Seven Etudes for the Progressing Saxophonist

I’ve been increasingly developing my own materials to use in my teaching studio, and put together the following seven ETUDES over the past few months.  My intent was to write etudes that are accessible to both middle and high-school students by simply choosing an appropriate performance tempo.  Each etude tackles individual challenges associated with saxophone technique in a certain key.  While each selection differs in its content, they are constructed with the following ideas in mind:

·      Ascending and descending scale fragments

·      Major scales in thirds

·      Chords built off the I, IV, and V chords of each key

·      Modulation to the Relative Minor

·      Passing Diminished Chords

·      Clearly marked instructions for Bis/Side Bb

·      Mixed staccato, legato, and slurred articulations

I’ve included a minimum of phrasing marks in favor of allowing for students to make decisions on how to embed musicality into the simple phrases within each etude.  Instructors can use this open phrasing as a catalyst to discuss the principles of how to create musical expression within given structures.

You can access the etudes HERE. Please feel free to use these materials as you wish.  They can be found here, or on the Materials page of my website.