Saxophone Player Greg Vail live show

[SmallTimeMusicians]

WOW! I like it!

[josefilhoish]

Este Greg realmente é uma fera no tenor !!! muito bom.

[TheeMotivator]

Does anyone know the name of this song??? I'd really like to know so I can have my band SMOOTH play it. It's really lively and funky at the same times. Anyone know???

[gvSAXBOY]

@TheeMotivator -- Not sure but I think it was a song by Max Bennett, bass player on a thousand hit tracks thru the 70's and beyond. Search his music online.....

[ingenierocivilUNI]

Bravo.!!!

[RandolphSax]

Funky sound? damn..



[machinsky108]

Greg, what is the name of the song or the album it is from? Your whole solo was very hard-hitting; I absolutely cannot get enough of your playing.

[MrDoubay]

what notes does he plays on 0.15 . awsome lick :O

[OlavoBLFilho]

Fantastic Overtones Greg!! Congratulations! Hugs from Brazil!!

[Njderig]

If I could think up the perfect tenor sax solo in my mind, it would be this. Only problem is I don't have the ability to play like this. If this is Greg Vail's channel I just want to say you sir are freakin awesome. That is the most baddass sax solo I ever heard!

[2259269587]

I love Greg's passion and his jazz sound is awesome too! Does anyone know what kind of mouthpiece he uses? It looks like a Dukoff. Love it!

[gvSAXBOY]

@2259269587 - Guardala hand made and custom for Brecker - close to a Link/Dukoff vibe with no baffle....

[93intrepid]

@gvSAXBOY

Just hearing this smoking solo helped re-ignite my sax playing in our worship team.

It's hard to be a sax player in a guitar world ya know...

[SuperGoldenPony]

@93intrepid IT'S HEAVEN!!!!

[usetheforce207]

@gvSAXBOY i dont think thats a MB custom mouthpiece. I think i read somewhere he is using a Studio or cresent- Guardala. But either way, all great mouthpieces.

[wallnutsy]

@gvSAXBOY WOW man, u inspire me, You are the bomb and i play sax as well..i was wondering ummm...how do u do that effect at 0:41?

[jsmith3257]

Is the person who uploaded this the performer or just a fan?

[mdb205]

Now that's a solo

[sandrovaro]

WOW!!! so cool sound, nice!!!

[toweryman]

flawless. IDK about you guys but this is idol worthy right here! I wanna be a Vail hahah

[Copilot24]

yo is that an 875 yamaha tenor?

[gvSAXBOY]

@Copilot24 - it is the 875 Black with a Crescent Guardala Gold! It works for me....

[mastersgta1]

This is how a saxophone should be played in contemporary music!

[wellhrd]

you're the greatest mannnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!

[Passion613]

You kicked some ass on this song..wish i had your technique..

[SaxFobia]

bravissimo....... complimenti !!!!!!!

[chicanoexpress]

i wish icould play like him

[Guenniistes]

please post more from that tune! its so groovy, nice sax/trumpet.

Olaf Hamburg Germany

[jAzZJaZzSaXx]

what setup does he use? horn, mouthpiece, reeds etc..

[musicman1872]

I love this guy. Especially his improv....

[usetheforce207]

man the biggest thing that sticks out to mean isnt the notes he's playing but the extremely clean rythmic connection he has to the music

[kennyk310]

exeleeeeeente!! hace mucho tiempo que no encontraba un saxofonista bueno

[saxman8050]

What song is this?

[gvSAXBOY]

@saxman8050 Not sure what it is called but I know it was a song by Max Bennett and Max is seen in the last few seconds on bass. Sorry but it is a few years old know.....

[calffo64]

Have you the total concert????

[gvSAXBOY]

Nope - just bits and pieces.

[calffo64]

GOOD, GOOD, GOOD.............

[sumbaswing]

right on

[MrMagnificent321]

The pattern on that sax is amazing and so is the sound

[Ratush82]

yeaaa man

[jasaxophonist]

Hey!! What happened to his long hair. I liked the long hair look.

[toweryman]

GV rockin hard like always!! love it bro love it!

[provinceofcyrodiil]

Check Jermaine christian sax player out. He's truly one of the best in my opinion, not even a pro

[sk8erxbloodxshed]

that guy HAS to be jesus

[x6xk1LLx9x]

whats the name of this whole song?

[lacrossecrazy77]

what setup is he using? and is he using the custom z series. sounds great

[falseaddress010]

yay : a how to play pentatonics video =D

[killergirls]

It is players like this that made me fall in love with a Tenor Sax!

