Introduction
The first part of this book deals with the traditional daily practice of scales. Major and minor scales, major and minor scales in thirds and fourths, major and minor arpeggios and dominant and diminished arpeggios. The second part deals with the practise of intervals, from the semitone up to the octave. This kind of exercise is vital to the development of flexibility that is necessary for the accurate performance of the large leaps and intervals found in today’s music.

Practice method
I suggest that each scale or exercise be randomly matched with one of the articulations from the first page. The articulations are in order of tongue use. The secret of increasing the speed of articulation is not how often you tongue, but rather how often you allow the tongue muscle to rest in between each articulation. Therefore, start at the top of the list and work your way down. I have included common articulation patterns found in groupings of four, but of course you may also wish to practise triplets and other rhythmic groupings.

Use of a metronome is highly recommended. Play each group of scales at the same speed. Don’t be tempted to play the ‘easier’ scales faster. Non-systematic practice is why ‘easier’ scales developed in the first place. Once you can play all at the one speed, increase the metronome marking.

Intonation
Each note needs to be played at the correct pitch. Make sure that your first note is at concert pitch and that each subsequent note is just as accurate. In a short time you will have dextrous fingers and accurate intonation.

Breathing
You will notice a repeat sign near the end of each scale. You should endeavour to play each scale as many times as possible in one breath in order to increase breathing capacity. Only through the continual effort of taking large breaths will the capacity and efficiency of breathing begin to increase. When you can play scales in thirds at least three times in each breath, you will know that capacity is starting to increase!

Final note
Technical practice can be time consuming, so the aim of this book is to provide an efficient, comprehensive way in which to facilitate the development of a fluid technique. Work systematically and you will master saxophone technique.

These pieces have been chosen to give the advanced saxophonist a melodic selection of traditional studies and caprices. The works were adapted from the violin music of Kreuzter, Rode and Paganini and offer saxophonists the chance to play virtuosic studies that are immensely enjoyable - both to play and to listen to.

Mastering one study at a time is a proven technique for learning these demanding pieces. Precision is vital. Detailed observation of pitch, rhythm and nuance is an effective way to begin the 20 pieces. Careful consideration of each fingering will help to develop fluent integration of the altissimo register. Meticulous study now will save time and frustration later.

No breath marks are given and often no rests are present to indicate where to breathe. Given the wide variety of tempi that these studies are likely to performed at, each saxophonist must choose their own breathing points. Remember though that breathing is decided by the musical phrase, rather than the phrase being decided by the breathing. It is suggested that the occasional note be ommited to occomodate breathing rather than adjusting the tempo.

Given that most of the studies are intended to be played at a fast tempo, the exact metronome marking is left to the discretion of the player. However, several pieces are quite effective at a slower tempo and it is important to place accuracy above speed.

In most of the pieces, the articulations are taken directly from the violin. Use these original markings or explore additional patterns of your own choosing. Whatever the choice, a clear and consistent approach to articulation is recommended.

All octave markings throughout this book are optional.

These works are not intended solely for technical development but rather for the musical application of an already advanced technique.