Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1
B Flat Saxophones Edition (PDF Download)
100 Interchangeable Long Major II-V-I Licks
Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 is arguably the most authentic and efficient book for saxophonists to use to help them develop their jazz vocabulary.
Included in the book are 100 licks to play over the hugely important “long” Major II-V-I chord progression. The licks are written mostly in the bebop tradition and presented in all 12 keys. They all cover the key aspects of jazz including enclosures, tri-tone substitutions, diminished and altered scales. This is core jazz language for any saxophonist!
“A very enjoyable pair of books. Good tunes, cool licks, ace backing tracks and a great workout for my playing – Hugely recommend!”
J. Raisbeck, Sax Student, Newcastle, UK
As well as the 100 licks written out in all 12 keys, this book comes with a huge number of demo and backing tracks. You’ll get the following practise materials when you download the book: –
- 100 Demo/Play-a-long tracks for each of the licks
- 6 Demo/Play-a-long tracks for the example “Spliced Licks”
- 72 key based practise tracks (covering 6 different tempos ranging from 108 – 200 bpm)
- 48 fluency work out tracks (taking the major II-V-I around all 12 keys in 4 different ways, covering the same tempos as above)
- Chord charts for all of the above, and space for you to try out and write down your own major II-V-I licks!
- Alternate fingering recommendations where applicable for each of the licks!
Please note, as most of my website’s visitors are now not UK based, I’m now processing payments in US Dollars for their ease of purchase.
Scroll images for example pages from the book.
A More Authentic Approach to Using Jazz Licks in Improvisation
Not only does Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 give you 100 great licks, the core concept of this book is that the licks are “interchangeable.” What do I mean by this?
In Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 I group the licks by the note that they land on beat 1 of bar 2. You can then transition to another lick at this point should you wish, and the result will always sound good. This then gives you lots of different options to work with, helping you use licks in a more creatively.
Learning how to splice blocks of language together to form new phrases will help keep your solos sounding fresh. By mastering this concept, you will gain a more authentic way to improvise. Just like how the Masters use language in their solos. Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 will help you develop your jazz vocabulary in an extremely efficient manner whilst always remaining convincing and stylistic.
Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 presents the licks in a way that makes moving between blocks of language effortlessly. Then the book gives you plenty of chance to practise along to great sounding backing tracks. There are even work sheet pages, so you can create and try out making your own licks. All invaluable practice for any saxophonist.
Newsletter Signup Form
Sign up to my newsletter for regular updates, free practise materials, tips and advice to help you take your sax playing to the next level. Sign up and you’ll receive a 20% discount code to use on any eBooks available in the Book Shop!
A Huge Resource of Backing Tracks
As well as the 100 jazz licks written out in all 12 keys, there are a huge amount of great sounding demo and backing tracks for you to play along to. These backing tracks cover a range chord progressions and tempos, giving you quite the work out. You’ll certainly know the licks and how to use them, by the time you can play them in all 12 keys at 200 bpm!
Check out some audio samples from the book here: –
A Unique Book of Jazz Licks
Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 is also a unique resource because of the marked recommendations for alternate fingerings found throughout. The Greats (particularly the Beboppers) like Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt, used these alternate fingerings constantly to help their phrases flow effortlessly. I teach these fingerings to all of my saxophone students, and I recommend that you learn and use them too!
Whilst Jazz Licks for Saxophone, Vol. 1 can be used as a stand-a-lone study resource, it works at its best when used together with Jazz Etudes for Saxophone, Vol. 1. If you work on these jazz etudes at the same time as the licks you’ll see how I use them in context. How sometimes I choose to use the licks in their original form, or splice blocks of them together to form new lines. How often I will frame a lick with a device like an enclosure, to help make it sound more organic within the solo.
“This is a fantastic collection of meticulously researched jazz etudes, each based upon a standard chord sequence that really shows you how to expand your improvisational vocabulary in an organic and musical way.”
P. Hopcroft, Top Cheltenham based Saxophonist, UK
If you want to know more about these jazz licks feel free to get in touch. Also, check out my YouTube channel, where you’ll find advice and demonstrations helping you get the most out of this resource.
Let’s get to it!
Happy practising!!
Nathan