128-TONE SCALE ON SAXOPHONE (by Philipp Gerschlauer) Philipp Gerschlauer  demonstrates the 128 tone scale  in the video below. When I saw it, I was blown away!  Philipp Gerschlauer writes: "My quest was to explore microtonal...

24-TONE SCALE ON SAXOPHONE (by Tony Hicks) Tony Hicks demonstrates the 24 tone scale and plays a free improvisation demonstrating the use of this extended tonality in the video below . When I saw it, I knew it was something special. "My journey...

BEATBOX SAX BY DEREK BROWN I came across video by Derek Brown in one of the Saxophone groups on facebook. Most techniques he uses are known by many sax players (although not always performed as well). Derek goes one step further, he adds...

BORGANI 432 SAX "We are very proud for our first Tenor Sax with pitch 432 ! " - Borgani USA Photo: Enrico Marchioro with his brand new Borgani Tenor Sax Special Edition made on request with pitch 432 .  I received a mail from...

FAVORITE SAXOPHONISTS In this blog I will share something about some of my favorite sax players with you ... There are many great saxophonists that could have been in this article as well (like Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon,...

GREAT "UNKNOWNS" ON THE SAXOPHONE In this article I will post some Youtube tracks and links to the sites of various sax players that might not be very known to the general (mainstream) audience, but are just as great as some of the well known...

JOHN COLTRANE'S TONE CIRCLE My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.- John Coltrane FOREWORD I do like to mention that I am no "authority" or "expert" when it comes to Coltrane's work,...

ODD, ARTY & RARE SAXOPHONES A short blog with images and bits of information about odd, arty and rare saxophones. GRAFTON The Grafton saxophone was an injection moulded, cream-coloured acrylic plastic alto saxophone with metal keys,...

TROGGLE-KEY SYSTEM By Stelling Brass & Winds and Dr. Nabb When browsing the web curious about inventions, improvements and variations of the mechanical work of the saxophone I came across the website onehandwinds.unk.edu . I wasn't...

THE GEOMETRY OF JOHN COLTRANE'S MUSIC My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.- John Coltrane Note: this article is a "work in progress". There is a lot more to "figure out" about Coltrane's...

THE LANGUAGE OF IMPROVISATION (by Bill Evans) I came across these videos on Youtube and enjoyed watching them so much that I decided to mention them on my blog, perhaps you will enjoy watching as much as I did.  INTRODUCTION ON TRUEFIRE.COM...

VINTAGE 435HZ SAXOPHONES GATHERED INFORMATION ABOUT (POSSIBLE) 435Hz SAXOPHONES. This article contains info about vintage saxophones that might have been designed for Concert Pitch A4=435Hz, the so called "Diapason Normal", the national concert...

WHY IS THE SAXOPHONE A WOODWIND INSTRUMENT? Many people (who do not know much about instrument design and their history) think the saxophone is a so called "brass instrument ". And, perhaps at first sight that seems logical, the saxophone is...

FAMOUS SAXOPHONE SOLOS & RIFFS Many of the big Pop hits (approx. 1 out of 3) between 1978 and the late 80s have saxophone riffs and/or solos. This had an enormous impact on the popularity of the instrument during that period, resulting in...

FAMOUS SAXOPHONE SOLOS & RIFFS (PART I - The 70s) Walk On The Wild Side (1972) #21 (Top 40) , #16 (US Billboard Hot 100) , #10 (UK Singles OCC) Saxophonist: RONNIE ROSS "Walk on the Wild Side " is een song by Lou...

FAMOUS SAXOPHONE SOLOS & RIFFS (PART II - The 80s) Just the Two of Us (1980) #11 (Top 40) , #16 (NL Single Top 100) , #2 (US Billboard Hot 100) Saxophonist: GROVER WASHINGTON JR. In 1980 "Winelight " was released,...

FAMOUS SAXOPHONE SOLOS & RIFFS (PART III – The 90s) Lily Was Here (1989/1990) #1 (Top 40) , #11 (US Billboard Hot 100) , #6 (UK Singles OCC) Saxophonist: CANDY DULFER In '89/'90 Dave Stewart  (Eurythmics) scored t...

FAMOUS SAXOPHONE SOLOS & RIFFS (PART IV – 2000-2015) FOREWORD ON PART 4 : Except for "Lazarus" by Bowie I do not like any of the tracks listed below . I added them to create a more complete picture for this blog article, some of the v...

Female Jazz Saxophonists The number of known top level female saxophone players is still relatively small in comparison with the sheer number of top level male saxophonists. That is both surprising and a bit sad as well because those female saxophone...

Sa-X-Mas Christmas Songs With Saxophone For saxophone lovers there are many X-mass songs online from known and less known saxophonists. Specially since the growing popularity of “Smooth Jazz” in the 90s using the saxophone as lead instrument for...

SA-X-MAS: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas " With Saxophone In this article I focus on one of the two all-time-favorites of mine: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ". It turns out I am not the only one that feels like that about...

SA-X-MAS: "The Christmas Song" With Saxophone In this article I focus on one of the two all-time-favorites of mine: "The Christmas Song ". It turns out I am not the only one that feels like that about this song, it is a favorite among many saxophonists....

SA-X-MAS: Various Christmas Songs With Saxophone For the saxophone lovers there are many X-mass songs online from known and less known saxophonists. Specially since the growing popularity of "Smooth Jazz" in the 80s and 90s using the saxophone...