It is important to develop a warm-up routine that is used at the start of each practice session and before performances. This is a time to mentally focus on the task ahead and physically prepare your embouchure and fingers.

Sustaining long notes encourages good breath support. Low notes are particularly helpful in focusing the sound. This will make playing in all registers much easier, especially when playing softly.

Slurring between octaves is a good way to ensure the proper embouchure and improve intonation. If the embouchure is not correct, slurring to a lower octave will be difficult and the saxophone will not play in tune.

Practicing scales relaxes and loosens-up the fingers and promotes a consistent sound across the registers. Slurring scales will reveal any inconsistencies in finger technique.

• Practice everyday: consistency is crucial. Ten minutes a day is much better than seventy minutes on one day. Much can be accomplished in a half to one hour. If you only have a short amount of time, practice what you can in that time.

• Choose a quiet place that is well-lit and free of distractions.

• When finished playing dump out any condensation that may be in the bell. Always remove the reed from the mouthpiece and store it in a reed guard. Never leave the mouthpiece on the neck when in storage. This will decrease the life of the neck cork.

• Never store your saxophone in your car during times of extreme heat or cold. Extreme changes in temperature are very hard on the instrument, so allow it to warm up or cool down slowly before removing it from the case.

• Always store your saxophone in its case. DO NOT use soft-sided gig-bags. Using a hard-shell case is the only way to properly protect your instrument. This is the safest place for your instrument. Stands are meant for temporary use only, and are easy to knock over.