I have to share my experience with the Balam. I was all about it. I've had it for over 2 years. But, I was performing one day and my saxophone just started to drop! Luckily, I caught it. But, it wasn't the straps falling off. The actual hook broke. The hook appears metal, but is actually, I think, plastic. I've never had that happen with a neck strap, let alone one I paid that much money for. For now, I'm still using it, but with a carabiner hook on it. But, I'm searching for a new one because I don't trust the design. Also, when I inquired with the place I purchased it, they said they no longer even carry it because they've had customers have similar problems and Balam has not been responsive. So, for me, I'd never trust them again. Too bad. It's a good design otherwise, but if the thing that's so supposed to hold it is so cheaply made, that's not okay. It literally has one job!

Personal That was helpful to me thank you

Hey guys, thanks for watching! If you want to support my work and my channel, you can support me on www.buymeacoffee.com/thomassax

Nice video. Just bought an alto sax and it came with a cheap strap. I bought a strap that is similar to the jazz lab one, but it looks bulky and the clip that the sax hooks to is cheap quality. Want a strap that a sax does not pull on the neck. I will check out the gel pack strap as it looks like it will be good.

Why do you use A442?

Are these neck straps ok for Baritone Sax ?

Wird es empfohlen, immer mit Afinations-app zu üben?

Excellent Thomas, thank you very much.

Thanks Thomas 🙏🏼

I tend to like your videos and I understand them being short and digestible but, I feel like if you are going to present a method you should demonstrate it more thoroughly in a solo. As an aside, I think would be valuable to a lot of people to talk about why their are additional chords in the progression and even if you are removing some to explain the concepts of piano chord shapes and resolution. I’m sorry but this felt incomplete. I still like what you are offering but my attempt at constructive criticism.

Great Lesson. Thanks

Excelente!!!! Muchas Gracias por tu apoyo!!!!

I really liked the lesson. Concise, clear, relevant. Thank you!

Isn't A minor the relative minor of C major -- not the parallel minor? The parallel minor to C major is C minor.

Thanks for the lesson 💕🙏🏼

Hey guys, I hope you enjoy the video! Here's the link to the Bobby McFerrin video, it's really cool to watch: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pMtmp6VjsM--pZ8.htmlsi=LvGhvhLjTzRTgv7F And here you can find the free pdf (no signing up to any newsletter necessary): www.thomashaehnlein.com/store Let me know what you think!

Yeah, I don't know how Lester Young, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt and a host of others got along on those basic two screw cheap ligatures they used? Just think how great they would have sounded on one of these $200 ligatures! The primary job of a ligature is to clamp the reed securely on the mouthpiece, that's it! If you think it effects your sound then it does, but, only you can hear it, no one else can. If you've got money to burn then have at it!

Yes blues progression would be great. Reguards Ian👍

ty u

Thanks Thomas, your videos are very helpful and excellently produced.

Der Suppenvergleich ist sehr lustig 😂

Nicely explained. Thanks

These tip openings and reed strengths are not really "standard" big top opening/softer reed I've played a 7 mouthpiece with a 2 reed for years on Alto & Tenor and it works well for me. 😎

😱 Just practice and many of these things will take care of themselves.

Superb work! Thanks for taking the time to do it and share it! I would only add the notes that you play at the end when finally improvising. Many thanks again!

Do girls and ladies also use this neck streps?

Thanks Thomas, this is a really helpful and well produced video. I've been struggling with the 2nd D overtones for several weeks now; it's not consistent, sometimes I manage it but other times it takes several attempts. Interesting that you consider it difficult. Great video, thanks again.

I have a bad intonation. Only in the middle notes i have a good one.

Hi, what is teh openning nº of you Soloist MP?

To my opinion you can’t learn how to improvise. Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond have a special talent. The rest of us have to copy licks or play around the chords. I'm surprised about your comments about using Playing Along. Most of the saxophone teachers online are telling you to do that. Both of you can't be right. By playing along you are learning the song and you keep the rhythm.

