LESSON 1: The Fork in the Road (Perpetual Cycle Pattern)
In this video lesson, Greg shows you how to keep a constant flow of notes going through the cycle while alternating between two different patterns. Great for technique, concentration, ear-training and voiceleading. Every jazz saxophonist should know these two essential patterns. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 2: Altissimo “G” on the Tenor Saxophone
In this video lesson, Greg shares his unique approach to teaching altissimo. Rather than the traditional method of playing overtones from low Bb to achieve the altissimo notes, Greg has a different approach, showing you how to play overtones on the neck to give you a more accurate feeling of the way that the reed needs to vibrate when playing in the altissimo range of the saxophone. PDF notes include a fingering chart for both alto and tenor to play an altissimo “G.” INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 3: Grand Avenue Etude – Alto Version
Greg takes you through a detailed anaylsis of musical highlights in the etude “Grand Avenue,” from “Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Vol. 1.” This etude is based on chords similar to the old standard, “Out of Nowhere.” The etude is packed with examples of classic Bebop devices, including enclosures, chromatic scale usage, voiceleading and more. This lesson includes a very detailed PDF, packed with exercises and insights practicing the compositional devices used in this etude. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 4: Grand Avenue Etude – Tenor Version
Greg takes you through a detailed anaylsis of musical highlights in the etude “Grand Avenue,” from “Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Vol. 1.” This etude is based on chords similar to the old standard, “Out of Nowhere.” The etude is packed with examples of classic Bebop devices, including chromatic scale usage, voiceleading and more. This lesson includes a very detailed PDF, packed with exercises and insights practicing the compositional devices used in this etude. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 5: Road Tips – The Eb = ?
Greg shows how to keep your mind focused and sharp even when you’re away from the horn. This music theory game involves thinking of the note “Eb” as different degrees of major scales.

LESSON 1: Exploring the V7sus Chord
The V7sus chord is a mystery for many aspiring players. Greg breaks the chord down into simple, understandable terms, demonstrating a very clear approach to spelling the chord while providing exercises to train the ear to differentiate between a V7 and a V7sus chord. Next, Greg shares two different systems for hearing and practicing the chord with a more sophisticated sound and approach. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 2: Use of the bis Key on the Saxophone
This is one of my most requested video lesson topics. The use of the bis key is a controversial subject among saxophonists. Some teachers have very strict rules regarding the usage of the bis key. In this video, I share my personal approach to using the bis key. Includes exercises for practicing with the bis key, do’s and don’ts about hand position, and brief discussion of proper horn setup to ensure ease of use. ALL LEVELS

LESSON 3: North Avenue – 1st Sax Part
Greg Fishman plays the 1st sax part for the duet “North Avenue” from his book, “Jazz Saxophone Duets Volume 1.” Play along with great on the first part to match pitch and style, or play the 2nd sax part to complete the duet, with Greg playing lead. Looking forward to members posting videos playing this fun duet with Greg!.

LESSSON 4: North Avenue – 2nd Sax Part
Greg Fishman plays the 2nd sax part for the duet North Avenue from his book “Jazz Saxophone Duets Volume 1.” Play this part along with Greg to match his phrasing and style, or play lead while Greg plays this second part. Looking forward to video posts of lots of members playing this fun duet!

LESSON 5: North Avenue – Saxes 1 & 2
Greg Fishman plays both parts for the duet North Avenue from his book, “Jazz Saxophone Duets Volume 1.” Listen to this video to hear how the 1st and 2nd sax parts interact with each other, sometimes trading off the lead line.

