Ok so for part of an audition Saturday, I have to play my chromatic scale full range for alto sax. I can do it but I struggle trying to slide my pinky finger back and forth... Please help me

Have you tried talking to your band director?

Practice slow and practice a lot.

Nobody ever said on their deathbed "I wish I had done less slow practice". You can't possibly do too much of it.

I'm not a sax player, but here is an exercise that helps me with tricky fingerings:
Pick an interval that involves sliding your pinky back and forth (or whatever you're having problems with). Set the metronome to 60 (or slower) and in 4/4 time play the following:
One measure of eight notes,
One measure of triplets,
One measure of sixteenths,
One measure of fivetuplets,
One measure of sixtuplets,
One measure of fivetuplets,
One measure of sixteenths,
One measure of triplets,
and one measure of eights.
If you got that down, you can try to increase the speed.

Just to clarify, you can only do this exercise with one interval at a time. For example B to C. You play B to C in eights, then triplets, etc. So if there is an interval where you struggle to slide your pinky, isolate that interval and try that exercise.

Hope that helps, and good luck on your audition

Nose grease.





But really, wipe the side of your nose in that little divot to grease it up a bit. Its something that Oboe players do all the time. (We don't have those rollers in-between our keys, so its a necessity.)

Thanks everyone! Your help is appreciated!

kmarti6 no I take private lessons every other week but the way my teacher showed me was unclear

Ok ya it was the only help I could give you but luckily other people were able to deliver.

Sometimes from a musicality standpoint, it is better to take private lessons from someone who does NOT play your instrument.