Beginner Jazz Soloing for Saxophone & Clarinet: The beginner’s guide to jazz improvisation for woodwind instruments

The combination of click tracks and call-and-answer demos helped me grasp the concepts quickly and move into independent practice faster than I imagined possible. Encouraging, creative, exciting technique. While you don't need to know musical theory to learn using these books, you'll get the most benefit if you are familiar with scales and understand how to transpose to different keys. (But don't let that stop you! You can learn that too.)

You would think that ear training for an instrument would require to hear how notes sound on that instrument!This book markets itself as a Saxophone/Clarinet book and the audio files that I had to download for the book to be useful (why can't they just include a CD at this price point?) were all some kind of computer/MIDI generated keyboard music.Forget actual Tenor saxophone music, it wasn't even proper piano notes.Checked the folders for Alto and Clarinet and they're all the same MIDI stuff. Ostensibly it's the authors way of marketing to a wider audience of instrumentalists by publishing different "versions" of the same material without additional effort.In fact, I checked out the author's youtube channel and he features a saxophone player who apparently features in the audio sections for this book, but I could not find any actual saxophone music in any of the 10 exercises (that's it! 10 exercises)Totally disappointed and will be returning it. Great concept and I would gladly pay more for something with real saxophone tracks on a CD and more than a handful of exercises.

I'm sure the book would be fine, if it came with the audio CD that is apparently required. I don't know if it's unique to me, but the link for the audio on the website doesn't work either. So the book is basically useless to me until I can figure this out.

This is one of the best beginner jazz soloing books that I have seen. One of the outstanding features is that the recorded tracks are available at 5 different tempos. This allows every student to learn the written lines and gradually increase the speed. This book is a must for instrumental wanting to learn the art of improvisation.

Buster has written a wonderful, systematic approach to Improv. The backing tracks are very nice. I highly recommend this book.

This product is NOT the way it is described. Don't waste your money! Very Disappointed!!!

Best "Learning Jazz" book that I've seen. You'll need to be able to play both CDs and MP3 tracks.

I use this book and I like it

Rarely, do I come across a book that makes you not, want to put it down. I’ve always struggled with improvisation always missing that piece in the puzzle, theory drowning my aspiration to play great and love the in the moment of inventing melodic lines. I have bought many books over the years on learning jazz, I just wished I found this book first time around.It’s clear, practical in every sense of the word and above all else, it will give you confidence in knowing your in the right place at the right time and people listening to you playing will enjoy your harmonic lines.The backing tracks are professional and so enjoyable to play along with going through the book.I am a shy player however this author has brought me out of my shell and totally in my comfort zone.

I am finding this really easy to follow.As a classically trained saxophonist with a music diploma, I am happy to "follow the dots" but have always ached to have the kind of musical freedom that would allow me to improvise.I've tried various other books over the years and they were all a bit too complex for me, as I tend to start to feel daft about not having enough creative musical ideas that sound good, and that is a big turn off.This book on the other hand is a GREAT way to start. Learning to play by ear is so important. I can now happily do a basic pentatonic improv, although I won't be stepping up and asking to do a solo next time we get to rehearse big band!I would really recommend this book to anyone who, like me, feels totally inept but really wants to start.Those other books don't seem so daunting now 😊

Excellent book. Easy to understand with plenty of exercises and guidance toward improvisation. I like it very much, I recommend to any sax player who wishes to seriously pursue improvisation.

Buster Birch is the answer to all your questions about jazz improvisation. To put is quite simply, the day that I purchased this wonderful book, was the best decision I ever made concerning my playing development, in all my years of playing jazz. The story doesn't stop there however; you will be able to download numerous tracks from his website, to compliment the book, and take your learning-curve forward. His YouTube site has a free lesson which covers excerpts from the whole book in a play-along style, giving so many useful ideas and tips to help one fully understand the working process of the book. You will not regret purchasing this synergy of techniques.

Reading about this book at the reviews I wasn't sure what to expect. I guess if you want to just improvise and use the correct notes to follow other tunes or make things up, its OK. Following the book and downloaded tunes was monotonous and interestingly my music teacher wasn't that impressed with it.I guess it depends what you want from your saxophone, each to their own, but not for me!