Saxophone 3C
Time: 19:45 - 21:15
Location: Keeley Street
This course has now started
- Course Code: ME613C
- Dates: 23/04/24 - 02/07/24
- Time: 19:45 - 21:15
- Taught: Tue, Evening
- Duration: 11 sessions (over 11 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: David Harrison
Course Code: ME613C
Duration: 11 sessions (over 11 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This intermediate course will extend your sax technique and expand your repertoire of tunes. Improve your musicianship, and build upon the work covered in previous terms of this third year of instrumental study.
What will we cover?
- An understanding of the saxophone in popular and contemporary music
- Structured use of scales, harmony and theory
- Learn jazz standard tunes
- Extend your ability to improvise
- Saxophone ensemble work
- Routines for practice.
- Exercises to develop your musicianship.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Show improvement in your control of tone, volume and intonation
- Play written parts in sax ensemble arrangements
- Improvise over a given chord sequence (with and without music)
- Memorise your study tunes and perform them
- Recognise essential chord sequences and demonstrate an understanding of the theory behind them.
- Perform with your class at the end of each term.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Ideally you have completed the 3a and 3b saxophone courses. Experience of improvising will be helpful but is not mandatory.
You should be able to play the chromatic scale 2 octaves from bottom C to top C, and you should already know the major scales of C, G, F, and A, the minor pentatonic on A, D and G, and their chord notes, played with the following articulations: tongued, slurred, swing time. You should also be able to read treble clef notation including time signatures and metre.
You will need to follow written and verbal instructions in English and engage in class discussions.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught through tutor demonstration, section playing and soloing, learning tunes, and associated musicianship. Weekly practice in the sessions of technical matters on the instrument.
Practice between classes is essential to your progress. Students will be expected to make space and time for practice.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
A music stand and metronome are essential for practice at home. You may need to purchase a saxophone tutor book on the advice of your course tutor.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
This course leads to Saxophone 4 in the next academic year.
You may also be interested in one of our many Musicianship courses to support your practical learning, or in Music appreciation (Jazz & Popular Music) courses.
David Harrison studied at Oxford Brookes university before taking a post-graduate diploma in saxophone performance at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. David has been teaching at City Lit since 1994. In 2004 he wrote a guitar player’s guide for Collins and joined Music Sales in 2005 to update the famous A Tune A Day tutor series, eventually producing over 40 titles as series editor of the relaunched A New Tune A Day books, which has since become the biggest-selling music tutor series worldwide. Since 2010, David has worked freelance writing, editing and producing mainly educational titles, including Abracadabra Beginning Theory (Collins Music); The Complete Ukulele Player (Music Sales) and most recently the Bob Dylan Complete (Hal Leonard), the authorised collection of every Dylan song, together with an extensive introduction covering Dylan’s acoustic guitar technique, his song-writing and Dylan’s place in the American folk music revival. Aside from his guitar and saxophone classes, David runs a course in song writing. a series of talks on the music of The Beatles, and a series on the songs of Bob Dylan’s 1960s albums.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
