William Hollifield

Hit It, Then Learn How to Aim — The Misconception in Early Tone Development of New Saxophonists

William — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:55:00 +0000

After the first few lessons with a new student, inevitably they come in frustrated saying that their band director told them that they (and the entire sax section) are playing too loud. I tell them to calm down and do what their band director tells them. Then we talk about the “Why” and “How” of dynamics. And, in my opinion, band directors often seem to get it wrong when it comes to tone and dynamics with their saxophone section more than any other. I admit that I have, and I like, a louder sound. This doesn’t mean I can’t or don’t want to play soft, but I prefer to have, and believe musicians need, a sound that projects. I recently attended a master class with Jeff Coffin here in Atlanta and heard him talk about this very thing. (Disclaimer: I’m certainly not comparing myself to Jeff Coffin).

Think about any time you’ve been to watch young kids play instruments in a group. Cousins’, brother’s, sister’s, niece’s, nephew’s concerts in their school gym. It wasn’t very loud was it? When you have new musicians on Flutes, Clarinets, Trumpets, Trombones, Bassoons, basically any instrument that’s not Saxophone, these instruments are not naturally loud for a beginning musician. While air production is consistent from instrument to instrument, it takes a lot of training of embouchure muscles to get a sound that projects on many of these instruments. The exact opposite is true of Saxophone.

Saxophone doesn’t require a muscular embouchure, at least if you follow the teachings of Joe Allard or possibly even Larry Teal. After embouchure, the only thing left is air production. This is where band directors fall into a trap without knowing it: Saxophonists have to first learn how to control their air and support their sound. This usually means putting LOTS of air into the horn. I equate it with the first time I hit a correct backhand in tennis. The instructor showed us how you have to hit through the swing. The first time anyone hits the tennis ball with the correct form, the ball goes over the fence and into the parking lot. We then were told to keep the form but to try and aim more accurately. THAT’S WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN WITH SAXOPHONE!! So many directors are interested in immediate balance and huge volume changes that young saxophonists do not have the capability to do well. Instead, everyone in the section bites down and backs off on air. This results in pitch and tone quality issues which is why their saxes sound so ‘bright’ or ‘tinny’, why they can’t articulate with speed and accuracy, and why they can’t play in the upper register or lower register, let alone play these registers in tune. Worst of all, the students learning the instrument are developing terrible habits and having a lousy time since they can’t play what’s on the page. It’s like giving a pointillist painter a roller to use and then telling them just to paint lighter. If you don’t have the proper base, in this case air control, you can’t start practicing subtlety.

My Advice: To get a great sounding sax section, students should start by doing overtones (the saxophone version of the brass section’s ‘lip trills’, although a very a different exercise). Then introduce dynamic long tones. And, directors and teachers, don’t worry about getting the right balance the first couple of months. Let the students build the warm, lush sound that the saxophone has, then teach them ‘how to aim’.

New Tune – “Finally” Live

William — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:30:39 +0000

Well it’s been a little while since you’ve heard some new music on this site… yes I blame: me. But, with my group doing a series of recording sessions today and in the coming weeks I thought I’d put a little teaser of the 6 completely new tunes that we’ll be recording and posting here. This tune is very aptly named “Finally (I Can Dance This Thing Out)” as in, there’s FINALLY some new music on here…

Finally (I Can Dance This Thing Out) - Live

I will also be putting part of the session LIVE on UStream at 5 pm EST.

Check out this track and my other music on the Music Page under Media.

Students’ Accomplishments – 2011

William — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:11:11 +0000

Before we get too far into 2012, I want to take a minute to recognize the hard work that my students put forth in 2011. This is by no means a full list of all of the amazing things they’ve done. However, I do want to let everyone know how proud of them I am. Great Job Guys! Let’s get ready for another great year.

2012 All-State Winners:

Stephanie Lopez
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: Glen C. Jones Middle
Director: Dr. Tonya Millsap
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 3^rd

Rishi Rao
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 5
School: Rivertrail Middle School
Director: Angela Reynolds/Jennifer Compton
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 8^th

Jason Herrera
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett Middle School
Director: Mary Wilson
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 2^nd Alternate

2011 Encore! Camp

*These two students scored within a half point of one another and twenty points above the rest of their section.

*Connor McClelland
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
School: North Gwinnett Middle School
Director: Mary Wilson
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 1^st Chair
Recipient of the Junior Director Award

*Stephanie Lopez
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: Glen C. Jones Middle
Director: Dr. Tonya Millsap
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 2^nd

Kristyn Nowak
Instrument: Bass Clarinet
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett High School
Director: Brian Lambeth/Marion English/Rudy Gilber/Hunter McRae
Grade: 9^th
Chair: Principal Encore! Honor Band

2012 All-State & District Honor Band Finalists:

The following students made their District Honor Bands. If they are noted as an All-State Finalist then they also passed on to the second round of All-State auditions.