LESSON 1: Hip Lick #4 (aka The Honeysuckle Rose Lick)
Hip Lick #4 (from Hip Licks for Saxophone Volume 1) is analyzed from a melodic and harmonic standpoint. Includes exercises to improve your ear through the addition of chord arpeggios added to the lick. Also features a section on using the lick to improve your high-speed chops with a technique called the “Speed Bag.” Greg also demonstrates various ways of playing the lick in different keys, as well as placing the lick in songs. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 2: The Three Middle D’s of the Saxophone
One of the ways that the master players customize their sound is to use alternate fingerings, adding or subtracting weight to certain notes. This approach adds incredible detail to your lines. In this video, Greg demonstrates the three fingerings for middle D and also explains the musical reasons for choosing one fingering over another. PDF notes for this lesson include fingerings and written examples of the lines played in the video. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 3: State Street ALTO
Greg gives a detailed analysis of “State Street” from Jazz Saxophone Etudes Volume 1. Includes tips on high speed playing, note groupings, chord substitution and moving sevenths. ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 4: State Street TENORGreg gives a detailed analysis of “State Street” from Jazz Saxophone Etudes Volume 1. Includes tips on high speed playing, note groupings, chord substitution and moving sevenths. ADVANCED LEVEL.

LESSON 5: Road Tips – The F = ?Greg shows how to keep your mind focused and sharp even when you’re away from the horn. This music theory game involves thinking of the note “F” as different degrees of major scales.

LESSON 1: Hearing Intervals from the Roots of the “Big 5” Chords
Demonstration of a system for training the ear to hear the intervals from the root to the 3rd, 5th, and 7th of what I call the “Big 5” chords; Maj7, dom7, mi7, mi7b5, and dim7 chords. Also includes instruction on hearing from the 7th of the chords down to the root. BEGINNING & INTERMEDIATE LEVEL.

LESSON 2: Major 7th Chords in Four Directions
This lesson demonstrates ways of practicing Major 7th chords in the cycle, in four directions. Essential for ALL LEVELS.

LESSON 3: Mainstream Articulation
Greg demonstrates his system for learning mainstream jazz articulation. INTERMEDIATE LEVEL with some tips at the end of the video for ADVANCED LEVEL, as well.

LESSON 4: Adding Lower Neighboring Tones to the Descending Major Scale
This lesson demonstrates a system for adding Lower Neighboring Tones to the Major Scales. INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED LEVELS.

LESSON 5: Road Tips – The C = ?
Greg shows how to keep your mind focused and sharp even when you’re away from the horn. This music theory game involves thinking of the note “C” as different degrees of major scales.

LESSON 1: Enclosures
In this video, I demonstrate the enclosure, one of the most common elements of the bebop language. An enclosure consists of a targeted note preceded by upper and lower neighboring tones. Includes several practice strategies for working with the enclosures.

LESSON 2: Hip Lick #157 Tutorial – Working with Moving 7ths
In this video, I break down Hip Lick #157 into component parts and show you how the lick is built. Getz, Stitt, Coltrane, Rollins…they all use this fantastic device, which provides great harmonic color through voice-leading on the minor chord in a ii / V or ii / V / I.

LESSON 3: Halsted Street Etude – ALTO
Ideas and exercises for practicing, and getting the most out of this original jazz Etude with your ALTO sax.

LESSON 4: Halsted Street Etude – TENOR
Ideas and exercises for practicing, and getting the most out of this original jazz Etude with your TENOR sax.

LESSON 5: Road Tips – Location of Notes within Maj7 Chords – Part 3 of 3
In this lesson, I’ll show you how to think of one note in four different locations within a major 7th chord. For example, C = Root of Cmaj7, but C = the 3rd of Abmaj7, C = the 5th of Fmaj7, and C = the 7th of Db maj7. The importance of enharmonic notes is also discussed in the video.

LESSON 1: Interval Study – Major 7th intervals
Intervals are one of the most overlooked practice items. However, I consider them just as important as practicing scales and chords. In this video, I demonstrate my approach to practicing major 7th intervals by playing them in the cycle, both ascending and descending.

This approach is great for the ear, and it will help you to recognize the interval when you hear it in melodies. Once you get this approach under your fingers and in your ears, we’ll take the next step with intervals and apply them to many different harmonic situations. (more videos on this subject are coming in the future).

