The Complete Intermediate Saxophone Course

Welcome to Section 2! Karin gives you an outline of the topics you can look forward to in this section.

Let's add some notes. Karin shows you which five notes you will learn in this section, and we start with the first one, the high D.

Practice makes perfect! Karin guides you through the first three exercises to practice what you are learning.

Next please! Karin shows you the fingering for the next high note, and you get a chance to practice it with an exercise.

"E"asy as pie. Karin shows you how to play the high E, and you put it into motion by playing Exercise 5.

The secret weapon to getting those notes out, every single time. In this lecture you learn about the magical and essential skill of voicing.

All about the high F. Karin shows you how to play the high F, and gives you some troubleshooting advice to get this note out beautifully.

How does a dot change a note? In this lecture you learn about the principle of dotted rhythm and how it affects the value of a note. A theoretical explanation is complemented with examples and exercises.

Karin plays Exercises 7 & 8 with you to practice a combination of dotted rhythms, high notes, key signatures and phrasing.

What is phrasing? In this lecture you learn why phrasing in music is becoming important now, and how to think in phrases when you play.

Save the best (aka the highest) for last. You learn the high F-sharp, the highest note on the Saxophone!

The most exciting part of any section! In the final lecture for Section 2, you perform two well-known folk songs incorporating all the elements you learnt throughout the section. If you want to play these pieces with the backing tracks (without me playing along), you can find the links under the resources tab for this lecture.

Welcome to Section 3!

There are 5 basic types of articulation you should know at this point. In this lecture Karin recaps these articulations with you.

A good way to test your articulation skills. In this lecture you play two exercises, both with articulation markings.

There are 4 basic types of dynamic levels you should know at this point. This lecture serves as a recap of these dynamics, before adding new intermediate dynamic markings.

Two exercises focussed on the gradual increases and decreases in volume. One is based on the C major scale, and the second is a well-known Scottish folksong.

Now for something new! Karin introduces two intermediate articulation markings, with some trivia in between.

Let's up the volume. Karin adds two new dynamic markings as well as a musical term that is often seen together with dynamic and tempo markings.

Why are scales important? Karin recaps the scales you should already know, and shows you what they look like at intermediate level.

Let's play some scales. In this lecture Karin runs through the basic major scales at full range.

Let's start adding more sharps, shall we? Karin shows you the D major scale at full range, and you play it at intermediate level speed before moving on to an exercise in D major, in the next lecture.

A fun, fast, etude in the key of D major.

One of the most exciting parts of learning new music, is playing it with the accompaniment. That's exactly what you will do in this lecture!

For the students interested in playing a practical music examination, Karin takes a minute to talk about the technical requirements for intermediate level practical saxophone examinations.

A lovely dance-like ending to the section. You perform the Waltz with a backing track, after Karin looks through the work with you.

Welcome to Section 4! From here on things start moving steadily into the Intermediate domain, and we pick up the pace.

Lento to Presto and everything in between. In this lecture Karin introduces you to the 6 most common tempo markings, with examples from saxophone repertoire to demonstrate how tempo affects the music we play.

The same melody - a whole range of expressions! Karin shows you how articulation, dynamics and tempo markings can change a melody.

Just like gradual shifts in dynamic, we also get gradual shifts in tempo.

What is a triplet in music? Karin explains what triplets are, how they work within a musical structure, and you get to play some triplets yourself.

Upbeat, pickup, anacrusis... You've heard it all before, but let's take a minute and talk about upbeats in more detail.

C what now? Karin shows you how to play the low C-sharp, and gives you useful tips for getting the lower notes to sound.

A very important lecture in which Karin shows you how to go about learning a musical piece, putting all the elements in place at the right time.

You put the knowledge gathered in the previous lecture to work by doing a rehearsal on Gymnopedie No. 1.

Such a well-known melody, and just beautiful on the sax.

All about vibrato. What it is, what it sounds like, and how to do it.

Using the same checklist outlined earlier in the section, Karin does a rehearsal of the final piece of the section.

The final piece for the section! In this lecture Karin plays Elven Dance with you at full speed, with the backing track.

Welcome to Section 5! Karin tells you what you will learn in this section.

Let's start with a warm-up before moving on to some new concepts.

Sixteenth notes make everything more fun. In this lecture Karin shows you what they look like, how to count them, and where you can find them. You play two exercises with sixteenth notes to end off the lecture.

All about dotted eighth notes. What they look like, how to count them and how to play them.

This is a fun one! In this lecture you play an exercise aimed at testing your rhythmic ability. Paired with a funk backing track, it is loads of fun to play.

Let's get to the bottom of this. In this lecture Karin adds the last two notes to complete the saxophone range, the low B and low B-flat.

So far you've learnt chromatic and major scales. In this lecture you learn about minor scales, how they relate to major scales, how to build them, and how to play them.

