Full Interview with Harris, saxophone teacher at LMT

Okay. So it’s a nice story to go right back to the start. My parents are very musical, and I’ve always been involved in music on the side. As an anniversary present, my father bought my mum a saxophone, but with bringing up children and work, she never really had time to play it.

I’d played the recorder before in group classes when I was very young, and they said to me, “Why don’t you try the saxophone?” Other instruments hadn’t really worked for me. I tried the cello, and I was a choral scholar from a very young age — that’s what initially got me into music.

But the saxophone was something I picked up and could instantly play C major on because I already played the recorder.

And I think being able to pick up an instrument and instantly do something that I recognised gave me that initial motivation and drive: Oh, this is something I can do. That really helped to push me forwards. I knew C major, so the next question was: What can I do from here? I could play a little tune or start making something more interesting than just a scale.

From there, I started taking lessons and trained classically on the saxophone. Whilst I enjoyed it, classical music wasn’t quite as much for me personally. I started listening to a lot of gospel, soul and funk that my dad would play at home. There was always music playing in the house, and I became particularly influenced by artists such as Kirk Whalum and Bob Reynolds. That began to take me in a different direction.

I then attended programmes such as the Junior Birmingham Conservatoire to get more training in jazz and to start understanding how I could develop that kind of sound myself. I’d found something that really inspired me and that I wanted to be able to do, so the main thing was finding the different routes that could help me get there.

Yes, although not professionally. My parents run their own children’s daycare business, but my father has always been involved in music on the side. From a young age, he played keyboard and bass, and he also took part in lots of local pantomimes and weekly shows.

Music has always been a real passion of his. He has speakers set up in every room of the house, so there was always music playing when I was growing up.

I remember when I was younger, he gave me a little iPod and downloaded all of his favourite funk, soul and gospel albums onto it. He simply said, “Right, listen to these.”

Whenever you’re doing anything — whether you’re doing your homework or taking the dog for a walk — be listening to music.

Absolutely. Both of my parents have been. They’ve always said that you spend a large part of your life working, so you should do something you love.

And that’s something I hold very close to my heart — teaching, performing and inspiring other people.

It’s that sense of ambition and drive, and knowing that you’re doing something that feels right for you, that keeps you going. My parents were a big part of that. They always encouraged me to go and make my dreams happen — to move to the big city, a few hours away, and really pursue what I wanted to do.

Whatever that may be. It could have been another part of the arts industry, or something completely different, but they were always fully supportive of what I believed was right for me.

Oh, that’s a good one. I think, for me — and this is something I realised over a longer period of time — the saxophone really sings compared with instruments such as the flute and clarinet.

Coming from a singing background from a very young age, and from that sort of aural tradition, singing a melody feels very different from simply playing one. With the saxophone, if you can really make it sing and make it feel impactful, then you’re winning. I also think it’s a very free-blowing instrument.

That’s something I took from Kirk Whalum, whom I mentioned earlier. He’s a gospel and soul saxophonist, and he can play just a few notes and you feel them right in your heart. You hear it and think, That is an unbelievable sound.

Absolutely. The dynamic range and what you can do with it are amazing. From a teaching point of view, it’s also such a versatile instrument.

I have saxophone students who want to focus entirely on classical music. Then I have others who come in wanting to play the most extreme pop licks, while others say, “I want to be able to play like Charlie Parker.”

There are so many different things people can be inspired by and so many directions they can take the instrument in. I think that makes the saxophone very approachable, because it fits such a wide range of musical interests.

One of the main challenges, particularly for children and younger teenagers, is that the saxophone can be quite heavy. That’s something I never really thought about before I started teaching, but it can be a real consideration for younger students.

I think, generally with a reed instrument, people expect that they can simply blow into it with full force and this massive sound is going to come out.

For a complete beginner, creating the right embouchure — the position of the mouth around the mouthpiece — can be a real challenge. People often think they need to tense everything, squeeze and really push the air out. But that actually won’t create as good a sound as relaxing and blowing the air through with proper support from the lips.

Another big challenge is intonation. With a piano, for example, you press a key and the note is already there at the correct pitch. On the saxophone, intonation isn’t automatic — you have a lot of control over it with your mouth and your air support.

I do quite a lot of work with tuners with my students. I’ll ask them to experiment as they play higher up the instrument and notice what happens. Quite often, as beginners go higher, they start squeezing and tightening, and the notes become very sharp.

The saxophone sound is very directly connected to what’s happening with your embouchure, your breathing and your air support. If those things aren’t working together, the notes can move around quite a lot.

Absolutely. One of the main advantages adult students often have is that they come in with a fairly clear idea of what they want to get out of learning.