After working with this video, review many of the melodies you like to play, and look for the presence of this interval used both ascending and descending. When you do this, your ear will start to pick up on the interval, and you’ll be hearing at a deeper level.

LESSON 2: Hearing the Location of the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th in Chords
This lesson demonstrates my system for hearing the location of a specific note in a chord. If you can already play your chords from the 1-3-5-7 ascending and 7-5-3-1 descending, this video will take you to the next level. This system has helped many of students reach a deeper level of hearing harmony, to the point where they can play a “C” and hear that note clearly in their mind’s ear as the Root, 3rd, 5th or 7th of any chord type.

LESSON 3: Transforming a Maj7 Chord into a Diminished (maj7) Chord
This is a common trick among pro players, temporarily transforming a maj7 chord into a dimMaj7 chord for added harmonic flavor.

LESSON 4: Six Melodic Variations on a Descending Minor 7th Chord
In this lesson, I discuss and demonstrate Six Melodic Variations on a Descending Minor 7th Chord, and the theory behind them.

LESSON 5: Sunrise/Sunset Neck Exercise
This lesson features a technique I call “Sunrise/Sunset” for improving your breath support and dynamics. I use the neck alone to produce a concert E, demonstrating some of the techniques I use to improve tone, dynamics, and breath control.

LESSON 6: The Butterfly Tongue
This lesson features a technique I call the “Butterfly Tongue.” The is a technique for slightly muting the note and changing the timbre while the tongue rests on the reed. Getz, Prez, and many of the old-school masters use this technique to achieve both ghosted 8th notes, as well as quickly repeated notes, similar in sound to double-tonguing, but much smoother. This is a challenging one, but well worth the effort!

LESSON 7: Road Tips – Location of Notes within Maj7 Chords – Part 2 of 3
In this lesson, I show you how to think of one note in four different locations within a major 7th chord. For example, C = Root of Cmaj7, but C = the 3rd of Abmaj7, C = the 5th of Fmaj7, and C = the 7th of Db maj7. The importance of enharmonic notes is also discussed in the video.

LESSON 1: System for Creating Diminished Scales on V7b9 Chords
This lesson demonstrates my system for creating diminished scales for the V7b9 chord. If you haven’t yet learned the diminished scale, or if you learned it via the traditional “half step/ whole step” approach, this system is a total game-changer! Check out this video to master your diminished scales over V7b9 chords.

LESSON 2: Theme & Variation – Singles, Doubles & Triples
This lesson demonstrates a technique I call “Singles, Doubles, and Triples.” This is a fun way to practice your chords or scales while creating lots of rhythmic variations by varying the number of times that you play each note. If you’ve ever been bored while practicing your chord arpeggios, give this new approach a try! BEGINNING & INTERMEDIATE LEVEL.

LESSON 3: Irving Park Road (Etude Studies) – ALTO
Ideas and exercises for practicing, and getting the most out of this original jazz Etude with your ALTO sax.

LESSON 4: Irving Park Road (Etude Studies) – TENOR
Ideas and exercises for practicing, and getting the most out of this original jazz Etude with your TENOR sax.

LESSON 5: Using Major Scales to Learn Intervals
With this lesson, we’re going to take the familiar C major scale and use it to train the ear to hear ascending and descending intervals. This approach lets you hear the intervals within the scale in much greater detail.

LESSON 6: 24 Permutations for the Fingers
This video features my method for sharpening independent control of each finger. This exercise will improve your technique and keep your fingers in shape even when you’re away from the horn.

LESSON 7: Road Tips – Location of Notes within Maj7 Chords – Part 1 of 3
In this lesson, I show you how to think of one note in four different locations within a major 7th chord. For example, C = Root of Cmaj7, but C = the 3rd of Abmaj7, C = the 5th of Fmaj7, and C = the 7th of Db maj7. The importance of enharmonic notes is also discussed in the video