Brendon Ayestaran
Instrument: Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet
District: 13
School: N/A
Director:
Grade: 10^th
Chair: N/A
All-State Finalist – Scored 4^th out of 50 at State

Jeremy Heit
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: Northwestern Middle School
Director: Christy Naughton
Grade: 8^th
Chair: N/A

Jason Herrera
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett Middle School
Director: Mary Wilson
Grade: 8th
Chair: 3^rd
All-State Finalist

Kaitlyn Lopez
Instrument: Clarinet
District: 13
School: Mill Creek High School
Director: Erik Mason
Grade: 10^th
Chair: N/A

Stephanie Lopez
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: Glen C. Jones Middle School
Director: Dr. Tonya Millsap
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 1^st
All-State Finalist

Connor McClelland
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett Middle School
Director: Mary Wilson
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 2^nd District Concert Band
All-State Finalist

Kristyn Nowak
Instrument: Bass Clarinet
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett High School
Director: Brian Lambeth/Marion English/Rudy Gilbert/Hunter McRae
Grade: 9^th
Chair: N/A
All-State Finalist

Jamie Park
Instrument: Clarinet
District: 13
School: North Gwinnett Middle School
Director: Mary Wilson
Grade: 8^th
Chair: 6^th
All-State Finalist

Mandy Peskin
Instrument: Tenor Saxophone
District: 3
School: Ridgeview Middle School
Director: Michael Gibson
Grade: 8th
Chair: N/A
All-State Finalist

Stephen Thomas
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: N/A
Director: N/A
Grade: 7^th
Chair: N/A
All-State Finalist

Tito Tomei
Instrument: Baritone Saxophone
District: 13
School: N/A
Director: N/A
Grade: 8^th
Chair: Principal District Concert Band
All-State Finalist

Rebekah Warnstrom
Instrument: Alto Saxophone
District: 13
School: N/A
Director: N/A
Grade: 8^th
Chair: N/A
All-State Finalist

Special Recognition:

Despite some observed oddities for the high school district auditions for students in District 13 this year, many students did well on their audition in that district. Their names are listed below.

John Brocksmith
Zach Compton
Joon Kim
Kaitlyn Lopez
Jessica Morton
Alex Wise

Clarinet Tone Exercises

William — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:41:03 +0000

I get questioned all the time by my students about how to get a better sound. It’s a great question and an important one at that. However, the worst thing that can happen is if someone has never even asked themselves “how do I work on tone?” If someone new to an instrument is using their ear when they play, really listening to themselves, they usually have a pretty good sound. This allows them to do all sorts of new music, new concepts, extended range and techniques, even if their embouchure and air stream aren’t perfect. The flip side is when someone is fighting a ‘bad’ sound. They’ll find that it holds them back from doing so much more on their instrument.

Tone work should usually start off your practice session. It allows you to warm up, use air correctly before working on technical or musical aspects, and get mentally prepared for your practice session. Here’s a list of Clarinet tone exercises that I’ve picked up over the years and a Saxophone version will follow shortly (but, feel free to reference “Ramon Ricker Overtone Exercises” in the meantime).

PDF of Clarinet Tone Exercises

Practice Logs/Journals

William — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:33:24 +0000

I know, everyone’s wretched band director had them bring their instrument home everyday, not practice, then convince their parents to lie at the end of the week and sign this arbitrary sheet called a ‘practice log’ saying you had practiced an hour a day. This is truly unfortunate because this is the exact opposite of what a practice log should be. A practice log is an objective recounting of how much time you spent doing what in your practice time: no more, no less. Some people get really fancy with them, writing down detail after detail. That’s not what I’m doing here. Above is a very simple practice log that I thought would be helpful for anyone looking to improve their practice routine, either by practicing more efficient, or by keeping better track of their own progress, or both. While you don’t want the log to go on for pages, it is helpful to keep small notes as you progress (e.g. faster tempo markings, new exercises, etc.). Write down the individual times per exercise or concept and then add them up at the end to see how much you practiced in a day.

It’s pretty self explanatory, but I’ll take you through it. The first field listed is “Instrument”, that’s mainly for anyone who is a multi-instrumentalist and is juggling multiple practice schedules, in which case, a practice log is almost necessary to track of everything. The next is the date for the beginning of that week. Below that field are the goals for that week. This will help you keep track of your progress from week to week. You write down what you and your teacher have decided you’ll work on for the week. The table is a breakdown of time spent on each category and total time per day. That’s it.

This table is simple on purpose. You want to spend as little time as possible ‘book-keeping’ and as much time as you can practicing. Remember, this is for you, not for someone else (so no need to lie). It’s a way for you to objectively evaluate where you’re at, how to set goals, how to proceed with your practice routine, and the results of those efforts.

