MSax – A saxophone training center in Hanoi
MSax – a saxophone training center at 39 Hào Nam, Hanoi: learning paths from beginner to advanced, one-to-one lessons and a weekly Sunday online class, directed by Lê Duy Mạnh, MMus.
Journal
Journal
Notes from the profession, how to work on your breath, and what to know before choosing a first saxophone.
Learning the saxophone in Hanoi with no musical background: where to start
Want to learn the saxophone in Hanoi but cannot read music and have never held a horn? That is a normal place to start — here is the order to do things in.
Cleaning and caring for a saxophone: after every session, every week, every year
Cleaning a saxophone after each session, each week and each year: keeping moisture from rotting pads and dulling the plating — the habits that keep a horn for years.
Hiring a saxophonist: what the venue needs to have ready
A checklist for organisers hiring a saxophonist: power, sound, where he stands, lighting, and the small things venues forget.
Hiring a saxophonist for a gala dinner or corporate event: where it belongs in the running order
Where to place a saxophonist in a gala running order so the value of live music is not wasted — notes for corporate event organisers.
Choosing saxophone music for a wedding: what to play, and when
What you play matters less than when you play it: choosing saxophone music for a wedding, phase by phase — arrival, ceremony and dinner.
What learning music does for a child’s character
Learned the right way, music teaches a child to listen, to wait, to keep to a routine and to express what they feel — a teacher’s view on music and character.
Choosing a reed and mouthpiece as a beginner
How to choose a reed and mouthpiece as a beginner: which strength to start from, when to change, and the guesswork purchase that leaves your tone choked.
The road to becoming Vietnam’s first saxophone master’s graduate
From the French horn to the saxophone, from a master’s degree to teaching jazz saxophone at the Vietnam National Academy of Music — the professional road of Lê Duy Mạnh.
Hiring a saxophonist for weddings, gala dinners and corporate events
Saxophone for high-end weddings, gala dinners, corporate events and international programmes. Lê Duy Mạnh builds a musical running order for each individual event.
Your first seven saxophone fingerings
The first seven fingerings on the saxophone, with how to fit a reed, adjust the strap, and the basic habits to have in place before you play a single note.
Saxophone notes and technique: a reference guide for players
Fingering charts, reading and transposing for Eb and Bb saxophones, plus embouchure, breath support, articulation and vibrato — a reference for players at any level.
Can you teach yourself the saxophone at home? An honest answer from a teacher
Can you teach yourself the saxophone at home? An honest answer from a teacher: what you can learn alone, the two things you almost cannot, and the hybrid route that saves a year of guessing.
Learning saxophone in Hanoi: how to choose a class and prepare for your first lesson
Want to learn the saxophone in Hanoi? How to choose a class, what to prepare for the first lesson, borrowing versus buying a horn, and why Hào Nam is the street to know.
How long does it take to learn the saxophone? A realistic timeline
How long does it take to learn the saxophone? A realistic stage-by-stage timeline — from the first weeks on embouchure to playing with a voice of your own in year two.
Learning saxophone from scratch: the first three months, week by week
What does a complete beginner need to learn saxophone? A week-by-week map of the first three months, from the first lesson to your first complete piece.
Which saxophone should a beginner start on? Alto, tenor or soprano
Alto, tenor or soprano — which saxophone should a beginner start on? A comparison by build, by the music you love and by budget, from teaching more than 300 students.
Five breathing mistakes that choke your saxophone tone
The five most common saxophone breathing mistakes — the ones that make your tone thin, choked and quick to tire — and the exercise that fixes each one.
How to fix your saxophone tone at the source
Why does your tone sound thin and rough even when every note is right? How to fix saxophone tone at the source — subtone, long tones, embouchure — and find a colour of your own.
Choosing a saxophone reed: which strength is right?
Which saxophone reed strength suits a beginner? What the numbers mean, how to tell a reed is too hard or too soft, and how to rotate and store reeds properly.