Let's talk about key changes. Karin explains how key changes work, shows you some examples from classical to pop music, and then you get to play a folksong from Cataluna with a key change to top it off!

1st and 2nd time endings (also called Volta brackets) are very important to know. Karin tells you all about it, and shows you an example from your upcoming piece.

The final piece for this section. Before playing it with the backing track, Karin takes time to rehearse it with you, pointing out important details and approaches.

Let's end on a high note! After working through the section you are now able to play the final piece of the section, Adagio Cantabile and Presto. Encore!

The highly anticipated Jazz section! You can't play the Saxophone without learning a little bit about jazz. Karin outlines the jazz topics that will be covered in this section.

Before you play any jazz, you need to know a bit about jazz. Karin takes you on a brief tour through the history of jazz, its origins, and its various styles.

There are two types of jazz scales that are important to know when studying jazz. In this lecture Karin tells you all about it, and you play your first jazz scales yourself.

Gimme more! In this lecture you learn two more minor Pentatonic and two more Blues scales, which you will be using later in the section too.

It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got that Swing. A very important concept to understand when it comes to jazz, is swing rhythm.

Let's get something straight. There are many types of beats, especially when it comes to jazz music. In this lecture Karin clarifies which type of beat  each term refers to.

In this lecture Karin rehearses this blues tune with you, pointing out important aspects and zooming in on notes and rhythms.

Your first jazz performance!

A very exciting lecture with very exciting content! Karin teaches you all about improvisation, and how to go about putting together solo's of your own.

Need some improv inspo? Karin is here to give you some ideas!

What are those jazz cats saying? Let's take a look at some jazz terminology.

The special effects of saxophone playing. In this lecture Karin teaches you 3 types of jazz inflections, with exercises to practice them.

Let's rehearse! In this lecture Karin goes through this timeless ballad with you and prepares for performing it in the next lecture.

Nothing like a beautiful ballad to end of the jazz section. Enjoy!

Welcome to Section 7! In this lecture Karin tells you all about the topics that awaits you in this (the last purely instructional) section of the course.

Duple, triple, quadruple, say what? Karin teaches you about these terms and how they relate to simple and compound time.

Let's expand! Now that you understand the concept of compound time, let's add two more compound time signatures.

Dotted eighths, again? Let's revisit what dotted eighths will look like, this time in compound meter.

Let's elaborate. At intermediate level you need to be able to read in keys containing up to four sharps or flats, and that means being comfortable playing the scales with those key signatures. In this lecture, you will do exactly that.

Another two key signatures. In this lecture we explore two new key signatures, with four flats and four flats.

All about melodic minors. Karin shows you the theory behind melodic scales, and you play some of them yourself.

We have a last few expressive markings to add, which you will come across in intermediate saxophone repertoire.

Syncopation - you gotta know it! In this lecture Karin explains what syncopation is, plays you a few examples, and then you play some syncopated rhythms from a well-known melody.

The final flourish. Karin teaches you six types of ornaments, which you will encounter in the upcoming performance pieces and also often  in intermediate repertoire.

Let's get into the details. In this lecture Karin guides you through the updated checklist to put a musical piece together.

What a beautiful work, especially with the piano accompaniment.

An adventurous work in compound time awaits you in this lecture. Karin guides you through some important things to look out for, before playing it with the backing track in the final lecture.

That's a wrap! Last teaching section, done and dusted. Now on to the last section for some intermediate playing.

Welcome to Section 8! The final section of the course, and what a way to end it. Karin tells you the way in which the section is structured, and how you can approach it.

A classic from the Ragtime era. Karin talks through the important aspects of this work using the checklist refined throughout the course, with a slow run-through at the end of the lecture.

One of those works every Saxophone player should know.

This work might look easy, but once you get into it you might realize that fewer notes don't necessarily make a work easier. We delve into all the details in this rehearsal.

Such a beautiful work from the Romantic era, and a staple in an intermediate player's repertoire.

Performance anxiety is something many people experience, but luckily there are things we can do to keep it from having a negative effect on our performance. In this lecture Karin shares her 6 top tips for dealing with performance anxiety.

Let's go from the concert hall to the club. This is a funky House style piece, something completely different from the other pieces in the section. Have fun!

You got to have fun with this one!

A little something from the opera. This work includes a big selection of the material that you learnt throughout the course, making it an excellent choice for the final section.

This piece has it all: drama, a wide palette of colours, technique, the full spectrum of notes, all of the dynamics, some ornaments, and more! A true test of musicianship, perfect for this course.

Performance etiquette... what exactly is it, and why is it important?

We wrap up the course with a Grade 5 level work sure to get those fingers moving.

Quite literally ending on a high note!

Congratulations are in order! Karin tells you where you might find further inspiration, knowledge and sheet music now that you are an intermediate level player.

Follow me on social media @kk.sax!

Also check out these awesome accounts:

- Bettersax

- Sax.co.uk

- Lorenzoferreromusic