Lynden’s Blog
Learning licks is essential
Why learning licks is essential for saxophonists When it comes to improving as a saxophone player, practising licks is one of the most valuable things you can do. Pretty much every saxophonist since the dawn of time has spent time working on licks, and for good...
Play sax with feeling
From a question to a lesson: Norman’s journey into playing with feeling Recently one of my clients, Norman, asked me a question that I’ve heard many times before, but which always carries weight: “How do you play with feeling on the saxophone?” It’s the kind of...
Beginner to wedding performer
From beginner to wedding performer: Jonathan Currington’s saxophone journey In 2019, a gentleman named Jonathan Currington approached me with a wonderfully ambitious goal: he wanted to learn the saxophone from scratch so he could play Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always...
Chat with Kirk Whalum
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 an...
The power of chord tones
Unlocking the power of chord tones in saxophone practice In the journey of mastering the saxophone, the ability to confidently hit the root, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth of major and minor scales is an essential skill - one that is often overlooked. As...
Improve your sax tone!
10 game-changing tips to improve your saxophone tone Let’s be honest - tone is everything on the saxophone. You could know every scale and be able to shred your way through Coltrane changes, but if your sound doesn’t sing, it won’t connect. A beautiful tone grabs...
Unlocking the secrets of bebop
Unlocking the secrets of bebop: Mastering a 2-5-1 lick in all 12 keys Pictured: Thelonious Monk, one of the pioneers of modern jazz whose innovative approach to harmony and rhythm greatly influenced the bebop era. His unique compositions and improvisational style...
Stop wasting time with your practice!
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 singing. And even...
Fix your timing and phrasing
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...
Hard working sax player – vlog #1
My very first sax vlog... Making my first vlog was absolutely unknown territory for me. By the time I made this, I had produced well over 125 video tutorials for both YouTube and this website, but all of them had been studio-based. When confirmation for a very special...