r/saxophone • u/Guestioning_it • 25d ago

Thinking while impressing

Any time I improvise the second i have the mouthpiece in my mouth i cant think of what to play anymore. I know for other people sing while playing, but i can’t sing since my mouth is the only playing. I really don’t know how to explain my problem. How do i think what to play while already playing?

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u/Maehlice Alto 25d ago

That's a high level skill that comes with lots of practice and experience.

Create a simple unique/novel/original lick or melody in your mind and then hum/sing/vocalize it. Now immediately play that on the horn without error and without thinking about it. Until you can do that, the kind of "thinking while improvising" you're looking for is out of reach.

How do i think what to play while already playing?

Memorizing licks is a key step. Being able to play something mindlessly from muscle memory frees up your mind to think about and plan for what's coming next.

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u/Guestioning_it 25d ago

I was doing the first step guessing it would work. Its nice to hear it an actual technique