Here’s a classic!

When I have students who are starting to show an interest in jazz, Lennie Niehaus’ Basic Jazz Conception is one of the first books that I introduce in their lessons.

This book offers simple melodies that introduce a rhythmic theme with each exercise, and brings it all together with some singable tunes at the end of the book.

I love the fact that the melodies are not technically challenging, so that my students can focus on playing with a good swing feel, and don’t get overwhelmed with chromatic passages.

Another benefit is that the material in the book allows my students to integrate the rhythms into their early improvisations. For example, when they play with only the blues scale over the blues, they can be confident in their rhythms, and feel.

Most saxophonists are aware of the fact that Lennie Niehaus has a plethora of incredible material for saxophone, and I find the Basic Jazz Conception for Saxophone to be a particularly useful resource for musicians who are looking to explore jazz.

3 responses to “Music Books – Lennie Niehaus’ Basic Jazz Conception for Saxophone”

  1. I started with this book, but my teacher put me on the Basic Part 2 book, which is still easier than the intermediate but a bit less repetitive than the part one basic book. That’s not a criticism. If anything, I love that the Niehaus books cover such a technical spectrum as to be useful to any aspiring jazz saxophonist, kind of like DeVille’s Universal Method has something for every level.

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    1. That’s awesome! The whole series really fills out the rhythmic elements that players coming from a concert band background need to develop.

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  2. […] November 2023, I wrote a post about the Lennie Niehaus’ Basic Jazz Conception, and how one of the aspects of the book that I like is the ability to apply the rhythms over sets […]

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