 The Fingering Forum
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Author: Ravi Luke
Date: 2004-03-08 23:06
Hi, i am a new student learning alto sax. I am very dissapointed with myself as i cant play notes G and D properly and a lot of effort is required. Also, it sometimes sounds airy. If i get the G and D notes playing, then i get difficulty to play other notes. To check if i was wrong or the saxophone ws messed, i tried a different one and i got the same thing going on with that one too. Other students can play but not me. :( Please can anyone help me with the suggestions, for getting a proper sound out of it, please email me or add me on msn to help me through. I will really appreciate it. Thanks alot.
Ravi Luke
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2004-03-09 00:31
first, lets discuss embourchure. one of the easiest ways to learn a proper way is this. put your thumb, nail down, on your bottom lip curled over your teeth. now place your top teeth on the fleshy part of your thumb. without moving your newly formed embouchure, take your thumb out and replace it with the mouthpice. it sounds funny, but it works an all sax's.
now your G to D, are these low? if they are, you might have a tight embouchure. and the reed cannot vibrate properly. also try to have fast air. if your in a climate where it gets cold(less then -5 degrees Celsius, 20 degrees Fahrenheit) so you can see your breath. try hissing like a cat, and watch the stream of air. you'll notice it's fast and goes far in a straight line. now just breath normally, the air is slow and tapers off in all directions close to your face. try to mimic the hiss, you will notice that you volume will go up, projection will improve, tone will be better, tuning will be more accurate. but don't blast, or that will be too loud.
make sure the position of your horn is in front of you. and that the bottom of your horn is on your chair or on your lap. and have your mouthpiece straight into your mouth. don't reach for your mouthpiece, so if it's on your lap or chair and not close to your face, tight your neckstrap. and also try a harder reed. for a beginner a rico is fine at size 2 1/2 or 3. but slowly work your way up every pack of 10 or so until your at 3 1/2 in rico then move brands to a better reed. vandoren and mitchel lurie are two big names in reeds. whenever you switch brands, don't move up a size. a rico 3 is the same as a vandoren 2 1/2. i think thats everything. hope this helps.
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2004-03-09 00:49
oh yeah, and practise a lot. the only way to improve is to practse, 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week is plenty for a beginner. but you can always practise more. and when you can play with a good range, and your school band music is sounding perfect, you might want to go out and buy some other books and practise those that will challenge you. no sense on practising easy music that doesn't challenge you, or you wont progress in your musician ship as much as you could. you can also get a private instructor. they can have loads of tips to help you. and gives you one-on-one attention that a band class cannot give all the time. hope this helps.
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Author: Emily
Date: 2004-03-10 01:24
When i first began...i had the same prob with the D note. The airy sound may be becuz your reed isn't wet enough, or worn enough...new reeds are always tough for me to use, and i've played 7 years. Try practicing those notes as whole notes, the progess to half, quarter, 8th, and so on...you'll eventually get the hang of it...good luck
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Author: Jess Cusumano
Date: 2004-03-22 07:59
What size reeds are u useing cuz they could be to hard. Try a size 1.5 or a 2 cuz they are just right for new players.
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