Your first ten minutes with a saxophone shape the next ten years. In this lesson, I’ll show you how to put your sax together properly — fitting the reed to the mouthpiece, sliding the mouthpiece onto the neck, attaching the neck to the body, and adjusting the strap so the instrument sits comfortably. Then I’ll show you how to make your first sound: where to place your lips, how much mouthpiece to take in, and the simple breath exercise that produces a clean note on your very first try.
Lesson 1 – How to put your saxophone together the first time.
This is the lesson I wish every adult beginner had before their first session. Done right, you’ll avoid the three most common mistakes that cause squeaks, sore lips, and damaged corks — and you’ll be playing your first note within minutes
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Lesson 2: Modes of the Harmonic Minor Scale on Saxophone.
The harmonic minor scale has seven modes — one starting from each degree — and they unlock some of the most distinctive sounds in modern jazz. From the haunting tension of the fifth-degree mode (Phrygian dominant) heard in Coltrane’s later work, to the unusual altered colours of the seventh-degree mode used by Brecker and Henderson, each mode opens a new harmonic world.
In this lesson, I’ll work through all seven modes the same way I’d derive any modal system — starting from each degree of the parent scale and treating that note as the new tonic. You’ll see how the same seven notes produce seven completely different sounds depending on which one you start from, and where each mode tends to be used in real jazz playing.
This is a more advanced lesson aimed at intermediate-to-advanced players who already have the major modes under their fingers and want to push further. By the end, you’ll have a complete framework for the harmonic minor system — not just the scale itself, but the seven harmonic flavours that emerge from it.
Lesson 3 – Improve your tone – Eric Alexander Nose Breath
When I studied with Eric Alexander in New York, he showed me a long tone exercise that completely changed how I approached sound development on the saxophone. The principle is simple: you breathe in through your nose without breaking embouchure contact with the mouthpiece, then sustain a single note for as long as possible — controlled, even, and full from start to finish.
What sounds like a small technical adjustment turns out to be one of the most powerful daily exercises a saxophonist can do. Because the embouchure never resets between breaths, you develop genuine endurance and consistency in your tone. The pitch stays stable. The dynamics stay even. And because you’re forced to manage air support without the “reset” most players rely on, your breath control improves rapidly.
In this lesson, I’ll demonstrate the exercise, walk through the correct mechanics, and show you how to build it into a daily routine. Five minutes a day with this exercise will do more for your tone and stamina than an hour of unfocused practice — and it works at every level, from intermediate players up to professionals.
Lesson 4 – Memorizing the Chord Changes
Most saxophonists learn the 12-bar blues by playing through it again and again, hoping the changes will eventually stick. There’s a faster way.
In this lesson, I’ll show you the Clock Method — a visual technique that maps the chord changes of the 12-bar blues onto a clock face. Instead of trying to memorise twelve separate bars, you learn one shape. The changes stop being something you read or count, and start being something you see.
The Clock Method works because it shifts memorisation from short-term verbal memory (where most players try to store chord changes) to spatial memory (which is far more reliable and far faster to recall under pressure). Once you’ve internalised the shape, you can hear a blues in any key, anywhere in the world, and your fingers already know where to go.
This is Lesson 1 in a series. The 12-bar blues is the perfect starting point — twelve bars, three chords, one of the most-played forms in jazz — but the same method applies to every standard you’ll ever learn. Future lessons will apply the Clock to Autumn Leaves, rhythm changes, and the more complex Coltrane progressions.