 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2005-04-20 22:48
I felt like I needed to make this post about how shocked I am at learning to play the tenor sax.
At first, it was absolutely awful and I could barely make sounds anywhere. Silly me was using a slightly loose clarinet embouchure. What was I thinking...
But now, I've found that I barely have to apply any pressure or anything to make an acceptable sound and it's really weird to me. Because I'm so used to clarinet, it feels like I'm playing completely incorrectly, yet the sound coming out is fairly good. Apparently, I need to kind of feel the reed through my bottom lip, as John Cipolla says on his website. It's just weird that my embouchure and lips have to be soo loose to play this thing.
I'm getting less squeaks now, which is good, but still get some, especially when moving from middle C to middle D or another note above. I think the low notes will come more easily eventually. I can slur down to them with scales, but playing them alone takes a while. The only other problem is that above middle C, the sound gets much more airy and even fuzzy and I am beginning to wonder if it is the instrument or not, because the notes below it are pretty clear. The upper notes are also kind of harsh sounding, but can be made nicer. I think I may be again using too much pressure, or not finding the right balance.
So I was wondering if it's just a clarinet player's thing to feel this way about playing the sax? It SEEMS easy, but low notes are still really hard. Any advice with those?
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Author: Fred
Date: 2005-04-20 23:29
Make very sure that the sax doesn't have any leaking pads - they will kill you on the low notes. Also, there's more embouchure adjustment as you play with sax compared to clarinet. Finally, the right reed/mp combo will make your learning more satisfying.
BTW, the way to check a sax for leaks is by using a leak light. They come in two basic varieties: Inexpensive rope style lights and more powerful fluorescent or halogen lamps. They go inside the sax; you depress the keys with normal pressure and look to see if light is coming out between the pad and the tone hole.
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Author: Contra
Date: 2005-04-21 00:04
The problem I had with sax was putting too much air into the horn. It's a slightly-startling experience.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-04-21 00:25
I used to play my boss's wonderful Selmer MK VI tenor and alto saxes.
I've recently rented a student grade tenor and am having similar disfunctions with it. I canned the "Selmer c2" type mouthpiece and returned to the Brilhart 5* of my youth. That made some of the lower notes accessible. Still getting better with practice, but I have enough trouble trying to play MUSIC without having to fight the horn, too.
BTW: the sax was virtually unplayable as delivered. I took it to my technician after trying it for a couple of days. That helped a lot.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Erdinet
Date: 2005-04-21 11:07
Almost all saxophones have some difficulty playing in the lower register. Its sort of the nature of the beast. Especially when compared to playing clarinet. I find that anything below a low (first line) Eb almost always requires some sort of attention unless the horn is in PERFECT regulation. It is almost always because of leaks but there is also the fact that the curve in the instrument is finally coming into play and the that curve tends to make things a tad more difficult. (Though, there is still some difficulty when playing these notes on straight horns...go figure.)
The initial setting of an embouchure and production of a decent sound should not be too difficult for a clarinet player, especially on a tenor sax. Yes, there are diffierences but tenor sax in particular is a very forgiving instrument and you should be able to start refining your sound and setting the embouchure with in a couple of weeks if not, days. I would have a sax tech check out the instrument and fix some of the leaks. Then go forth and play....the cool thing about sax when compared to clarinet is that it really just lends itself to playing. Play some clarinet music (transposing to the proper registers if need be), play along with the TV, play along with the radio and so on. There is really less to think about on the instrument. If you really want to take it up a notch and learn about the instrument and how it plays get Rascher's "Top Tones for Saxophone". Find a teacher to help explain the book and watch how quicikly you will improve.
N.B. Mainly being a saxophone player, what I mean by the instrument lends itself to playing (as opposed to clarinet) is that in clarinet playing there appears to me a greater need to be a real thinker. Its more of a puzzle. How does one get over the break in a given passage? When should I play a left pinky B, or a right pinky C#? The whole register key and overtone series of a 12th.... The saxophonist has none of these problems to dwell on. He or she simply has to find decent music to play....
Adam
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Author: SolidRockMan
Date: 2005-04-21 12:29
I found there was one fundamental embouchure difference between the clarinet and sax. Together with being more relaxed, the lips should form an 'O' shape on the sax, as distinct from the 'smile' shape for the clarinet.
This shape allows the reed to vibrate properly and gives a much fuller tone. It should help also with playing those low notes...
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-04-21 16:59
I've found that it's a fairly easy switch from clarinet to soprano or alto sax, since they require some embouchure pressure, which is a quick adjustment. Baritone and bass I can also do quicky, since you just pretend you're sucking on a cigar and blow.
Tenor is always a problem for me -- too big a change from clarinet to adjust easily, yet it needs something more than the low instruments. Also, it's damn heavy. (I play the big guys on a stand.)
Ken Sgaw
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2005-04-21 17:39
I've noticed that playing the tenor has been making my lips and embouchure really tired, and it seems like it is because it's such a different embouchure that perhaps I'm not used to yet. Luckily I haven't had TOO much of a problem yet with switching from clarinet to tenor and back again, but going back to the clarinet definitely feels weird for a little.
But when trying to make my embouchure looser for the tenor, it takes me a while to find the "right" feel for the sax embouchure. It's even kind of painful at first because I'm trying to let me lips be so much looser.
Also, are there any quick tests to see if I have any leaks in my tenor? I'm pretty sure the one I have right now is junk. The low notes are almost impossible when not played in a downward scale and the upper register is very fuzzy. The tuning also is not that great...
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-04-21 17:57
If you can't play the low notes softly, assuming that at one time you could, you probably have a leak. If certain notes don't speak well, you could have a leak or linkage problem. If you get overtones without even trying, your octave mechanism could need to be adjusted.
Gordon (NZ) is the master at figuring these thangs out.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-04-21 21:54
I played tenor sax in 8th grade jazz band, which was about 3 1/2 years ago! I thought that making a sound and finding the notes was very easy. The only problem I had with playing it was holding up all the weight, I tended to kinda slump over some. Our regular tenor sax player was in it with me the 1st semester and so he taught me the weird side notes, and then 2nd semester he quit and I had to teach another clarinet player to play tenor. It was a neat experience to be able to teach someone else something that you have just learned. That is one time in my life when I was first chair for the whole time. It was nice...lol.
Just keep practicing and it will eventually come to you! Maybe if you want to pursue the tenor, you could get a teacher. Maybe you could try to get a teacher that is in high school that is an All-Stater. They should probably be able to get you started! And....they would be dirt cheap lessons! I'm teaching a senior citizen at my church how to play the clarinet (she played it about 30-40 years ago and can't remember most clarinet stuff) and I only charge her $8 a half hour (which tends to actually run over to 45 minutes). I am an All-Stater, so I am pretty capable of teaching someone the basics and some intermediate skills on the clarinet. Would anyone agree with me on this?
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Author: Frodo
Date: 2005-04-22 02:37
“The only problem I had with playing it was holding up all the weight.”
Had exactly the same experience learning to play alto sax which is several times heavier than a Bb clarinet. I can imagine what it must be like since tenor sax probably weighs twice as much if not more than an alto. But I soon got used to it. Keeping fit and doing some arm, upper body, and legs -- if you want to play standing up for long periods -- strengthening exercises would be helpful.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-04-22 22:27
I have a super tight embouchure (i'm working on loosening up!) and playing bass clarinet is hard for me-
I realised that I was using reeds that were too soft- to get the low notes, I actually had to move up a full strength. (I had been told to start with soft reeds.)
Good luck!
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