I’ve included a link to Word document so that people can open it on their machine and edit it as need be:

Practice Log in a Word Document (.doc)

Who Died and Made You King?

William — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:21:39 +0000

One of the more troubling things I’ve seen in the music world lately manifests out of nowhere. It happens whenever I talk to one of my students about reed choices. Now, if the student is on a decent to good set up I rarely bring up the idea of new equipment (or at least I try to). But, if the student feels that they’re at an impasse and is interested in trying something new I like to give them all of their options. I say, “Well there’s these types of Vandoren’s, these types of more boutique reed choices, these types of Rico’s…..” and right there, the student inevitably goes “Rico’s SUCK!!” or “My band director said Rico’s are bad”. And, inevitably, I start to suffer an aneurism. More than likely, the student has never tried Rico reeds, ANY Rico reeds. What is also unfortunate is that a lot of times the person (usually the band director) that gave this student this well-intentioned, but wayward advice ALSO hasn’t tried Rico. A lot of times, but not always, this is because they were originally a brass player and don’t actually have years of experience playing woodwind instruments. So, I’m asking the question, who died and made Vandoren the king of all reeds, mouthpieces, and other related music products?

Is it because of the number of reed options?

Rico Has:	Vandoren Has:
Rico Reeds Rico Royal Reserve Reserve Classic La Voz Grand Concert Select Grand Concert Select Evolution Mitchell Lurie Mitchell Premium Rico Select Jazz (which for years have been known as Rico Jazz Select, but whatever) Plasticover	Traditional V12 V16 ZZ Java Java Red (A very recent addition versus Rico’s RSJ which always had the filed or unfiled option) 56 Rue Lepic (Specifically Clarinet)

Is it because of artist endorsements? To boil it down, Rico seems to have more jazz and a fair amount of Bass Clarinetists while Vandoren more classical and definitely more Clarinetists.

Is it because of reed consistency? Ask anyone that plays Vandoren and they’ll probably tell you that their reeds aren’t the exact same from reed to reed. In fact, reeds are inconsistent in every brand. Some vary more than others, but the brand and sizing are estimates; you’re going to find pure consistency issues with just about any brand. And, if musicians work on their reeds, does that mean the reed manufacturer is good or does it mean that the musician is a good “reed-tweeker”?

Is it innovation? Rico has just come out with a huge series of products trying to regain their name. For example: the Rico Ligature, the Rico Cap (almost a Brilhart mouthpiece cap reissue), the H-Ligature (a throw back of the old Harrison ligatures), and the ReedVitalizer humidity packs. Even if someone uses Vandoren reeds, a lot of times they’re using a Rico ReedVitalizer along with their reed regiment, NOT a blue Vandoren reed holder with a “humidity control” that makes your reeds moldy.

Is it quality of cane? I can name at least 5 brands that age their cane longer, use more choice cane, and have higher quality control than Rico or Vandoren (Gonzales, Riggotti, Roberto’s, Alexander, Daniel’s).

Is it because Rico (kind of) doesn’t make mouthpieces? Well, they certainly have not delved into the world of mouthpieces yet. However, they do have a neck strap that people tend to like.

I guess my big point here is that I find this debate ridiculous (which is why I ironically continued it on this blog). You use what works. If a Rico Grand Concert gets you a better sound than a Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic, fine. Yes, you can take facts about the reed manufacturing process to help in the selection, but the second that someone uses brand recognition to make that decision for them, they’re not thinking about sound. And, isn’t sound really all we should care about?

Rhythm Exercises: #1 Rhythmic Subdivisons

William — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:08:16 +0000

This is the first in a set of rhythmic exercises that I’ll be posting to this site. So many times we overlook the importance of having Really. Good. Time. This is something that will help in every aspect of playing, e.g. improvising, playing etudes and solo pieces, playing in an ensemble, playing pieces with no definable time, and even sight reading (yes, I said sight reading). This was first shown to me by Mr. Kim, one of the teachers that I met at Georgia Governor’s Honors Program when I was in high school. He said then, and I’ve found in my own teaching, that students working on their sight-reading always think that the thing holding them back is their ability to read notes when, in actuality, it’s their sense of rhythm that keeps them from reading something fluidly. This is an exercise that he gave us to help with that:

