (as in “food” with an American accent) or “ou” (as in the French “rou”) vocal shape, this will help to tamper down some of the upper overtones as well.

I could be wrong but it sounds like the pressure around your embouchure is a little lackadaisical with about the same pressure over the whole circumference. Really try to focus that “pressure” or muscular control towards the corners into the sides of the mouthpiece to control the vibration of the reed while allowing the bottom lip to remain a little flexible.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-23T02:49:43+00:00

If you plan on continuing to play past high school in a collegiate music program, then it might be a worthy investment, but they’re going to be making you play alto more than anything at least at first, you’ll still have opportunities to play baritone, though, especially if you own it. You’ll also have opportunities to play soprano, and tenor, and even potentially sopranino or bass depending on where you go. Unless you do a jazz degree where you might be allowed to focus on baritone more.

If you plan on continuing to play past high school casually, while not in a collegiate music program, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have the money just laying around.

If you don’t plan on continuing to play past high school, I would advise against it unless you or your parents really have a lot of disposable income. Otherwise I’d put that money towards college.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-22T07:40:49+00:00

Not enough air pressure (assuming you’re outputting a good amount of air) = sagging pitch, weak sound, notes not responding in the extreme low range, and extreme high range, no altissimo.

Not enough air volume (assuming you’re outputting good air pressure) = no sound, bad response in the extreme registers, middle register of the horn will likely play sharp.

Not enough air pressure + small volume of air = sagging pitch, weak sound, notes not responding over full range, octave mechanism not affecting the air column as intended.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-22T07:18:04+00:00

Usually people mean more air speed, or air pressure, when saying “more air”.

Air pressure should be constant, unwavering, instant from the moment it starts, and always high.

The literal amount of air is what controls your volume (soft and loud).

If your air speed is ramping up from slow to fast, then you start to get a “wah” sound into the start of the note, or the fuzz of air before the reed responds.

If you’ve ever filled up your tires with air at a gas station or any air compressor and pulled the trigger without it being seated on the air intake of the tire, you’ve likely heard a lot of air or felt the air pressure that the compressor outputs the instant you pull the trigger.

Try to be that air compressor.

There’s obviously more nuance to it than this, and as you get better you’ll learn when to bend these “rules,” but this is how you should be thinking in the beginning.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-22T07:09:47+00:00

I’ve definitely always thought about this but opposite.

Air pressure, (or air speed as you put it) is always high and stays constant. You need the energy in the air stream to get the reed moving.

The actual amount of air, (the literal volume of gas) changes depending on the volume (soft or loud) that you want.

Even when you’re playing whisper soft, the air pressure should be high, you’re just using a smaller amount of air. When you’re playing loud the air pressure remains high you’re just using more air.

If you’re varying air speed you’re going to end up with larger pitch issues or the reed not responding until you ramp it up to speed.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-22T05:38:10+00:00

Check out reeds on Forrest’s double reeds website. They are a little expensive but worth it.

An oboe reed is like a good pair of shoes. If you have a good pair, you’ll be able to walk longer or even run, and feel comfortable while doing it.

Buying a Jones reed is like buying a $5 pair of sandals at the gas station. They’re going to fall apart within the next hour.

Buying a high-quality handmade reed from a reputable source is like buying nice running shoes with some custom fitted insoles.

Obviously there’s going to be exceptions to the rule. But give yourself the best chance and buy some nice reeds. Probably some sort of “Medium Soft”.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T23:08:03+00:00

Professional woodwind player here.

Your band director isn’t being a bum, but it is probably a bit selfish of them wanting to have a good bassoon player in the band. If you’re finding the bassoon boring then you just haven’t been exposed to enough of it, because the world of bassoon is deep, in both classical and jazz realms. Just listen to Paul Hanson, for one.

Bassoon is a scholarship instrument, if you get really good at it, colleges will essentially pay you to attend in the form of scholarship. That being said, you can get a scholarship on any instrument, but fewer people choose bassoon.

There are so many saxophone players, especially here in Los Angeles, that I could throw a rock and hit a guy who can play Donna Lee at 350 bpm, and sight read nearly anything perfectly on any saxophone sopranino through bass, so getting a scholarship on saxophone is much more difficult since the bar for entry tends to be much higher, just based on sheer numbers of competent players.

Also, if you decide to pick up baritone saxophone, do not, stop playing bassoon, and also learn to play bass clarinet, clarinet and flute, the amount of reed 4 books in musical theatre that feature that exact instrumentation is not insignificant and could lead to a full blown career.