With a child, they may have been encouraged to try the instrument because it seems like something they might enjoy, but they don’t necessarily know yet where they want to take it — and that’s great too, because you can guide them and help them discover that.

Adults, however, often come in with a particular influence, artist or tune in mind. I have a lot of students who say, “In a few months, I want to be able to play this tune.”

That gives us a really clear pathway. We can look at what the tune involves, what key it’s in, the main musical ideas within it, and what exercises we can use to help them eventually play it.

Another practical advantage for adults is simply the size and weight of the saxophone. An adult can generally manage the weight around the neck or shoulders more easily than a younger player.

Yes, it can. There are some brilliant alternatives to a standard neck strap. I use one with my tenor saxophone that sits around the shoulders instead, and I’ve recommended that type of support to several of my students.

It takes the weight away from the neck and distributes it across the shoulders, which can be much more comfortable.

Yes. I couldn’t remember the name during our conversation, but I’ll send it to you afterwards. They’re brilliant — very strong, they fold down into almost nothing, and they put the weight onto your shoulders rather than your neck.

That can be particularly helpful because a lot of adult students have a tendency to hunch forwards while playing, especially when the instrument is pulling down from a traditional neck strap.

Exactly. Especially if you’re going to practise for a while. Developing good habits from the beginning, particularly with posture, is really important. As with most instruments, good posture can help prevent unnecessary strain or discomfort.

Absolutely not. Someone could come in at 80 and, if they have the time, the interest and the right mindset, they can learn.

There are also lots of things we can work on away from the instrument itself. For example, we can do breathing and airflow exercises. One exercise might involve blowing a sheet of paper against a wall and seeing how long you can keep it there using a steady stream of air.

Exercises like that can help students become more aware of their breathing and air support. And more broadly, learning something new, keeping your mind active and developing a new skill can be rewarding at any age.

The idea is for a student to finish their first lesson thinking, I’ve done something. That means I can do more.

That’s really the main aim. I want a student to come in not playing anything and, by the end of the lesson, to have achieved something that feels attainable for them.

That might be a simple tune using just G, A and B. It could be something from a book, a familiar melody, or even a tune we build from a few patterns. It depends on how that particular student learns best.

If they can leave the room thinking, I’ve done that, so next time I can do this, then I think that’s a really positive start. It gives them motivation and helps that sense of inspiration begin.

Absolutely. Every time. The last thing I would want is for a student to leave their first lesson thinking, I didn’t really do that very well.

With the right setup, everybody can make progress. For example, if a new student is borrowing a saxophone, I’ll make sure the instrument and reed are appropriate for them before we begin.

Absolutely — the reed has to be right. If a 2½-strength reed is too strong for a beginner, we’ll go down to a 2, and they will always produce a sound.

Exactly. So we always make sure we have the right resources for whatever level of student is coming in. That way, we get a sound straight away and build from there.

It depends on how much they’re willing to put into it. If a student starts completely from scratch and is really willing to practise and push on, within three months we can be playing simple duets and beginner pieces in simple keys — for example, a short song of four lines or so in G major.

I’m thinking of one student who came to me not knowing how to produce a single sound. She has practised really well, and now, about five months on, she’s playing full-page songs from a book. She loves well-known tunes and theme songs — she has the classic ABBA books with the saxophone melodies in them — and I coach her through those, integrating the theory as we go.

She’s doing brilliantly. So within three months, you can expect to be playing shorter pieces of four or five lines.

I always say to my students: do as much as you can and want to. It’s the classic advice, but little and often is so much better than nothing at all.

If students are really busy with work, I tell them that playing long tones quietly for five to ten minutes, with just the mouthpiece on the neck of the saxophone, is 100% better than doing nothing at all that day.

That breath work and the placement of the embouchure on the mouthpiece do so much more than you might think. Then one day you notice it and think, Oh, wow, that actually feels much more secure. It’s those little things.

Daily, if they can manage 15 to 30 minutes, that’s all they need. It shouldn’t take over their time. It’s meant to be a fun activity: play for as long as you feel motivated, then put it down.

Absolutely. I have students who come in and say, “I want to learn how to improvise. I’ve never really improvised before.”

With those students, we’ll look at some theory concepts and work through exercises, but the important thing is that I always apply the theory directly to the instrument. We’re never going to spend 15 minutes simply sitting there while I explain something on paper.

We’ll actively put everything onto the instrument, build it into the muscle memory, use practical exercises and then bring the theoretical understanding and the technical playing together.

I also have a student who loves to come in and simply play duets for 45 minutes. That’s her creative outlet from work. She wants to play, learn different things through those duets and have somebody there to play with. For her, enjoying that time is the most important thing.

Then I have students who bring in their own books and say, “I really like the pieces in this book. I’ve been playing for several years and I’d really like to learn these.”

