15 Crazy Jazz Studies is an evergreen title from the Saxtet Publications catalogue; as fresh and as fun as they were when they were first published over 20 years ago. These jazz saxophone studies have been a popular title on the ABRSM and Trinity exam syllabi and helped many saxophonists develop their technique.
How Should You Practice These Saxophone Studies?
As with most saxophone studies, I would always recommend practicing with a metronome to begin with. Starting slowly and building up in small sections is a great way to improve your technique. I also think it’s important to get the articulation and dynamics right from the beginning, even at a slow tempo.
It’s easy to get into bad habits, much trickier to lose them! There’s a great range of studies here, starting at around grade 5 standard and going through to grade 8.
What Grade Are the Studies Aimed At?
If the saxophone studies in 15 Crazy Jazz Studies are a little tricky at the moment, you may wish to look at Alastair Penman’s Stylistic Studies for Saxophone Volume 1. This comes in three volumes with the first volume being written for grades 1-4.
Alastair has followed this up with a Stylistic Studies for Saxophone Volume 2 aimed at grades 5-8. Karen Street’s Street Beats is another fantastic studies book, with 10 studies sitting from grades 4-7.
There’s also the Saxtet Publications classic, Sax Scorchers: this compilation of 20 studies contains works from some of the leading UK saxophonists, as well as composers from the USA, Argentina and Australia!
There are works from grade 2 to grade 8+ standard, so this is a book to last a while! For advanced students, check out Five Contemporary Etudes by Carlos Lopez-Real. All five etudes have been included at some time on the TCM and ABRSM grade 7 and grade 8 syllabi.
If you’re looking for some really challenging jazz saxophone studies, and I mean really challenging, then Nigel Wood’s Six Exotic Studies, and Alastair Penman’s Stylistic Studies for Saxophone Volume 3 contain works that are aimed at post grade 8 students.
Finally, we have a range of studies that were specifically written for concert performance. These include works by Stephen Davies, Paul Harris, Chris Jolly, Rachel Stott and Nigel Wood. Just go to our Solo Saxophone Sheet Music section to explore these wonderful works.
I’ve now gone through each study individually and tried to give some helpful tips for each work. There are also YouTube videos of many of these saxophone studies, some recorded by myself and other Saxtet Publications composers, but also by other saxophonists from across the globe. Check them out for inspiration, but you can make all of these your own. Most importantly, enjoy playing these brilliant little works!
Grade 5 Studies: Where Do You Start?
Bebop Bounce – an ABRSM grade 5 favourite for many years features subtle rhythmic changes as well as bebop chromaticism designed to get your fingers moving. Keeping a strong rhythmic feel is key to making the off-beat quavers work, making sure you emphasise beats 2 and 4 when you have the opportunity.
Low Down – another popular ABRSM grade 5 title. This folk inspired work features time signature changes and false fingerings. Learning how to use false fingerings is a great way to colour your improvised solos. This work is best started learning with a crotchet beat feel on your metronome. Once you have your fingers round the notes and the rhythm secure, move on to a minim beat on your metronome. This will create the hemiola feel over the 3/4 bars as the composer intended.
Grade 6 Studies: How Do You Develop Jazz Style?
Crazy Hepcats – stepping up to grade 6 standard now with this swing style workout. Saxophone articulation exercises are especially important here,crisp articulation is needed especially on the repeated notes in the middle section. Best to exaggerate all the accents and dynamics to create contrast over a melody that only features small changes. Side A# fingering is the obvious choice here, and in places you could use the side F# fingering to make the E#s to F#s smoother.
Captain Sensible – Some tricky finger-twisters going on here. Lots of chromaticism and passages out of the written key. Work through the passages slowly increasing the tempo. Whilst working on it slowly also keep all the accents and articulations in. You may need to pencil in some accidentals from the Hard Bop section to the end, I know I had to when learning this one!
Reed Fever – another work that has featured on the grade 6 syllabus for a number of years. Nailing the opening G to C is something to work on straightaway; this figure features 12 times! Keeping your embouchure consistently relaxed, allowing the reed to vibrate freely is going to really help this work flow. The dynamic changes are sudden, so don’t anticipate them and diminuendo or crescendo into the upcoming dynamic. Definitely hard-bop inspired.
In the Groove – also a grade 5 option for many years, this work requires emphasis on beats 2 and 4. You can really push those beats. You will notice the accents marked moving across different beats; make this a feature. Although this is marked with a fairly fast tempo, try to keep it sounding relaxed, it should almost have an Afro-beat (3-3-2) rhythmic feel.
Grade 7 Studies: What Makes These So Challenging
Merry-go-Round – We’re starting to get tricky here with this grade 7 standard bebop study. This work modulates throughout, so there’s lots of accidentals to keep an eye on. Perhaps practicing your major and minor arpeggios before you begin would be a good starting point.
Slim ‘n’ Slam – some acciacaturas to work on here, make sure they don’t disturb the flow of the melodic line. With the range extending right up to top F#/Gb, decide which fingering you are going to use, perhaps practice using different fingerings for extra challenge! A more relaxed swing number compared to the other jazz saxophone studies.
Fourth Attempt – this was graded at grade 7 by the ABRSM, it’s one of the trickier grade 7 works in my opinion. A fast tempo, with time signature changes, key changes and use of almost the full conventional range of the saxophone. As with all studies of this type, I would recommend starting your practice using a metronome set at a comfortable tempo, gradually increasing the tempo as your fingers get used to the patterns.
Tough Guys! – also a grade 7 work, I found this one an easier one to master than Fourth Attempt. Your articulation is really important here, especially when it comes to following the “hard & funky” marking. Watch out for the time signature changes, where you emphasise the strong beats is critical. This should have a rock feel throughout.
Grade 8 and Advanced Studies: How Far Can These Take You?
D.D.D. (Double Density Disorder) – this has been a popular grade 8 study, with some extended techniques to get your teeth into. I started practicing this without the false fingerings to begin with, and then added them in once I had the rhythm secure. This approach might work for you too. Suggestions for the false fingerings are given on the score. Keep it funky!
Tough Guys! – also a grade 7 work, I found this one an easier one to master than Fourth Attempt. Your articulation is really important here, especially when it comes to following the “hard & funky” marking. Watch out for the time signature changes, where you emphasise the strong beats is critical. This should have a rock feel throughout.
Don’t Waste Your Breath! – Ideally, this requires circular breathing. If you haven’t learnt this advanced technique this piece gives you a great reason to do so! If you struggle with circular breathing, it is of course still possible to play. Keep the quavers even and flowing, and follow the articulation to the letter. With lots of unusual time signatures, this work will really challenge your rhythmic security. A more modern ECM type jazz feel here.
Phrased Out – is another more lyrical work, and again requires straight quavers. Keep your embouchure really consistent throughout the range, and make sure you breathe through phrases with a really steady breath. This piece should just flow from your saxophone, keeping a lyrical waltz feel.
Funky Monkey – “Manic!” is how it’s marked, and that’s how it should be played! Notice the melodic line moving rhythmically within the phrase at the beginning; you must keep this moving forward, almost playing on the “front” of the beat rather than the “back” of the beat. You could also add some artistic license during the coda and add an accelerando to really emphasize the “manic monkey”!
Small Change – Time signature changes throughout here. In the opening section I think it helps to think of the pair 6/8 bars as a single 3/2 bar to maintain the minimum pulse. This will help set you up for later on when the single 6/8 bars occur.