by Lynden Blades | Jul 17, 2025 | Improvisation, Sax Advice
From humble beginnings to an incredible conversation with Kirk Whalum Hello everyone, Lynden here. I wanted to share something really special that happened recently. I’ve just had the absolute honour of sitting down with the legendary saxophonist Kirk Whalum for...
by Lynden Blades | Feb 28, 2025 | Sax Advice
Stop wasting time with your practice! In the olden days, particularly in the ’70s and ’80s, getting quality information on practicing the saxophone was quite the challenge. Saxophone teachers were scarce compared to those teaching piano, guitar, or...
by Lynden Blades | Nov 16, 2024 | Sax Advice
Why timing & phrasing are everything Timing and phrasing are so crucial because, without them, a melody just doesn’t make sense. It’s like reading a passage from a book but putting all the punctuation, pauses, and emphasis in the wrong places. Suddenly, what...
by Lynden Blades | Apr 9, 2024 | Sax Advice
How to keep your sax clean – a complete guide Keeping your saxophone clean is extremely important for lots of reasons. One of the reasons is because when you play the saxophone for more than a few minutes, moisture condenses from your breath and settles on the...
by Lynden Blades | Apr 2, 2024 | Sax Advice
How, and what, to practice So, you’ve been eagerly anticipating getting home all day to spend some quality time with your beautiful, shiny saxophone. You’ve got an hour ahead of you, and you’re determined to elevate your game, enhance your skills...
by Lynden Blades | Mar 4, 2024 | Sax Advice
Making a sound on the sax One of the first interactions that I will have with a new client (after making them a cup of tea, of course) is to describe to them how to produce a sound out of the mouthpiece of a saxophone. The way that I do this is by detaching the neck...
by Lynden Blades | Mar 4, 2024 | Sax Advice, Tips & Tricks
How to set up your mouthpiece on the sax Having your mouthpiece set up correctly is incredibly important. You could be the best player in the world with the finest saxophone, the finest mouthpiece, the best reeds, and all the experience in the world. However, if your...
by Lynden Blades | Mar 4, 2024 | Sax Advice
Am I too old to play the saxophone? If you’d like to keep this short and sweet, the bottom line is that no, you’re not too old to play the saxophone. This question comes up quite a lot when I’m speaking to new potential clients, especially people in...
by Lynden Blades | Feb 24, 2024 | Sax Advice, Saxophones
Vintage Saxophone v New Saxophone? This is a question that I am asked many times every year by my students. I think that the perception might be that these old, beautiful vintage saxophones will magically transform your ability to play the saxophone and make...