[cronology]

pwnage

[olgapate94]

abominally great. i whant to be like him, seriously. the greates I have heard

[vanjanjan]

hi Greg,

check out my idea for best and cheapest ligature for mouthpiece (see videomessages above)

[BV10707]

this is someone who has clearly and completely MASTERED the saxophone

[sendamessagetoGod]

those were some sweet licks. Would you mind telling me what kind of licks those are, and where i can learn them to sound like you?

[Shwanky240]

do u know what notes hes soloing on in the beginning?

[vanjanjan]

Yeah I like this tenorplayer!!!!!!

Hi Shwanky, it's a-g-e-a-g-e-d-d-d. Kind of pentatonic....succes!

[saxman8050]

Actually, it's

A G E A G E D E E E etc...

[gobasile1]

super :-)

[vanjanjan]

This guy is amazing. Ik like it!!!!!

[lusax2002]

very good..

[dordulek]

Amazing. Loved every minute of it.

[SoccerArtist95]

dude, you are untouchable.

[nanatina1965]

Hi Greg! You're the best.Miss ya!

Tina

[OlympicSong]

Hi ! This's really SAXY ! Thanx 4 da MUSIC !

[MalinowyChrusniak]

What is the tittle of this song?

[Saxodude95]

thats fantastic

[cronology]

This guy is my new hero!

[BIGSNOWMAN007]

cem on blastin it like charlie parker

nice 1 i liked ur gospel too when u played alto very entertaining

[gagiandjeo]

Awesome!

5 *****

gagi

[Naruto64564]

you kick butt i play the alto and bari but you just kicked my but out the window ^.^

[peanutofdragon]

so wondergul

[MaryFlute816]

Always loved your tenor the best!!!! You're amazing.

[upabovemusic]

GREAT

[yoyo23man23]

smooth jazz is embarrassing... smooth jazz sax players are very more embarrassing... damn... I'm blushing.. how embarrassing.. poor fellow

[Ezekio3160]

what are you talking about?

[wadupworld101]

Plainly put, You have no taste in music.

[tommie997]

any advice for a beginner saxophonist just

started yesterday

[gvSAXBOY]

You have started off well! Listen to lots of sax music and let your ears develop as your playing abilities grow. Saxophone can be great fun to play but you need to be getting better all the time to keep that live alive. Listen and play all the time!!! Maybe a teacher for a while would help get you going in the right direction.

[chris100692]

My god. That was beast

[DJM626]

NICE VID GREG!! I Love all of your vids on here... Question about your mouthpice on Tenor I know you said Guardala, but what is the exact model of it? Is it the old hand made ones, or the newer ones? Also lig used on Tenor? Thanks kindly if you respond.. You are AMAZING.... Love your work

[gvSAXBOY]

In this clip it is a handmade and not a traditional piece. It was a custom piece he was working with Brecker on and is as much a Crescent as it was a link. more open tip and very little baffle. The Crescent I now use is a PMS Crescent gold plate and can be purchased online. The lig in the clip was the Gaurdala lig, but now using the Ishimori gold soprano lig on the PMS. These both play very much the same across board.

Thanks for your comment and question.

gvSAXBOY

[gsaxita]

hi greg we are Fb friend , wich scale you use at sec 26? e 56 ? good effect

[gvSAXBOY]

Im not sure which what thing you are asking?? Think the 26 second thing was basically pentatonic and the 56 Parker-ish bop in shape but neither anything very unusual. ??

[moorethanart]

Lovely gritty sax sound :)

[ladysmoothsax]

Awesome!! You sound great!

[APGR]

nice job!! Hopefully we can play sometime in the future...

all the best...

[cesarinman]

Hi Mr. Grail, I was wondering what type of reed you have? I strugle alot to have a REALLY LOUD sound on my sax. It restrics much of my soloing skills.

[gvSAXBOY]

Many things effect the tone and volume of a sax. A reed and mouthpiece are big parts. Metal MPC are always louder. Rico Royal, Java, Plastic Cover are all good reeds, but a closed mouthpiece will make it hard. The sax has to be working right too. Every part has to be good to have a big sound and volume to cut.

[YaniT991]

If you want more volume and edge over, say, standar Rico Royals then try some plasticovers. They'll help you compete with amplified instruments, they're the cheapest way to get closer to wht you want (go price a mouthpiece) and they play straight out of the box :-)

[Jollayyy3]

Hey dude. Your awesome.

I play the tenor sax and I guess I'm okay.

NO WHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS YOU.

I just got a new sax. New lig and enough reeds to last a while. Haha. Good job though.

[Ibanezguy2007]

im a guitarist and I have to say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE SAXOPHONE!! you can learn so much from their phrasing.

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey man, I've been stealing from Guitar players for years now! There is a love thang there!