In that case, we’ll look through the book together and choose something manageable. What can they realistically achieve in a couple of weeks, a few weeks or perhaps a month? I want them to have a goal that feels achievable, so they can reach it and think, Yes, I’m proud of myself for that.

We’ll then look at the key, become familiar with it, work through exercises on the instrument and gradually build towards playing the piece. So the approach can be very different depending on what each student wants from their lessons.

Not at all. I’d say the most important thing is simply to bring the right attitude.

Sometimes people feel they need to study beforehand, but that’s what the lesson is for. You don’t need to watch YouTube videos about how to play the saxophone before taking your first lesson. You can simply come in and learn from scratch.

I actually think that can make the first lesson more exciting.

No, absolutely not. There are lots of benefits to reading music, and it can make certain processes quicker, but it isn’t essential.

I come from a very aural tradition myself. When I moved into jazz, I learned very much through my ears rather than my eyes. Going back to what I said about my father always having music playing at home, listening taught me an enormous amount.

There’s so much we can do by ear. We can play imitation exercises, sing melodies, work on aural skills and even learn music through transcription. There’s a great deal you can develop without relying entirely on written notation.

I think students who struggle can sometimes lose sight of why they started in the first place. People occasionally expect things to be easier than they turn out to be, and that can affect their motivation and enthusiasm.

But I also think it depends on the material they’re being given. If a student is clearly struggling with something, I don’t think the answer is to keep pushing them through the same thing again and again.

Sometimes you need to take a step back and ask: What is achievable in the short term? What can I give this student that they can realistically accomplish within a week or two?

Once they achieve that, they can think, I’ve done that, so now I can do this.

I think the difference often comes down to maintaining that motivation and making sure the material is appropriate for the student at that particular stage.

Normally, if a student makes a mistake but keeps going, I’ll let them continue. I’m observing what’s happening rather than stopping them straight away.

At the end, I might ask, “How did that feel? What did you notice? What went well?” I like to start with something positive: what was the best part of the performance?

Then I’ll ask, “Were there any areas you felt could be improved? Was there anything you found particularly difficult?”

Quite often, through that self-reflection, the student will identify exactly the same area I noticed. They might say, “That bar didn’t feel right,” and then realise, “Oh, I missed that F-sharp.”

That approach works really well for me. Rather than immediately saying, “That was wrong,” I let the student experience the piece first and then say, “Okay, now let’s try this.” They play it again and often immediately hear the difference: Oh, that sounds much better.

Absolutely. I always want my students to leave feeling positive about what they’ve achieved.

It teaches you how to lead and communicate with other musicians.

Quite often, if I’m playing in a quartet or quintet, I’ll be at the front of the group. There’s a lot involved in directing musicians through the way you play. For example, if you want the music to slow down towards the end of a piece, you can communicate that through your playing and through physical movement.

Those are things you don’t necessarily learn in a one-to-one lesson. You also need enough musical understanding to communicate clearly with the other musicians about what you’re looking for.

Then there’s blend, particularly in larger ensembles such as big bands. You might have an incredible, powerful sound as a soloist, but if you’re playing alto two in a saxophone section, that same sound may not be appropriate.

You have to think about where you sit within the overall sound of the band. Are you leading from the front? Are you supporting from the middle? What role does your instrument have within that particular group?

Learning to understand your place within an ensemble is incredibly important.

Right from the start. Absolutely.

Playing with other people is incredibly motivating. It’s fun, it’s inclusive and, when everyone is supportive, it can be a really healthy environment for a beginner.

There’s a lot of value in simply getting people involved. If a beginner can play the root notes slowly and hold each one for four beats, brilliant — let’s use that. They can play that role while somebody else plays something more complex.

Progress is progress, no matter what level you’re at. So I’d encourage students to experience playing with others from the beginning.

We can practise all of those things on our own, but the reality of using them in a group is very different.

Take timing, for example. You can practise with a metronome, which is useful, but it can sometimes feel quite repetitive. When you’re playing with a drummer who has a great groove, suddenly practising your timing feels less like an exercise and much more like making music.

When you’re playing in a group, there are so many things to listen for.

Internally, you’re asking yourself: How does my sound fit within this group? Does the way I’m playing suit the style of the music? Am I blending with the other musicians?

But you’re also listening externally. How is the guitar relating to what I’m playing? How are the guitar and piano working together when they’re both comping? How are they leaving space for one another?

There’s so much happening that you have to become aware of.

Improvisation is similar. You can do group exercises such as call and response, or go around the room with everyone playing a two-bar phrase and asking the next person to answer what they’ve just heard.

Learning to listen to another musician and then respond creatively to what they’ve played is a very different skill from practising on your own. It’s something you really develop through playing with other people.