thumbs

[sbcpacker4life]

after playing the sax for quite a while, my thumbs have begun to become hyperextended. i can't bend my thumbs back without them jerking back. does anybodyelse suffer from this?

[electricninja]

No, my thumb problem is a little different. The edge of my bari sax thumbrest isn't smoothened down, and this scrapes and pinches my left thumb if it's not carefully centered.

[colibri]

Use a harness. It'll solve many problems.

[Tenorsaxer]

my thumb clicks after long jam sesions. It goes away quickly though.

[RobG]

Could you be using too much pressure to hold the keys closed? I tend to do this, especially on lower notes. I guess it's probably a hangover from those beat up saxes I learned on in school, which often needed a good bit of force to seat the pads. I have to remind myself often to use light pressure, or my thumbs will hurt a bit after an hour or two.

[Bootman]

Pressing hard causes the problems you're complaining about. Firstly make certain that your sax isn't leaking in the right hand. Secondly concentrate with playing with a soft touch, this will greatly increase your flexibility, articulation and execution of technical phrases. Also make certain that your finger tips are on the pearls, not the flats of your fingers as this can also cause many other problems.

[sbcpacker4life]

its only really my left thumb