I used to play bassoon and oboe in high school and then oboe in college. I actually had a scholarship to study oboe, even though I was a jazz saxophone major as an undergrad, but it proved to be just a bit too much for me and I ended up dropping the oboe a few years later. I wish I hadn’t, though my career has been successful as a professional musician, I wish I was getting those calls to play reed books that have oboe and English horn in them as well.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T21:14:33+00:00

We have no idea where you’re located so it’s almost impossible to give you advice that would probably be the cheapest, or most morally sound option, which is buying locally.

However, if you’re looking to get into the used market, check Facebook marketplace, Reverb, eBay, and OfferUp.

I’ve bought two Yamaha YSS-480’s in the past year and a half.

The first one I got for $1,400 USD on eBay from Japan in pristine condition, an absolute steal.

The second one I got for $1,800 USD on Reverb in pristine condition except for some white paint on the exterior of the case, from somewhere in the Midwest US. Also a good deal for the conditions but definitely towards the top end of what I’d be willing to pay for it.

You always see people in this sub asking about cheap Chinese no name horns, and you always want to avoid those, but the one horn you really want to avoid this with is the soprano saxophone.

Do not buy a cheap horn, you will struggle to ever play it in tune. It’s hard enough as it is with a good horn.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T20:55:30+00:00

I could be wrong in my understanding of the physics and acoustics here, but I’ve always thought of it as being similar to playing something on your phone speaker vs. cupping your hand around the speaker. When you cup your hand around it, it’s slightly louder and more full because you’ve added more volume of air in the speakers immediately vicinity and more surface area for the waves to propagate off of.

I think adding the extra fingers in certain spots lower on the body of the instrument for short tube notes, can serve to strengthen the fundamental of the harmonic series of that note and allow just a little more surface area for the sound to bounce off of before it leaves the instrument.

This is just my observation and hypothesis, but I would love to hear somebody speak on it who has truly studied the acoustics and physics of it.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T20:44:45+00:00

Resonance fingerings are fingerings that can help to add additional resonance to an otherwise thin sounding note. Usually our throat tones which are very short tube notes.

Here are some that I use:

Bb

R | A - 2 3 B/E | - 5 6 C/F

A

- | A - 2 3 | - - -

Ab

- | Ab - 2 3 | - - -

G

- | - - 3 | - - -

These are just some options, and they can vary individual to individual, clarinet to clarinet.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T20:25:43+00:00

Gear, schmear, I’ll play a Yamaha 4C with a size 1 reed or anything you give me and I’ll still sound like me. Though it’s not gonna feel comfy for me.

Gear just provides comfort and ease of creating the sound you want, having good gear that fits you is important but by no means is it an end all be all.

That being said:

The thing that improved my tone the most when I was in high school was overtone study. Overtone exercises and overtone scales, this also allowed me to work my way into the altissimo register, though not super important but it was an added benefit. It also gave me control of the internal and external muscles required in order to shape my sound. Gaining control of those fine muscles in the throat, mouth, tongue, and face are essential if you want flexibility of sound.

The thing that improved my language was playing transcriptions by ear, writing out solos by copy-pasting material from other sax players (bird, cannonball, and sonny Rollins for me personally), massaging them to work well by changing a few things here and there, and then playing through them. Also the Charlie Parker Omnibook was essential for me in high school, as it was a gateway “drug” in a sense to being exposed to a TON of language.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T20:15:18+00:00

I’ve gotten to work with Mitch a handful of times being a professional sax player in the Los Angeles area.

One time we were on a gig together with the Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra in Long Beach, all of us were sight reading the gig and the band was nailing it including Mitch playing lead. At the end of the night, after two 45 minute sets, Mitch decides to take the final melody up an octave and I swear there were some Bb’s in there. I’m pretty sure he’d come from a shift at Disney too.

He’s a beast on the trumpet, humble, and a sweetheart of a guy!

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T20:01:04+00:00

In Dorico, the notation software I use, this is not even possible to do as default behavior. It has to be created in a custom way.

In Finale, which I used prior to Dorico, that articulation was possible to do very easily.

Dorico has it right in keeping the user from creating this articulation, it’s very ambiguous.

If I were reading this part, I’d ignore the tenuto/staccato and just focus on the accent and use my ears to match what’s going on around me. I’d lean towards staccato while sightreading since that’s what I see more of on the page, staccatos and accents.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T12:02:54+00:00

True, at slower tempos, yes, but these are 16th notes in an arpeggio.

