SaxCoach – Saxophone and Improvisation

Learn how to play saxophone and improvise.

My philosophy on learning music

01. Easier than you think

Music is created by humans for humans. There are no tricks or secrets. Playing well is a matter of using ourselves in a normal way.

02. clarify

Learning is about clarifying what is confusing. Playing well is not about correctness or perfection but what is clear.

03. Everything is related

Everything in music is related. Tone is related to pitch. Perception is related to technique. Everything is related.

03. Love Your Playing

Love your playing and fully embrace what you play at the time. It frees your creative thinking and invites you to learn.

Steve Duke: saxophonist, improviser, teacher

Rooted in jazz and classical traditions, saxophonist Steve Duke has established himself as a leading artist in contemporary music and improvisation. His improvisations and technical prowess in computer music have earned him international acclaim. Duke wrote the first article on the jazz and classical multi-genre technique and developed the first curriculum in the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. In 2012, he created the blog and Facebook page The Sax Coach, and in 2021 started this website, SaxCoach.org, offering videos, articles, and exercises on learning saxophone and improvisations.

Steve Duke is a Northern Illinois University Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music at the University of North Texas and is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher.

Hear Steve’s music at STEVEDUKE.NET

42

Years of experience

teaching saxophone, jazz, and body awareness

Let's PLay!

Explore areas you would like to develop in playing saxophone and improvisation.

Saxophone

Improvisation

Practice

Testimonials

“Studying with Steve Duke is a lesson in music-making as a way of life. How to approach your instrument, how to make a sound- a beautiful sound, how to move and hold your body while making music, and- most importantly- how to listen to music..."

"Professor Stephen Duke is one of the most insightful teachers I’ve ever observed, one who looks much more deeply in to how and why a student plays in the manner that he or she does, and is able to address technical, aesthetic, and physical issues in those students thereby helping them discover better more efficient ways of playing."

"Working with him helped me find and eliminate the underlying cause of the pain. His integration of bodywork and saxophone technique was exactly what I needed... Steve has set the bar for sax teachers."