Thank you so much. ❤

Thank you very much for your video on ligatures. I never really understood the importance of them, other than to hold your reed. I liked the last two, but I think the Borgani might be troublesome to use at first.

Ich nutze den BG Yen regulären Saxophongurt mit meinem Tenorsaxophon seit ich wieder vor 1,5 Jahren angefangen habe und bin super zufrieden damit.

Thank you

im enjoying your advise

helpful

enlightening

It’s not the difference in sound. It’s the response that you the player feels. Your sound is in you head. You will gravitate to that sound no matter the equipment. Thus, play what feels good and responsive.

Mark turner& ben wendel..thats it

Neverending story. Yes, ligature matters. The only one purpose of the ligature is hold the reed on the proper place. Broken or bad designed ligature cannot, so this is the only difference. Does not matter, if it is standard, special, for 10 euro or for 300e. Look at the old saxophone masters. Literally every one used the cheapest standard ligature! There is really no technical reason to buy anything more expensive, if Coltrane, Rollins, Getz, Brecker... could use the standard one. But there is lot of people believing in snake oil.

How does the hooki feel when stood or seated with a tenor sax to the side? I currently use a Saxholder Pro, but I have tennis elbow issues, and have been suggested by a physiotherapist to try playing to the side, which is a bit more uncomfortable with the Saxholder.

The Francois Lois mouthpiece cap with the felt that you showed is actually my favorite because that felt keeps the reed wet. This is important to me because I am always doubling on gigs and I need my reed to stay wet if I put the instrument down for 10 or 20 minutes. I use that mouthpiece cap on all of my reed instruments. My favorite ligatures are the Jewel Eddie Daniels Expressions ligatures and the Brancher wire ligatures and a $15 plastic ring ligature made by JScustomsaxophone that is the best ligature I have found for my bari sax... I have the expensive ligatures also for my bari sax, but this cheap plastic ring ligature works the best on my bari. Some reed players have no idea of the importance of the ligature. This is because the difference between many ligatures is nonexistent. You will actually not feel or hear any difference between many ligatures, like Thomas explained (and one of those ligatures might be perfect for your mouthpiece). My eye-opening experience to the difference in some ligatures is when I tried the Marc Jean ligature with the grenadila wood contact. This was the most free reed vibrating ligature I ever tried. Then I realized ring ligatures also let the reed vibrate freely, but it's difficult to fit ring ligatures correctly. The two-channel design ligatures are very free blowing... I like them more than the plate design. The cheapest well-made two-channel design ligature I have found is the Rovner Versa. If you are super picky about your sound, you will even use different ligatures for different mouthpieces and different reeds and different acoustics. I like to use darker sounding ligatures for brighter sounding mouthpieces and/or brighter sounding reeds. I like to use my brighter sounding ligatures with darker sounding mouthpieces and/or darker sounding reeds. The darkest sounding ligatures are the fabric type ligatures that wrap the mouthpiece and reed with fabric or some kind of soft material. My favorite slightly dark sounding ligature that I use on my bright sounding mouthpieces is the Jewel Eddie Daniels Expressions ligature with the carbon fiber contact... this ligature is very free blowing, but also slightly darkens the sound. On my warmer sounding mouthpieces, I love the Eddie Daniels Expressions ligature with the gold contact and I love the Brancher wire ligature and the Rovner Versa is another great choice for dark sounding mouthpieces.

When you expect a difference, you get a difference.

Good choices, but my personal fave ligatures that I have been using for years are the Marc Jean ligatures. Theses are on the high end of the price spectrum but well worth it as Marc is always making improvements

What are your thoughts on the Vandoren Optimum?

If the selmer ligature comes loose, you can do as I did, unscrew the screw and file in between to make the opening a little bigger. Good luck, and keep up the good work. 🙏

Rampone & Cazzani "Chubby" which is made from olive wood is very open sounding - for a darker sound I like a Silverstein - a good all-rounder is the 24 carat gold BG

Amazing! I am also a big fan of Joe Henderson... try bringing some content from him.

You sound great on that Selmer Soloist!

Thank you.