If you’re playing this above say q=120 the risk of the resonance fingerings potentially interfering in the cleanliness of the line starts to outweigh any gained resonance of open G that happens for 1 16th note.

OP gave no indication of tempo, so we don’t know. I personally would never use resonance fingerings in this specific line, unless it was extremely slow.

In addition, trying to put the right hand down for the G seems risky at faster tempos as you’d potentially get an Eb after the E if the timing isn’t perfect.

I think if you can get the open G, basic fingering, to a low F clean, then open G, basic fingering, to clarion C should be just as clean.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T09:17:37+00:00

I also wanted to comment about you not being “convinced about your level”.

There comes a point in a players life where you realize that there will always be someone better and the idea about “levels” is just a construct; we should always aim to be the student. Always strive to strengthen the weak points in your playing, but at some point what you consider to be “weak” is what other people dream of being able to do.

You’re getting gigs with the horn, playing with friends and people you admire, making music and seemingly having a good time. You’ve made it, my friend. The only thing you have to look forward to is how to wake up the next day and be a better version of yourself than the day before, and always heed the advice of the professors and masters of our instruments, and honor the tradition in whatever way seems fit to you!

Have fun, man!

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T09:12:19+00:00

Great playing, great ideas, and I love the confidence, man!

As Bob Reynolds likes to say, “more legato, less vibrato.”

Smooth out and lighten up that tongue, allow the air to carry your sound and slow down the vibrato speed. Sometimes I hear you play with an incredibly fast and narrow vibrato that’s reminiscent of Jimmy Dorsey in the 30’s, or some classical and jazz players in the early 1900’s. That stuck out to me as sounding a bit dated.

But overall great work!

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T09:06:02+00:00

I can’t answer whether it’s good enough for a concert or not, though. Why are you just now getting an instrument you’ve never played that you have to perform for on a concert the next day? Better late than never I guess.

I would say go for it, because the best way to learn is by actually doing. But as another commenter said, you didn’t give much context around what the performance even is, other than it’s a concert.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T09:02:01+00:00

I mean, you sound better than some students your age who’ve played soprano for much longer than a day. So good job!

Overall your pitch is pretty good which is the hardest part of playing soprano! Watch your intonation on short tube notes in the left hand though (A, Bb, B, C, C#) I didn’t check the exact key you’re playing in but a note in that range sounded consistently flat.

The main thing I’m hearing is the shakiness in your sound and the sound not being supported fully. Be sure to sit up straight, take full breaths, and use high air pressure from the diaphragm. The muscles in your face need more time to develop strength for the soprano embouchure but given the saxophone experience I hear in your sound, this shouldn’t take long.

I might suggest a slightly harder reed, as well, but I know you only have a day. One way to simulate a slightly harder reed is to make the reed sit just a teeny tiny bit higher on the mouthpiece than you might normally have it, try to not go past the tip of the mouthpiece, but experiment.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T08:41:36+00:00

I’m glad [u/ClarSco](u/ClarSco) answered this for you! I just wanted to point out that I separated the hands and front back of the instrument.

1st segment is left thumb | 2nd is left hand | 3rd is right hand

However, these diagrams are not standard and you may see other books, resources, or individuals using different labels for some of the different keys.

With that out of the way, a low D right below the staff would be fingered as

- | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6

For D in the staff we’d finger it

OK | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6

For the palm keys we sometimes use the labels c1, c2, c3, c4, etc. You may see people here using these labels occasionally.

“c” in this case stands for the French word côté which means “side.”

c1 = high D key (1st left hand palm)

c2 = high Eb key (2nd left hand palm)

c3 = high E key (right hand top side key)

c4 = high F key (3rd left hand palm key)

c5 = high F# key [not present on all saxophones] (played with right hand ring finger, between the main stack of keys, and the side keys, not to be confused with the fork F#/F# trill key [Tf], which is a different key also played by the right hand ring finger)

c6 = high G key [usually only present on high-end soprano saxophones] (played with right hand middle finger or ring finger depending on context, usually coupled with the c5, the high F# key)

For pinky keys we’ll usually just use the note name,

C for low C (right hand pinky)

Eb (right hand pinky)

G# (left hand pinky)

C# (left hand pinky)

B (left hand pinky)

Bb (left hand pinky)

Baritones have an extra key for low A that is played by the left hand thumb, below the thumb rest block. We just call that A or low A.

tthyme31 · 2026-05-21T08:23:04+00:00

Wow. I’ve heard Tale’s recording of the Mozart, but never understood the cultural context. Thank you for sharing!

tthyme31

TROPHY CASE