It looks simple, but let me explain how to play this. You can’t just set a metronome and count. If you’re going to internalize these subdivisions, you have to keep time and rhythm in two different ways – you can’t just use your foot. First, set your metronome on quarter note equals 40. Now, clap along with the metronome; your hands are now keeping the time. Then, you’re going to say the rhythm (the part that’s written on the staff) while you continue to clap the time along with the metronome. Repeat this for at least a couple of minutes checking that you’re not rushing or dragging and get use to going from groups of nines all the way back to quarter notes to notice how changing the subdivision feels. To solidify this, switch the time and rhythm. Keep the time with your mouth by saying “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, etc…” and clap the rhythm. For some of you the first way will be more difficult, for others, the second will. Here’s an audio clip of this being played with wood block keeping the quarter note pulse and snare drum keeping the rhythm:

Rhythmic Subdivisions (Snare & Wood Block)

Above & Beyond: To make this more interesting you can use drumsticks and a drum pad. Time in one hand, rhythm in the other, then switch. This will show you two things 1) how truly accurate you have to be with rhythm to keep time well and 2) how keeping accurate rhythm will later help you keep time well.

Show Announcement! July 2nd @ Smith’s Olde Bar

William — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:47:47 +0000

Did you miss us? Because we’re back, and back in style. WHB will be doing their next performance in the Atlanta Room at Smith’s Olde Bar. This club is a staple of the southeast that hosts both local, national, and international acts with a laundry list of past performers that rivals most arenas. Details for the show are listed below, or as always on the “Calendar” page, OR on the FB Event Page. While you’re up on facebook, don’t forget to “like” the Will Hollifield Music page and keep checking back for more videos, show announcements, and posts.

7/2/11 – Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta), music starts at 8 PM

Cover: $8
21+
1578 Piedmont Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30324-5232
(404) 875-1522
RSVP on facebook

Show Announcements! April 8th & April 16th

William — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:44:41 +0000

When good things happen, I guess they happen in pairs. I’m really excited to announce TWO, count’em, TWO upcoming shows in April. One is at a fairly new venue, Studio 281 on April 8th. The other is at a Decatur mainstay, JavaMonkey, on April 16th. Show details are below, on the “Calendar” page, or on their respective FB Event Pages:

4/8/11 – Studio 281 (Atlanta), 9 PM & 11 PM

Cover: $10
All Ages
281 Peters St. SW
Atlanta, GA 30313
(404) 524-7247
RSVP via FB
Featuring: Jared Lanham, Jon Strength, Madoka Oshima, Ben Whetherford

4/16/11 – JavaMonkey (Decatur), 8 PM – 11 PM

No Cover
All Ages
425 Church St
Decatur, Georgia
(404) 378-5002
RSVP via FB
Featuring: Tauseef Anam, Eric Maples, Jon Strength, Madoka Oshima

Students’ Accomplishments – 2010

William — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:56:36 +0000

2010 was an eventful year and 2011 promises to be even more so. I wanted to take the opportunity to name some of the accomplishments that my students made this year. They all worked very hard and saw that work pay off. Needless to say, I’m very proud of them. Here is a list of some of their major accomplishments.

2011 All-State Winners:

Alex Wise

Instrument: Principal Baritone Saxophone

School: North Gwinnett Middle School

Director: Mary Wilson

Grade: 8th

2010 UGA Middle School Band Festival (MidFest):

Alex Wise

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

School: North Gwinnett Middle School

Director: Mary Wilson

Grade: 8th

Jeremy Heit (4th Chair in the Honor Band at MidFest)

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

School: Northwestern Middle School

Director: Christy Naughton

Grade: 7th

2011 UGA High School Band Festival (JanFest):

Zach Compton

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

School: West Hall High

Director: Ernie Phillips

Grade: 10th

Taylor Stewart

Instrument: Baritone Saxophone

Grade: 10th

District Chair: Principal Baritone Saxophone

2011 All-State & 2010 District Honor Band Finalists:

Grayson Cooper

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

District: 13

School: North Gwinnett

Director: Mary Wilson

Grade: 8th

District Chair: N/A

All-State Finalist

Stephanie Lopez

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

District: 13

School: Glen C. Jones Middle

Director: Dr. Tonya Millsap

Grade: 7th

District Chair: N/A

All-State Finalist

Taylor Miles

Instrument: Bass Clarinet

District: 13

Grade: 12th

District Chair: N/A

All-State Finalist

Jessica Morton

Instrument: Clarinet

District: 13

School: Lanier Middle School

Director: Mrs. Amodeo

Grade: 8th

District Chair: N/A

Taylor Stewart

Instrument: Baritone Saxophone

Grade: 10th

District Chair: Principal Baritone Saxophone

All-State Finalist

Kirk Vaniscak

Instrument: Tenor Saxophone

District: 13

School: North Gwinnett Middle School

Director: Mary Wilson

Grade: 7th

District Chair: N/A

All-State Finalist

Alex Wise

Instrument: Alto & Baritone Saxophone

District: 13

School: North Gwinnett Middle School

Director: Mary Wilson

Grade: 8th

District Chair: 5th

All-State Finalist