[tommie997]

I play guitar fusion and blues mainly (no vids) but anyway you've influenced me to play the sax and i'm starting next week!! i've never seen such a player

any advice about the sax?

[luckysmusic]

Great sound played with passion.....loved it.

[gvSAXBOY]

Thanks Lucky and thanks again for the great videos!

gvSAXBOY

[BigSax1984]

WOW! Great job Greg! I do not hear too many players who play so aggressively over a cool jazz background. It ain't easy, and you pulled it off with flying colors.

BTW, is that a JK you're blowing through?

[gvSAXBOY]

Thanks Big Sax! The set up is Yamaha Custom 875 with a silver F1 neck, Guardala Crescent MPC, Selmer lig, plastic cover 2 1/2 reeds.

Blessings bro,

gvSAXBOY

[Chardy17]

Is it me or did you play at the chicago + doobie brother concert at mohegan sun in connecticut over this summer?

[gvSAXBOY]

Chardy, wish I had been blessed with that gig but sorry to say it was another guy that looked like all the sax players around I guess. Mark Russo looks a bit like me and does the Doobies? Was probably him!

Thanks for posting,

gvSAXBOY

[SpoofHobbit]

hey

do you make up your solos or do get them from books cause you are really good

[gvSAXBOY]

Spoof, hey are all made up. Just blowing and taking a ride on a great rhythm section groove! All ideas come from somewhere and often the ideas will come from other solos or books in the beginning, but they become your own over time.

gvSAXBOY

[SpoofHobbit]

Thanks man Cool answer

[SpoofHobbit]

Hey I just saw you play in the All Star Band The Wartermelon Man, Awesome!

[n2smoothjazz]

Greg,When playing your solos,have you some idea what you're going to play. And if so, how do you remember,especially when you have such long phrase solos ?

[gvSAXBOY]

The best picture I have is that of a surfer. He takes a wave and rides the best he can based on where ever it takes him. He has ideas he might want to try on this particular ride, but is really at the mercy of the wave. His success will look as if he owned that wave but the truth is, he was just making the most he could out of the ride. Solo's are the very same thing for me. Most of what happens is inspired by the environment of that moment.

[SpoofHobbit]

And are your high notes supposed to twissle out like their hard? I don't meen to be mean but they don't sound nice and full?

[gvSAXBOY]

Altissimo can be approached a number of ways. Often they will be used when the solo is more aggressive, and that will include some growl too. Then you have the fact that playing really high is not easy. Overall, I can play them more clean or more growl sounding, and it depends on the vibe of the solo within the track as to the sound a player might choose.

gvSAXBOY

[ModernSaxDotCom]

love the edge in your playing, amazing timing, and effortless altissimo. I've always wanted to sound like Greg Vail, among others!

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey Modern Sax, thanks for listening and posting! You are very kind! Blessings in your music,

gvSAXBOY

[brophj5]

Greg, excellent playing I've really enjoyed the clips you've posted. Thanks. I was wondering what you thoughts are on baffles. I understand that you have a custom Guardala similar to the cresent model and another Guardaka that a baffle was removed from by a mojo? Anyways I play an link 7* on tenor and am currently trying out a guardala studio 7* gold plated. Is it a benefit to my sound as a developing player to stick with the link?

God bless

[gvSAXBOY]

It depends on a few things; how you sound now and the goal sound you have for the future or ideal you. The Studio was way too bright for me and so was any of the other Guardala's. I was coming from a Link and wanted a more modern sound. Had played a Duckoff for a few years and kinda killed it. I had heard that the Guardala was a perfected Duckoff at the time, and was looking to replace and maybe improve upon that sound with a more modern direction. The Crescent was classic yet more modern...

[SpoofHobbit]

hey Saxboy have you ever heard of a special perfect saxaphone?

[gvSAXBOY]

Not sure what you are asking?????

[SpoofHobbit]

I think the brand name is Special Perfect, it is an Alto Saxaphone, It,s fairly old. Have you heard abou them, are they good?

[gvSAXBOY]

I don't know that brand - sorry,

gvSAXBOY

[SpoofHobbit]

Thats cool Thanks, have you ever watched the show Black Books?

[gvSAXBOY]

Sorry but no. Batting a thousand with you this month. haha

gvSAXBOY

[SpoofHobbit]

You should watch it you look like a guy called Manny, he's cool. A thousand?

[cesarinman]

WOW. I... I dont know what to say. Im a freshman in highschool and I want to prove to everyone what a tenor can do!

How can I play like you!? I am the best soloist in my band, but I want to play fast notes and cool rythms.

What should I practice ??? Does a mouthpiece make a difference???

