 The Fingering Forum
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Author: wannabe tenor sax playa
Date: 2004-04-16 01:23
I have a friend who plays clarinet...do u think she can help me to learn how to play tenor sax...she does help younger people to learn how to play the clarinet..would she be a good person to help me learn the tenor sax??is clarinet sort of like the tenor sax..just wonderin..help??
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2004-04-16 02:36
no, unless she plays tenor sax as well, she wouldn't be a good person to talk to for that. the embouchures are too different. heres a way i teach sax embouchure. curl your bottom lip over your teeth. now put your right thumb on your bottom teeth, nail down. put your top teeth on the fleshy part of your thumb. now after this tighten your lips around the thumb. without moving your lips, take your thumb out and put your mouthpiece in it's place. now play a note. the sax doesn't require a very tight embouchure. play around with your embouchure until it's to your liking, and can make a good tone. hope this helps.
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Author: Gnomon (Eoin McAuley)
Date: 2004-04-16 13:35
Sax and clarinet are almost identical. Most clarinet players play sax as well. As an example of how close the two are, my niece who had been playing clarinet for a year was able to pick up my alto sax and after 30 seconds of instruction was able to play a two octave scale. The only differences are that the sax has much simpler fingering, and the sax needs a much looser embouchure, which means that clarinet players have problems playing the low notes.
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Author: JfW
Date: 2004-04-16 16:20
Despite the apparent similarities between the saxophone and clarinet technique, I'd have to say that a clarinetists in general *don't* automatically tend to be very good sources for saxophone lessons. The reason being is that they often don't point out the very significant differences in embrochure. They often assume that since tone production is similar, not much needs to be changed in the position of the mouth muscles. Often, these players play with their own embrochure compromised.
here is a short list of what saxophone teachers who are primarily clarinetists may teach incorrectly:
1) Lower lip tucked in too far. Can lead to lip injury.
2) Mouthpiece inserted into mouth at wrong angle. Tone/intonation issues.
3) embrochure too tight or improperly shaped. Leads to intonation/tone problems, and worsens possibility problem number 1)
4) Gives missinformation about proper finger position, which on sax follows more ergonomic and comfort concerns, not dependent of open-tonehole design.
Some that primarily play clarinetists are outstanding saxophone players and saxophone teachers, but only because they identified the nuances between the two instruments instead of taking the easy way out of developing technique.
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