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey Cesarin - First a big thanks for watching and posting!! You ask great questions.

A teacher would best be able to coach your solo playing. Main thing is - you can't play fast in a solo if you haven't practiced fast and clean. The building blocks are the changes and learning the scales and chords, smooth and fast. Patterns for Jazz is a good start. Then listen to lots of great solo playing for ideas on how to use that information. Good luck and much success,

gvSAXBOY

[brown1983]

Hey through your experience with the saxophone, what brands have emerged to be the best in your opinion. Is Jupiter a good buy?

[gvSAXBOY]

They are pretty good student saxes. I like the fact they have been around for a long time in relationship to many of the new companies getting saxes made in China that usually suck. If it is a good price, I would say you should be good with the Jupiter Sax.

gvSAXBOY

[tomgamble100]

Thats some soulful sax playing there and I have the same guitar as the guitarist!

[gvSAXBOY]

Thanks Tony! And the guitar is cool as long as you didn't get it from Blakes trunk - haha!

gvSAXBOY

[ferrariguy47]

DAMN! As much saxophone as I have listened to, that really captivated me, and I can say that was completely badass!

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey Ferrari Guy,

Thanks for the cool comments! Glad you found the clip and liked it bro,

gvSAXBOY

[TEP251]

Great playing and beautiful sounds.

Refreshing, be glad your you :)

Tim Price

[gvSAXBOY]

Tim - you are a good man and I always love running across you online bro! Thanks soooo much for looking and dropping a line. You need to get some stuff up to check out. I always love hearing you play!

Blessings,

gvSAXBOY

[brown1983]

Youve inspired me to really try and learn this beautiful instrument and thats what matters to most ppl, self inspiration. Keep making your Joyful noise and be Blessed.

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey Brown1983

Thanks for the kind word! I am glad you find inspiration from watching video on You Tube. I too am challenged and inspired by much of what I see here.

I appreciate your vote of support on JDs comment below. Honestly, didn't bother me at all. I just was not sure what he was trying to say. Thanks anyway and blessings in your music...

gv

[jdforfuntimes]

damn..u missed a grip of changes

[gvSAXBOY]

Not sure what you are talking about but thanks for posting and listening. This was a jam vibe and I had no idea when the solo was out. At one point I thought it was time to hand over and it wasn' yet? Maybe that's what you were hearing?

gv

[brown1983]

I find that alot of people are generally too critical of other peoples music. They play too much for the technical aspect of music instead of the moment, the feeling, and the love. They want to find something wrong with something. I dont think you missed a single thing. Ive played guitar for a while and im goin to learn the sax. You have gone up there on my list right along with Gerald Albright, Boney James, even Maceo Parker. I really dont care who may or may not agree with me.

[boracho19]

If you ever play in the land of the rising sun perhaps you could duet with the lovely Kaori Kabayashi? that would be something to see :-)

[gvSAXBOY]

that would be awesome bro!

[boracho19]

another great horn player lost to gospel ...or maybe its is the rest of us thats lost :-)

[gvSAXBOY]

Too funny bro! :-)

Thanks for the kind words and checking out the video! I have lots in my Channel to see. Stop back for new stuff too. Blessings,

Greg Vail - Sax Player (and yes, a Christian Sax Player, but I've been one for decades now)

[pfhsdrummajor]

wow just amazing im a sax player and im getting a new professional sax so wut kind of sax and mouthpiece does this guy have

[gvSAXBOY]

Hey, I am the sax player in the clip. The mouthpiece is a Guardala made by Nadir in Germany - PMS Music. You can find him online. They are not cheap but play very much like my original Guardala, handmade piece made by Dave years ago.

Blessings,

Greg Vail SAXBOY

Check out my channel for more video when you get a chance and thanks for posting.

[kennyw14]

Man, that was nice playing.

[gvSAXBOY]

Kenny, you're too kind. Thanks for posting!

See my page for more sax video...

[Kride18576]

Greg, you sound great. Keep it up!! K

[gvSAXBOY]

Thanks Keith!

[hotsaxcooljazz]

MAN, very smooth playin. I really dig your sound

[gvSAXBOY]

Thanks man for posting! Check out the page for more videos and thanks for your input!!

gv

[hotsaxcooljazz]

very smooth man. I really dig your playin

[gvSAXBOY]

The 2008 BASH is coming this Memorial Day Weekend on Sunday 5:30-9:30PM, May 25th.

The BASH will be help at the Village Green in Mission Viejo, California this year.

This is the Oso Viejo Community Park next to the newly expanded Norman P. Murry Community Center. Proceeds from the event help offset the costs to Saddleback College for operational expenses for the college radio station - KSBR.